On Sunday, Ortiz graduated from Taft High School in Chicago during a ceremony at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont where he donned a cap and gown with the school's Class of 2017.
He had originally attended Lake View High School in Chicago, part of the Class of 1964.
Ortiz, who moved to the U.S. from Puerto Rico when he was young, was a 17-year-old sophomore when he enlisted.
He served in Vietnam and is now a member of the American Legion Post 216 in Elk Grove Village.