Sgt. Maj. Manuel Cruz serves as the Senior Enlisted Leader, Health Care Administration for the Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia. In this role, Cruz is responsible for providing enlisted oversight and guidance for the administration and management of health care delivery across all military treatment facilities and clinics and ensures sustainment of the medical readiness of the Armed Forces and the readiness of the medical force within a unified Military Health System.
Prior to his current position, Cruz served as the acting Senior Enlisted Leader, DHA and the Command Sgt. Maj. for U.S. Army Medical Activity Fort Knox and Ireland Army Health Clinic at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Cruz enlisted in the Army in August 1996 as a Combat Medic and reclassified to serve as a Medical Laboratory Specialist in 2000. His background includes various leadership positions within the Department of Pathology; Regional Health Command-Atlantic Senior Enlisted Laboratory Consultant; Chief, Enlisted Subject Matter Expert Department, Medical Center of Excellence; Assistant Chief, Commandant’s Initiatives Group, NCO Leader Center of Excellence. He deployed to Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Guard.
Cruz holds a Bachelor of Science in Cytotechnology from George Washington University and a Master of Business Administration with a dual concentration in Health Care Management and Human Resource Management from American Intercontinental University.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (7th award), the Army Commendation Medal (3rd award), the Army Achievement Medal (6th award), and various other awards and ribbons for service and dedication to the Army. He is a proud member of the Order of Military Medical Merit, and the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.