Introduction: Peter D. Haro, M.A. – Professor U.S. History, San Diego City College
Chapter 9 Veterns Proudly We Serve
U .S. Army Captain Jennifer M. Moreno died a hero on October 6, 2013. Just 25 years old, her life began in Logan Heights and ended during a night raid in the Zhari District, Kandahar, Afghanistan. Three other sol - diers also lost their lives. While trying valiantly to save a fellow soldier who had been gravely injured by a suicide bomb attack, the young nurse paid the ultimate price when she triggered another explosion that killed her. Captain Moreno was part of the early wave of Operation Enduring Freedom, which began just a month after the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. President George W. Bush would call it the “War on Terrorism.” Three thousand people lost their lives in the deadly assaults on New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. by Middle East terrorist group, al-Queda, according to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. For her sacrifice, the San Diego Veteran’s Administration Medical Center was renamed in Captain Moreno’s honor on December 19, 2022. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, she was also awarded posthumously the Bronze Star Medal for “exceptionally valorous achievement.”
U.S. Army Captain Jennifer Moreno (Photo courtesy © Joint Base San Antonio, Dept of Defense)
Fires burning amidst World Trade Center rubble,14 September 2001 (Photo courtesy © US Navy 010914-N-1350W-002)
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San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 7 – Notables Chapter 9 – Proudly We Serve
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