Michael Warren "Mike" Cruz,

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

(born September 8, 1958) is a Guamanian surgeon and former politician who served as the 8th

Lieutenant Governor of Guam The Guamanian self-governing government consists of a locally elected governor, lieutenant governor and a fifteen-member Legislature. The first popular election for governor and lieutenant governor took place in 1970. The current lieutenant gov ...

from January 1, 2007 to January 3, 2011.

Biography

Personal life

Cruz was born on September 8, 1958, where he raised in Agat, Guam by his parents Miguel de Gracia Cruz and Rosalinda Quinata. His father was

Chamorro Chamorro may refer to: * Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific * Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas * Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mari ...

while his mother was

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

. He has three children from his first marriage: Shaunn, Mika’ele and Christine. Cruz is currently married to his second wife, Jennifer Rosario Cruz. The couple have two daughters, Taylor & Bella, as well as Rosario Cruz's son, Christian, from her previous relationship. Cruz received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in biology from

Walla Walla College Walla Walla University is a Private university, private Seventh-day Adventist Church, Adventist university in College Place, Washington. The university has five campuses throughout the Pacific Northwest. It was founded in 1892 and is affiliat ...

Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

. He obtained a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

from

Loma Linda University Loma Linda University (LLU) is a private Seventh-day Adventist health sciences university in Loma Linda, California. , the university comprises eight schools and a Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist educatio ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Military

Cruz is a colonel in the Guam Army National Guard. He is a veteran of

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. Cruz volunteered as a commander in the Rapid Advanced Medical Team during the Iraq War, serving from 2003 to 2004. He was a recipient of

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for his tour of duty in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Medical career

Cruz is a

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

, and served as the medical director of the

Guam Memorial Hospital Guam Memorial Hospital is located in Tamuning, Guam and is the public civilian hospital serving the island of Guam. The hospital has 158 licensed acute care beds, plus 40 beds at its off-site, long-term care Skilled Nursing Facility. The hospital ...

. He is a member of the

American Board of Surgery The American Board of Surgery (ABS) is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge. Surgeons certi ...

, and

the American Society of Breast Surgeons ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, and a

Fellow of the American College of Surgeons Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (or FACS) is a professional certification for a medical professional who has passed a set of criteria for education, qualification, and ethics required to join the American College of Surgeons. ''FACS'' ...

Political career

Cruz was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Senator in the 28th Guamanian Legislature from 2005 to 2006. He served on the legislature's Health and Human Services Committee, authoring legislation to combat

childhood obesity Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of ...

in Guam. He was elected

in November 2006 as the

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket (election), ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate ...

of Governor

Felix Perez Camacho Felix James Pérez Camacho (born October 30, 1957) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 7th Governor of Guam from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party of Guam, he had previously served as a six-term senator in the ...

. Cruz took office on January 1, 2007.

Cruz-Espaldon Campaign

Cruz declared his candidacy for the 2010 gubernatorial election and was a candidate in the September 2010 Republican primary. His

for lieutenant governor was Senator

Jim Espaldon James Virata Espaldon (born June 21, 1956), also known as Jim Espaldon, is an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Republican Party, Espaldon is a former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Guam in the 2010 gubernatorial election as th ...

. Cruz was defeated by

Eddie Baza Calvo Edward Jerome Baza Calvo (born August 29, 1961) is an American (U.S. citizen) politician who served as the 8th Governor of Guam from January 3, 2011 to January 7, 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Calvo was a five-term Senator within the ...

in the Republican

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

on September 3, 2010.

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Michael W. 1958 births Chamorro people Guam National Guard personnel Guamanian people of Filipino descent Guamanian physicians Guamanian Republicans Lieutenant Governors of Guam Living people Loma Linda University alumni Members of the Legislature of Guam National Guard (United States) colonels United States Army personnel of the Gulf War United States Army personnel of the Iraq War Walla Walla University alumni People from Hågat, Guam 21st-century American physicians 21st-century Guamanian politicians