Captain was first Army nurse killed in Iraq war.

U.S. Army Capt. Maria I. Ortiz, RN, a nurse who worked at a combat support hospital in Iraq, died from injuries she suffered in a mortar attack in Baghdad. She was the first Army nurse casualty of the war and the first since Vietnam.

Ortiz, 40, was born in New Jersey and raised in Puerto Rico. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, where she earned a degree in nursing. She also received a master's degree in quality management from the Massachusetts National Graduate School.

In 1993, Ortiz went on active military duty, which took her to countries such as Honduras and South Korea. Before heading to Iraq, she was chief nurse of general medicine at Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. and was previously stationed at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She earned several commendations, including a Bronze Star.

"She was very popular and very highly thought of," said George Mercer, a spokesman at Aberdeen. "It's just a terrible loss." "Nursing was her calling," said Juan Casiano, her fiance. "I saw in her what everyone else sees, a beautiful person who brings joy to everyone she touches. She always carried a smile."

Ortiz is survived by her parents, fiance and four sisters from New Jersey and Florida. There was a memorial service in Aberdeen, Md. on July 18, which was attended by family members, friends and her fellow soldiers.