A TRIBUTE TO MY GRANDFATHER

A TRIBUTE TO MY GRANDFATHER

FREDERIC N. HERNANDEZ

 

October 29, 1918 - June 2,1994

Serial # 39157791 / 2nd Lieutenant / Bombardier

 





April 1941 - December 1942 - Presidio of San Francisco

January 1943 - August 1943 - Ellington Field & San Angelo, TX

August 1943 - February 1944 - Casper, WY & Topeka, KS

February 1944 - February 1945 - Combat

February 1945 - October 1945 - San Antonio, TX & Lancaster, CA

 

My name is Michael Hernandez. I submit this website in honor of my late grandfather, Frederic N. "Bambino" Hernandez. He served his country in the China - Burma - India theatre of war from February 1944 until February 1945. As a 2nd Lieutenant, AAF, he flew with the 10th Air Force /7th Bomb Group/492nd Bomb Squadron and with the 14th Air Force/308th Bomb Group/375th Bomb Squadron and flew 48 combat missions. He and thousands like him served heroically, selflessly, and humbly to secure the freedom that we are able to live under today. They did not ask "why?" as they fulfilled their duties in service to our great country, but forged ahead in the face of tremendous adversity and sacrificed their lives for those left at home. A mission sadly, that goes almost unnoticed by the generations that have followed.

My grandfather, and others like him, never considered himself a hero, and thus, hesitated to speak about his wartime exploits. I was able to glean a few stories from him before he passed away, and they instilled, in me, a great pride. After he passed, I was left a scrapbook from his days in the service. I am now attempting to piece together a history of his service from this data. It is difficult, and I now wish that I had more interest when I was younger and my grandfather more able to recollect his past. Many veterans that served our country in World War II are still with us, and I have contacted a few that flew or trained with my grandfather. Since I began working on this website, I have contacted Mr. John (Jack) Conrad, Mr. Hugh Courtney and Mr. Norman Long. They have furnished me with priceless insight into their pasts. Their recollection of missions, battles and "down time" have been both educational and amusing. Fifty years have passed and these memories still bring on emotions that survive to this day. I hear them laugh and hear them cry and I am grateful and honored to be able to get to know these humble, yet very proud men. They are full of fascinating information, and I have found that they seem to enjoy the chance to speak with someone that is interested in the history.

I recommend to anyone that has a relative or friend that served in WWII, to take the time to sit and listen to the stories. Write them down, or videotape an interview with them. Like my friend, Lt. Walter Kaestner tells me: "I'm 81, and we (WWII Veterans) are not getting any younger". Time is no longer an ally, and it would be a pity if the pictures and stories that these men can tell fade into the past without a chance to be heard by future generations.

 

MY GRANDFATHER'S STORY

Frederic N. "Bambino" Hernandez was born on Oct. 29, 1918 in Whittier, CA. My grandfather lived in what was the "country" back then. He had four sisters and was one of five boys - four of who went on to serve our country during WWII. He often spoke with fondness of the times spent hunting, exploring and hiking in the hills that surrounded his home. He attended Old Mill School which was nearby, but would like to relate how he had to later hike several miles a day "over the hills" to get to Whittier High School! He grew to become quite an athlete. He lettered in football, track and wrestling. He attended Fullerton College and was the Far Western & Pacific Coast AAU wrestling champion in 1939-40.

He enlisted in 1941. He received pre-flight and advanced training at Ellington Field and went to Bombardier School at San Angelo Army Air Field. His Aviation Cadet Class 43-11 graduated on August 5, 1943 and he was classified as an "Aircraft Observer" (Bombardier). He was then assigned to the 29th Bomb Group at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. He later was assigned to the 7th Bomb Group and completed "phase training" at airfields in Casper, WY and Topeka, KS. On February 20, 1944 his crew recieved their orders to report for combat duty and they left for India on the 22nd. After stops in Miami and Brazil (among other places), they arrived in Pandaveswar, India on March 1, 1944. His original crew consisted of: 2nd Lt. Donald H. Tennent - Pilot; F/O John M. Conrad - Co-pilot; 2nd Lt. Harold A. West - Navigator; Staff Sgt. Tony R. Johns - Flight Engineer; Staff Sgt. Roy C. Schroeder - Gunner; Sgt. Norman P. Long - Gunner; Sgt. Charles F. Motley, Jr. - Gunner; Sgt. Edward L. Moss - Gunner; Sgt. Hugh Courtney - Radioman.

My father, Frederic J. Hernandez was born on July 4, 1944, while my grandfather was "flying the Hump" into China. My grandfather had the waist gun on this mission and the crew had to bail out on the way back! That must have been one exciting day in his life! On July 11, 1944 he was "loaned" to the 14th AF, during the monsoon season. He flew with Walter Kaestner on the Tough Titti. This plane would later be the subject of a "ABC 20/20" news program when it was found on the side of a mountain in China some fifty years after its crash. Fortunately, for my grandfather, he was no longer a member of that crew.

After his return, my grandfather aspired to achieve pilot training and volunteered for assignment to bases in San Antonio, TX and Lancaster. He served in the Air Force Reserves until his Honorable Discharge in 1955.

Along with my grandmother, he settled back into civilian life in Whittier and raised a family of two sons and a daughter. I am among five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren left to carry on his memory. This website is how I choose to do my part, and I hope that this will inspire others to do the same for someone who made an impact on their life.

I am proud of my grandfather. He was an honorable and decent man. I miss him.



THE BOMBARDIER'S OATH

Mindful of the secret trust about to be placed in me by my Commander in Chief, the President of the United States, by whose direction I have been chosen for bombardier training...and mindful of the fact that I am to become guardian of one of my country's most priceless military assets, the American bombsight...I do here, in the presence of Almighty God, swear by the Bombardier's Code of Honor to keep inviolate the secrecy of any and all confidential information revealed to me, and further to uphold the honor and integrity of the Army Air Forces, if need be, with my life itself.



"CBI: THE FORGOTTEN THEATRE"

Americans were in combat in China, Burma, or India. CBI was important however to the overall Allied war effort because of early plans to base air and naval forces in China for an eventual assault on Japan. Allied forces, mostly British, Chinese, and Indian, also engaged large numbers of Japanese troops that might have otherwise been used elsewhere. America's major contribution in CBI was war materials and the manpower to get it to where it was needed. Army Air Forces flew supplies to China while Army Engineers built the Ledo Road to open up a land supply route. Except for stories of "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, Merrill's Marauders, and a few others, CBI did not often make headlines in the newspapers back home. The early importance of CBI quickly faded as the war progressed. Thus the Forgotten Theater label that remains to this day.



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(mp3 file provided courtesy of The Recordist.)





This page was created by Michael Hernandez on Sun Aug 22 00:39:46 1999