Pedro N . Rivera Brigadier General Pedro N . Rivera , M . D . ( born 1945 ) is a retired United States Air Force officer who in 1994 became the first Hispanic to be named medical commander in the Air Force . He was responsible for the provision of health care to more than 50 , 000 patients . Early years . Rivera was born in San German , Puerto Rico , a city located on the western coast of the island . There he received his primary and secondary education . After he graduated from high school , he was accepted as a student at the Mayaguez campus of the University of Puerto Rico . In 1967 , Rivera earned his Bachelor ' s degree in biology . He continued his academic education at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and , in 1971 , he earned his Medical degree in pediatrics . Rivera worked as the chief resident in pediatrics at the University Hospital in Puerto Rico ' s Medical Center . Military career . On August 1974 , Rivera joined the United States Air Force at the rank of Captain and was assigned as staff pediatrician at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana until May 1976 , during which time he was promoted to major . He was then re - assigned as staff pediatrician at Malcolm Grow Medical Center , Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland . On September 1977 , he was named chief of pediatric services of Malcolm Grow Medical Center and on March 1980 , was named chairman of the Department of Pediatrics . On June 15 of that same year , he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel . He served at Malcolm Grow until July 1983 when he was transferred to the U . S . Air Force Regional Hospital , MacDill Air Force Base , Florida as Chief of Hospital Services . On September 20 , 1984 , Rivera was promoted to Colonel and in November 1984 he was named commander of the 56th Medical Group . On May 1986 , Rivera was re - assigned to Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia as deputy command surgeon and director of professional services . He served at Langley until May 1990 when he was sent to Bolling Air Force Base in Washington D . C . for one year , where he assumed the responsibilities of Deputy Director of Medical Plans and Resources for the Office of the Surgeon General . From September 1991 to June 1993 , Rivera served as command surgeon at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces in Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii ; then from June 1993 to August 1994 , as commander of the Malcolm Grow Medical Center at Andrews Air Force Base . On August 1 , 1994 , Rivera was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and named commander of the 81st Medical Group at Keesler Air Force Base , Mississippi . As commander , he was responsible for the provision of health care to more than 50 , 000 patients in the Keesler area and for providing referral and consultative services for an additional 605 , 000 beneficiaries in a five state region ( Department of Defense Region IV ) . His responsibilities included ensuring the availability of major war - and peacetime medical readiness response forces and also the direction of all managed health care activities in DoD Region IV . Rivera was the director of five graduate medical education programs and extensive clinical research program by one of three Air Force clinical research laboratories . He led more than 2 , 000 health care professionals and managed a local budget of $ 179 million and a regional managed care contract of $ 3 . 8 billion . Rivera retired from the Air Force on October 1 , 1997 . Later years . Rivera is a licensed physician in the states of Louisiana , Mississippi and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico . He is also a member of the American Medical Association . He currently resides and continues to practice his medical profession in Alexandria , Virginia . Military decorations and awards . Among Brigadier General Rivera ' s military decorations are the following : Badges :