Alex Ortiz

Name: Alex Ortiz
City/State: Central Falls, RI
Branch of Service: Army
Dates of Service: 09-14-2006 / 06-13-2013
Last Rank Held: E5
Military Occupation: 91B20
Current Occupation: Director of Veteran Services
X: alexortizadv
Instagram: NA
Facebook: NA

Alex outside of the military:

Cooking is my outlet! I love making Puerto Rican comfort food that brings a taste of home to friends and family. I’m also obsessed with car racing and get a real kick out of solving tricky mechanical issues. Next on my list: figuring out how to play golf!

Alex on joining the IAVA Cavalry:

IAVA Cavalry is a program that gives you the tools and platform to speak up about things you care about. They want you to share your personal stories and use your passion to break down real-world issues in a way that everyday people can actually understand and connect with.

How the military experience affected Alex’s personal growth:

My time in the military was pretty standard, nothing too out of the ordinary. But what really got to me was the poor leadership at different levels and how some of my superiors treated me when I was getting out. It left me feeling pretty bitter about the whole thing. Over the years though, I’ve come to realize that you just can’t make everyone happy. Everyone’s dealing with their own stuff and fighting their own battles. We all bring different strengths to the table, and when we actually come together for something we believe in, that’s when we can really make a difference in our community.

IAVA’s policy priorities that are the most pressing:

Outdated and overreached

The 2001 AUMF targeted 9/11 perpetrators but now justifies action against groups that didn’t exist then. The 2002 AUMF was for Saddam Hussein, who’s been gone for decades. Using 20+ year old authorizations for today’s conflicts makes no sense.

Congress sidelined

These authorizations let presidents launch military operations without congressional approval. The founders gave Congress war powers for debate and accountability before sending troops into harm’s way. Now Congress just rubber-stamps conflicts after they start.

No end game

Both AUMFs have no expiration date or clear victory definition. This creates “forever wars” with no regular review of necessity or effectiveness. These emergency measures became permanent fixtures, bypassing constitutional balance. Veterans and their families pay the price of this lack of accountability.

IAVA’s policy priorities with the strongest personal connection for Alex:

The policy I’m most connected to is protecting our democracy. I took an oath to defend the Constitution that doesn’t expire when you leave the military. Now I watch democracy under attack at home while we defended it abroad.

The policy I’m most connected to is protecting our democracy. I took an oath to defend the Constitution that doesn’t expire when you leave the military. Now I watch democracy under attack at home while we defended it abroad.

What really gets to me is the hypocrisy. Congress claims to support democracy while abandoning 130,000+ veterans in territories and freely associated states. These veterans served with the same honor but are denied equal VA benefits simply because of where they live. Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa veterans face legislative discrimination Congress ignores.

This isn’t some hidden issue. The GAO, VAOIG, and numerous advisory committees have highlighted this injustice, including The Puerto Rico Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights, which is undertaking You can’t protect democracy while excluding those who fought for it. My oath means speaking up when I see threats to what we defended,whether foreign or domestic neglect.