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 his beautiful bride (and my Grandmother)Eloise, 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 "Da" - my Grandfather. He was a humble, honorable and decent man. I envy his ability to have made
so many friends during his lifetime. He was an amazing storyteller and a very loving man to me and my brothers and
sister. I know that I will never be the man that he was, but will always strive to match his character. God made only
one "Da". 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. There
aren't any Hollywood movies that have been made to highlight the exploits of the brave men who played such a
vital role in the winning of the War. Thus the Forgotten Theater label that remains to this day.
To experience the "Roar" of a World War II warbird, click on the B-24 above.

(mp3 file provided courtesy of The Recordist.)
This page was created by Michael Hernandez on Sunday Aug 22, 1999