Major General Enrique Méndez Jr. Grau (15 July 1931 – May 16, 2024) was a United States Army officer who was also the first Puerto Rican to hold the positions of Army Deputy Surgeon General, Commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. He was also the Dean and President of the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. Also served as

Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico The Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico ( es, Secretario de Salud de Puerto Rico) leads the Department of Health of Puerto Rico and all efforts related to health in Puerto Rico. Secretaries * 1977–1984: Jaime Rivera Dueño * 1985– ...

Early years

Méndez was born and raised in Santurce, Puerto Rico. His father was a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

and his mother a housewife, he was one of two children born to the couple. He received his primary and secondary education in his native Puerto Rico. During his high school years, Méndez befriended a few physicians who would occasionally invite him to go visit hospitals. He became interested in medicine after witnessing a couple of surgical procedures. In high school he was one of the founders of Zeta Mu Gamma fraternity in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He enrolled at the

University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez The University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (RUM) in Spanish (also referred to as Colegio and CAAM in allusion to its former name), is a public land-grant university in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. UPRM ...

, which had a science faculty. He earned his BS in biology in 1951. He enrolled in the medical school of Loyola University in Chicago and earned his MD degree in 1954.

Military career

Méndez joined the Army after completing his internship at Mercy Hospital in Chicago. He entered the Army as a GMO which stands for "general-duty medical officer" and entered active duty at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. His first assignment was to Camp Gordon, near Augusta, Georgia. His first duty at Camp Gordon was in a dispensary which was an ambulatory care facility. After that assignment and attending the Company Officers' Course and he was reassigned to Brooke General Hospital where he underwent his specialty training (residency) in internal medicine. In 1960, he was sent to Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. During his service there he had the opportunity to teach interns and residents and set up a

dialysis Dialysis may refer to: *Dialysis (chemistry), a process of separating molecules in solution **Electrodialysis, used to transport salt ions from one solution to another through an ion-exchange membrane under the influence of an applied electric pote ...

program. In 1963, Méndez was assigned to medical research and development at

Edgewood Arsenal Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at ...

in Maryland, where he served for less than a year and was once more sent to Fort Sam Houston. He was assigned to the Medical Field Service School as an instructor. He helped to establish a biological and chemical sciences branch. In 1967, Méndez, who was then a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, attended the Command General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Upon completion of the CGSC, he was sent to Frankfurt, Germany, where he became the surgeon of the 3rd Armored Division. He served as such until 1968 when he was sent to an Army base in Vicenza, Italy where he commanded his first U.S. Army Hospital the 45th Field Hospital.

Army Deputy Surgeon General

In 1970, Méndez was promoted to colonel and assigned to Washington, D.C., as chief of the Medical Corps Career Activities. In 1972, he was selected to go to the Industrial College of the Armed Forces for a year and then he was reassigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to the Academy of Health Sciences. In 1975, he was assigned as the deputy chief of staff for operations of the Health Services Command and subsequently promoted to brigadier general. Méndez was named deputy surgeon general and remained in that position until 1981, when he was named commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Méndez retired from the Army in June 1983 with the rank of major general.

Ponce School of Medicine

In 1983, Méndez was offered the position of Dean of the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico He accepted and moved to the island with his wife. A year later he was named president of the institution. He served in said position for four years after which he accepted the position of Director of Damas Hospital in Ponce. He was appointed Secretary of Health of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in 1989.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

In 1990, Méndez received a phone call from the White House personnel office and was asked whether he would consider the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Department of Defense. On December 5, 1989, President

George H. Bush George H. Bush (February 18, 1857 – July 1, 1898) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life Bush was born in Greenfield Park, New York on February 18, 1857. He was of Irish and German parentage. Bush studied law at Cornell Un ...

officially announced the nomination of Méndez for the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Among his responsibilities was to give health advice to the

Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

which at the time was Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney. He was responsible for a system of health care that included hospitals, medical clinics, and dental clinics scattered worldwide. Méndez served in said position from March 1990 until January 1993.Nomination of Enrique Méndez, Jr., To Be an Assistant Secretary of Defense
/ref> Méndez joined the firm of Martin, Blanck & Associates, a federal health services consulting firm based in

Falls Church Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Washington metropolitan area. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Churc ...

, Virginia as a Partner. Dr. Méndez and his wife, the former Olga M. Munoz, have four children and six grandchildren.

Death

Enrique Méndez Jr. passed away on May 16, 2024 at

Mary Washington Hospital Mary Washington Hospital is a 451-bed, full-service hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It is one of seven level II trauma centers in Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and South ...

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...

at age 92. He was buried at

Quantico National Cemetery Quantico National Cemetery is a national cemetery in Triangle, Virginia for veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces. Adjacent to and originally part of Marine Corps Base Quantico, it was established as a national cemetery in 1983 wi ...

.https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/fredericksburg-va/enrique-mendez-11821809

Recognitions

Among his numerous awards and honors are the following: * The Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service * The Alumni Award for Loyola University * The Laureate Award from the American College of Physicians * The Distinguished Service Award from the Federal Health Care Executives Institute Alumni Association * The Knight rank from the Order of the Holy Sepulchre * The Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Puerto Rican Coalition * The Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame (2022) Honorary degrees * Doctor of Science from the

Universidad Central del Caribe The Universidad Central del Caribe is a private university in Bayamón, Puerto Rico that focuses on graduate studies and professional certifications in the health sciences. It was founded in 1976 in the municipality of Cayey Cayey (), officia ...

in Puerto Rico * Doctor, Honoris Causa, from the Military Medical Academy of Poland * Doctor of Public Service, Honoris Causa, from the University of North Texas-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine * Doctor of Education, Honoris Causa, from

Caribbean University Caribbean University is a private university, private university system in Puerto Rico composed of four campuses. History It was founded on February 28, 1969, as the Caribbean Junior College in the municipality of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Bayamon. ...

in Puerto Rico

Military awards and recognitions

Among MG Méndez's military awards are the following: *

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with one oak leaf cluster * Meritorious Service Medal ribbon

Meritorious Service Medal * Army Commendation Medal ribbon

Army Commendation Medal *

National Defense Service Medal * Army_Service_Ribbon

Army Service Medal * Army_Overseas_Service_Ribbon

Army Overseas Service Ribbon An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the ...

Order_of_Military_Medical_Merit_Medal_ribbon

Order of Military Medical Merit The Order of Military Medical Merit (02M3) is a private organization that was founded by the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Health Services Command in 1982 with the goal of recognizing excellence and promoting fellowship and '' esprit de cor ...

Badges *

Expert Field Medical Badge The Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB) is a United States Army special skills badge first created on June 18, 1965. This badge is the non-combat equivalent of the Combat Medical Badge (CMB) and is awarded to U.S. military personnel and North Atlan ...