Augusto Cespedes Jr. joined the Navy when he was 18, in 2004, after graduating from Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas, in 2003. He joined with hope of taking part in something bigger than himself. While in the Navy, Cespedes served with the 3rd Marine Division in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. In 2007, he deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines.
While deployed with 2/3, Cespedes was on the medical team that supported and held responsibility for the health of 43 Marines. His team was stationed throughout the Haditha Triad in Iraq, and they participated in daily patrols. Cespedes and the medical team specifically executed emergency medicine in hostile situations. After Afghanistan and Iraq, Cespedes was stationed in Lakehurst, New Jersey, where he stayed until leaving the Navy in March 2009.
In 2012, he graduated from Ocean County College with an associate degree in nursing, then attended Kean University, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Cespedes finished his Master of Science in Nursing in 2020 at Monmouth University. In July 2020, he received his license from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board as a family nurse practitioner. Since receiving his license, Cespedes has worked as a nurse practitioner in a variety of settings, including surgical, telemetry, step down ICU, emergency room, acute rehabilitation, family care and more.
More recently, Cespedes has worked as a nurse practitioner at BridgeCare Provider Group in New Jersey. He is also a clinical instructor at Brookdale Community College and works as a clinical preceptor at Seton Hall University.
He lives in New Jersey with his wife.
We honor his service.
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Writer: Sarah McDonald
Editors: Mary Margaret Brennan, Ashley Shaut
Researcher: John Bergstrom
Graphic Designer: Kiki Kelley
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