EXCLUSIVE: Marine Veteran Injured Fighting ISIS in Syria Says He Was ‘Betrayed’ by the Service, Part 1

A former Marine artilleryman says he was neglected and unjustly treated by the branch after suffering brain injuries during a 2017 campaign to defeat ISIS in Syria

Sergeant Javier E. Military Ortiz in 2019. Courtesy of Ortiz

This is part one of a two-part series. 

Javier E. Ortiz wanted nothing more than to become a Marine. And after a humble beginning, he quickly devoted himself to the Corps. In return, he says he was stripped of his dignity and left to fight an uphill battle alone.