Captain Maria I. Ortiz

Maria Ines Ortiz was born on April 24, 1967. She was a Captain in the United States Army. Captain Ortiz was a registered nurse who was serving with the 28th Combat Support Hospital, 3rd Medical Command. Prior to deploying to Iraq, she was assigned to the Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where she was the chief nurse of general medicine for 18 months. She was killed by enemy mortar fire inside the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq on July 10, 2007. She was 40 years old.

The following quotes were taken from a Washington Post article,
written by Steve Vogel, about Captain Ortiz.

"Capt. Maria Ines Ortiz had a smile that lighted up the hallways in every hospital where she worked, from Aberdeen to Walter Reed to Iraq. When a patient needed extra care, the Army nurse would stay late. If a colleague was feeling blue, she was there," wrote Mr. Vogel.

"If there was such a thing as the jewel of the clinic, she was the jewel," said Renee Smith, who worked with Ortiz at an Army health clinic at Aberdeen Proving Ground. "Her work wasn't finished until everybody was cared for." "It really took everybody by surprise," Smith said. "God, it's a great loss."

May you rest in peace Captain Ortiz knowing that you have done your duty and served your country with honor and courage.