Hoover High School: Honoring the Memory of Combat Nurse CPT Jennifer Moreno

Cadets from San Diego recently honored local hero CPT Jennifer Moreno, during her Memorial Plaque Ceremony at Mount Soledad Veteran Memorial Park.

Written by Cadet Nafisa Haji

Cadets from Hoover High School in San Diego, Calif. recently helped honor local hero CPT Jennifer Moreno by participating in a memorial dedication at Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial.

CPT Moreno was a former JROTC cadet and combat nurse who was killed in action October 5, 2013, while deployed to Afghanistan with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Moreno died following an ambush at a compound her team was entering, which injured 30 Rangers and killed three. During the incident, Moreno gave essential medical assistance to a fellow soldier trapped nearby, which resulted in the triggering of an explosion that led to her death at the age of 25.

In 2022, President Joe Biden signed legislation renaming the San Diego Veterans Affairs medical center in honor of CPT Moreno.

“CPT Jennifer Moreno was an amazing person and I’m glad she is recognized for her sacrifice,” said Army Instructor Jesus Ortega from Crawford High School.

The memorial dedication featured guest speaker CW4 Timothy Hughey, who was CPT Moreno’s Senior Army Instructor at San Diego High School. San Diego High School JROTC provided the Color Guard for the memorial ceremony, while Hoover High School JROTC Cadets Francisco Ortega and Nafisa Haji led the pledge allegiance.

“I believe it’s important to remember those that made an impact to our school and to our city,” said Cadet Janik Ortiz of San Diego High School JROTC.