FORT KNOX, Ky. –
Sgt. 1st Class Noel Riosortiz, a native of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, serves as a medical Recruiter at the Gainesville Medical Recruiting Station in Gainesville, Florida. He was recently recognized by U.S. Army Recruiting Command leadership as one of the command’s standout performers.
“I still serve because I do believe in what the Army stands for and identify with the Army values,” Riosortiz said.
Riosortiz joined the U.S. Army in January 2012 as a patient administration specialist, a path he stumbled upon by chance. While accompanying a friend to a recruiting office, a staff sergeant encouraged him to take the practice test. Riosortiz passed; his friend did not.
During his Army career, he earned his Certified Professional Coder certification and had the opportunity to assist with relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017.
“I am fortunate to be able to interact with the future of our country,” he said. “As a medical Recruiter, you can interact with young minds that will be the future medical professionals in the Army.”
As of April, Riosortiz has successfully boarded five applicant packets, with four being selected. He currently has three more applicants projected for the current fiscal year. He has also led 10 suture clinics for more than 400 pre-medical students, helping raise awareness about the Army Medical Corps’ Health Professions Scholarship Program throughout his station’s area.
Outside of recruiting, Riosortiz enjoys working out, playing dominoes and spending time with his family.
“I attribute my success in the Army first to God and then to all my past NCOs who, one way or another, molded me into the kind of NCO I am now and more importantly to my family,” he said.
Riosortiz plans to complete his bachelor’s degree in healthcare management and retire from the Army. Ultimately, he said his greatest goal is for his three daughters to be better and more successful than he is.
For more information about career opportunities and benefits in the U.S. Army, visit www.goarmy.com.