BY KATIE THISDELL

Jorge Ortiz chose his pro football team when he was 12.
The California resident didn’t like any teams in his state.
Instead, he became a fan of  Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, though he said he didn’t know much about football back then.
“Their uniform is pretty tight,” Ortiz added.
Now 20, Ortiz will meet some of the players this weekend as the Eagles host the Washington Redskins.
Attending his first NFL  game with his two brothers comes as a gift from Wish for Our Heroes and many local sponsors, organized by E.A. Slim Manthey of Centurum Inc. in Dumfries.
Ortiz, a lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, enlisted in 2009, fresh out of high school near Los Angeles.
“He was dedicated,” said his brother Francisco Ortiz, 21. “He was motivated.”
After training, Jorge Ortiz, who goes by George, was stationed at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego. He is part of Combat Camera, a group of about 500 Marines who are attached to units to record combat for archives.
Officially formed in 1944—but around for as long as members of the military have created images of battle—Combat Camera includes still photography, videography and graphics divisions.
“It means we’re always out there in harm’s way, always out there covering combat,” said Maj. Brian Thompson, head of the program.
In mid-September Ortiz arrived in Afghanistan, in an area that was a  Taliban stronghold.
“It’s going to be scary for everyone,” Ortiz said yesterday at a meet-and-greet at the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, where some of his photos were displayed for the day. “Anybody would be scared.”
About 5 a.m. on Jan. 15, a day Ortiz recalls as being “beyond cold,” his unit was on a mission to clear buildings by surprising the enemy. They found a cache of weapons in one.
“I went in there, and picked up my camera, and that’s it,” Ortiz said.
An IED—improvised explosive device—was set off, causing him to lose both legs and parts of his fingers.
For the next two months, Ortiz was recovering at  Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. That’s where Manthey met the Ortiz family and heard that Jorge is an Eagles fan. At first, Manthey, a former Combat Camera Marine as well, wanted to get a jersey for Ortiz. Then a signed jersey.
The project grew and eventually resulted in bringing Ortiz and two of his brothers to the area for several days, culminating with the Eagles game. Rosner Stafford Toyota is providing transportation to and from the game, and Fredericksburg’s Anytime Limousine is taking the fans to and from the airport. Wanda Rhyne  donated lodgings for the group in memory of her husband, Rick, a sheriff’s deputy recently killed while on duty in Moore County, N.C.
Ortiz expects to meet Eagles wider receiver DeSean Jackson, and hopes for a win.
“I’m not trying to get my hopes up,” Ortiz said.
It’s just too bad one of his brothers isn’t a Redskins fan. Francisco likes the Carolina Panthers, while Eddie, 16, cheers for the New England Patriots.
“I’d be laughing at them,” Ortiz said, if his brothers were ’Skins fans. “We’re competitive.”
At the Marine Corps museum, which features many displays of Combat Camera photos, Ortiz was the center of attention on Friday. But he was wasn’t used to being in front of the cameras.
“I’m not like that,” Ortiz said.
On Monday he and his brothers will head back west, where he’ll return to Camp Pendleton to continue physical therapy and strength training.

Katie Thisdell: 540/735-1975
kthisdell@freelancestar.com