A native of Madison, Wisconsin. Lieutenant Commander Betancourt grew up in the San Diego-Tijuana region where he graduated from Marian Catholic High School in 1999. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Public Health from San Diego State University in 2009, and a Master in Public Health in Environmental Health from the same institution in 2012.
LCDR Betancourt current billet is with 4th Medical Battalion, Headquarters and Staff Company where he is the Acting Company Commander filling a USMC officer billet. He is beginning his second back-to-back tour with the command. Here he has served as the Admin Officer at the Company level, and last served at the Battalion level as the Logistics Officer S-4, Awards Officer, and coordinator for the IRT missions. Significant personal awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Meritorious Civilian Service.
LCDR Betancourt received a direct commission as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the Medical Service Corps Reserves in March 2013. He attended Direct Commission Officer Indoctrination Course in Newport, Rhode Island, and thereafter the Navy Reserve Unit Management Course in Norfolk, Virginia. He has completed orders for annual training (AT) and active duty for training (ADT) in support of OCONUS U.S. Naval Hospitals; at Sigonella in 2014, Naples in 2016, and at the Naval Branch Health Clinic Bahrain in 2017 and 2018. His first assignment was to the Operational Health Support Unit San Diego Naval Medical Center San Diego Det J. Soon after, he was reassigned to Naval Reserve United States European Command ECJ5/8; were he served as the N5/8 Department Head responsible for the budget estimator and projection, and the operation summary reports for EUCOM J5/8 leadership and the Commander Naval Reserve Forces Command (CNRFC). LCDR Betancourt has participated in PACFURY 2021 in support of MARFORPAC Force Surgeon and in Artic Care 2021 as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of a remote site in Port Lions, Alaska. In addition, he completed one year orders to support MARFORRES, G-3/5, as one of Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) exercise managers responsible for both medical and engineering missions.
As a civilian, LCDR Betancourt has a 23-year long civil service career working alongside the U.S. Navy, which started as a Material Handler (WG-4), then Hazardous Waste Handler (WG-6), and progressing from Industrial Hygiene Technician (GS-9) to Industrial Hygienist (GS-12). He is now the Industrial Hygiene Division Head (GS-13) for the U.S. Naval Branch Health Clinic Port Hueneme and served as the Public Health Emergency Officer (PHEO) for Naval Base Ventura County during the pandemic. In addition, he is a Lecturer at California State University Channel Islands in the Health Science Division.