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First Sergeant Rosa Cortez with two of her children, in The Dalles, Oregon, on Dec 6, 2025.
PHOTO: AMANDA LUCIER/NYTIMES
Greg Jaffe
DALLAS, Oregon – She believed that the key to being a good recruiter was not just selling the military and its benefits, but herself.
First Sergeant Rosa Cortez wanted potential recruits to notice the pictures of her smiling children, her college diploma and the awards she had earned in the course of her nearly 20 years with the Oregon National Guard.
