When Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz learned that his presence would be required at the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) National Convention, he assumed it would be to present an award. But then someone told him that he would be in Tucson, Arizona, on Aug. 9 to receive one instead — MOWW’s 2025 Distinguished Service Award, as selected by the order’s Commander-in-Chief, retired Air Force Lt. Col. David J. Worley.
“I thought, ‘There’s been a mistake,’” said Ruiz. Past winners include figures like Army Air Corps Gen. James Doolittle, Sen. John McCain and presidential candidate Ross Perot. MOWW announced this summer that they were bestowing their most prestigious award on Ruiz, a 32-year Marine, “to recognize an American citizen who has made extraordinary contributions to the preservation of our constitutional liberties, and who selflessly promotes a strong national defense and youth education.”
That’s exactly what MOWW believes Ruiz has done, said retired Marine Corps Col. Michael Farrell, now MOWW’s chief of staff.
“I have great respect for Ruiz as a man,” he said. “He meets not just our Distinguished Service Award organizational goals, but our outreach goals, as well. This guy’s the pied piper, truly.”
Approximately 150 MOWW members and their spouses, alongside University of Arizona ROTC cadets and a military band, were present at the event. The major news from the five-day conference was MOWW’s decision to open membership to all veterans, both officers and enlisted, for the first time in its 106-year history.
“By allowing any veteran to come into this room, you have embarked onto the ‘taking care of our own’ concept,” Ruiz told the crowd in his acceptance speech. “You have found a way to take care of each other by coming together.”
That collectivist, village-focused nature has long been a hallmark of Ruiz, a native of Sonora, Mexico, whose personal awards include the Legion of Merit with gold star and Bronze Star Medal with combat distinguishing device, among others. Inspired by his uncle, an Army medic, he originally enlisted with a goal of four years in service. Prior to becoming the 20th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps in 2023, Ruiz served as both the MARFORRES and MARFORSOUTH command senior enlisted leader.
“I have learned in the last two years that there is no difference in the generations when it comes to commitment and courage. From Gen X to Gen Z, they will all earn their Navy Crosses in their own way,” Ruiz said.
Another thing Ruiz has learned: the value of Marine reservists, whom he calls “truly the all-volunteer force.”
“I think they’re very impressive,” he said. “To get on that plane and likely pay out of pocket to go and drill for three days is pretty insane. It’s irrational. But it’s pretty amazing that we have that type of people in this country, who are willing to do that over and over again.”
Ruiz aims to encourage his Marines to join organizations like MOWW, a nonpartisan, veterans service organization (VSO) dedicated to promoting patriotism, civic responsibility, public service and leadership around the nation.
“This is my fight, to connect this [older] generation of service members to today’s generations,” he said. “I push these folks a lot — the American Legions, the VFWs. Maybe these young folks might seem like they’re in a hurry, but they’re listening and need to be mentored and coached, because these older generations have been through it.”
It dovetails nicely with another goal of educating the public — and even active-duty troops — on the sacrifices and contributions of the Marine Reserve.
“There’s more than one way to serve,” Ruiz said. “In every conflict, the reserves have been called on — and they have delivered in spades.”
For more information on MOWW, including their outreach programs and membership instructions, visit their website.
