This Thursday, Aug.9, the first active duty Army nurse to be killed in combat since the Vietnam War will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetary.
Cpt. Maria I. Ortiz died on July 10, 2007 in Baghdad,Iraq of wounds suffered during a mortar attack while she was serving at the 28th Combat Support Hospital in the Green Zone. She died while tending to Iraqi wounded.
As a nurse myself, and as the niece of an Army nurse Captain who served in Vietnam
Click here: For My Aunt...A Thank You to an Army Nurse Corps Vietnam Veteran
learning of this death had a huge personal impact for me.
(I regret to say that I missed the announcement of her death in July, as this was when the boyfriend's son was home on leave and I didn't spend much time on the computer then. )
I learned of Cpt. Ortiz's death last night through a posting on the Patriot Guard Riders forums
and I immediately set out to do a search to find out more about this fallen hero.
I found the story of a woman who was living out her calling, and who died doing what she felt she was born to do--caring for others.
Over and over again, in the stories about her that I found on the web, people mentioned her smile, and her caring heart.
I found a myriad of links honoring and remembering Cpt. Maria Ortiz, and rather than synopsize them all, I'm going to list them at the end of this post, and urge you to take a moment to read through them, and learn more about this woman and nurse who was greatly beloved by family,friends, and patients.
I am not in any way saying that any one death in the wars that our service men and women are currently fighting is more important than any other death. Each death is a loss, each death deserves to be honored and remembered.
But as a woman and a nurse, this death hits home for me. And I felt it was important to highlight the memory of Cpt.Maria Ines Ortiz.
Please take a moment this Thursday to remember Maria Ortiz's family in your prayers, as they lay her to rest.
And here is a link to her Guestbook on Legacy.com, if you'd like to leave your condolences.
Click here: Guest Book - Capt. Maria I. Ortiz
RIP CPT. Maria Ines Ortiz.
And to her family and friends, may I respectfully offer my heartfelt sympathy for your loss.
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Click here: Popular Army Nurse Is the First Killed in Combat Since Vietnam
Click here: Army nurse killed in Iraq - MilitaryWoman.org
Click here: María Inés Ortiz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Click here: Memorial this week for slain Army nurse
Click here: Nurse killed in Iraq remembered -- baltimoresun.com
Click here: wjz.com - Memorial Held At APG For Army Nurse Killed In Iraq
Click here: In Memorium Walter Reed celebrates the life, service of Capt. Maria Ortiz
Click here: Maria Ines Ortiz, Capain, United States Army
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