Enrique Mendez Jr.

Enrique Méndez, Jr., M.D., of Fredericksburg passed away at Mary Washington Hospital on Thursday, May 16, 2024. He was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico on July 15, 1931. A graduate of the Stritch School of Medicine of Loyola University, he then completed his internship at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, Illinois in 1955. Dr. Méndez served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps for 28 years, retiring in the permanent rank of Major General. He entered the Army as a first lieutenant, general medical officer, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine. He served as Division Surgeon, 3rd Armored Division, Frankfurt, West Germany; Commanding Officer, 45th Field Hospital and Command Surgeon, Southern European Task Force, Vicenza, Italy. He then became Director of Health Care Operations, Office of the Army Surgeon General, Washington, DC, and was later selected to serve as the Deputy Surgeon General of the Army, Washington, DC; and finally the Commanding General of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC. After retiring from the Army, Dr. Méndez returned to his native Puerto Rico to become, first the Dean, and subsequently, the Dean and President of the Ponce School of Medicine. He then served as Medical Director of Damas Hospital in Ponce before becoming Secretary of Health of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In December of 1989, President Bush nominated him to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. He served in this position until January 1993. He became a partner in Martin, Blanck and Associates, a consulting firm to the health care industry. Among his numerous awards and honors, Dr. Méndez holds the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Alumni Award from 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 and several awards from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Included among his military awards are the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (two awards), the Order of Military Medical Merit, and the Expert Field Medical Badge. While he appreciated all the accolades, he always considered the thousands of young persons he met and taught throughout his life, who went forth to take care of persons around the world, to be the ultimate demonstration of his impact on the health care and lives. His whole life reflected the deep reverence for the sanctity of all persons, reflecting the values Americans cherish and a dedication to the sustained support of those values. He received the following honorary degrees: Honorary Doctor of Science from the Universidad Central del Caribe 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 in Puerto Rico. He has received academic appointments as Professor of Medicine from Ponce School of Medicine in Ponce, Puerto Rico and Clinical Professor of Medicine from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, Texas, and George Washington University in Washington, DC. Dr. Méndez was a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a member of various other professional organizations and societies. A loving husband and father, he is survived by his loving wife, Olga; son and daughter-in-law, Enrique B. and Carol H. Méndez and ; two daughters and sons-in-law, Olga M. and Frank R. Portell and Maria (Margo) and José M. Cabrero; a daughter-in-law Charlotte Hernandez; six grandchildren, Michael Flores, Francisco Portell, Maria Wakefield, Antonio Portell, Carmen Pearce, and Marisa Méndez; and five great grandchildren, Mikaela, Lorelei, Levi, Christian and Luciana. He was predeceased by a third daughter, Carmen Flores. The family will receive friends on Monday, May 27, 2024 at Mullins and Thompson Funeral Service, Fredericksburg Chapel from 6-8:00 pm. A funeral mass will be held at Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 10:30 am. Interment will follow in Quantico National Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent at www.mullinsthomsponfredericksburg.com