thedrifter
11-23-07, 06:27 AM
Obituary: Veteran Bernal never really left the Marines
Web Posted: 11/22/2007 09:11 PM CST
Moises Mendoza
Express-News
Jose "Pa" Bernal Jr. left high school to join the Marines during the Korean War, before returning to the United States to spend more than 40 years working on military airplanes. He died of pneumonia Sunday at age 75.
Bernal was born in San Antonio, where he grew up and attended Fox Tech High School. But in 1951, as war raged in Korea, he decided to leave school and enlist in the military, said his wife, Mary Rhodes Bernal.
"He just wanted to do his duty," she said.
Bernal never saw combat, but because he spoke Spanish he became a translator in Europe and North Africa. As a sergeant, he also supervised several military brigs.
In 1954 or '55, Bernal left the Marines and completed his high school education, his family said. But, "Once a Marine, always a Marine," he would tell them.
For the rest of his life, Bernal would proudly put Marine decals on his cars, and he hung the Marine Corps flag outside his home. After he and his wife had a son and two daughters, Bernal always made it a point to take them to air shows and to hear military bands.
After his military service, Bernal worked for a while in his uncle's television repair shop before applying for a civilian electronics apprenticeship course with the Defense Department.
He started working at Kelly AFB, where he helped maintain and repair big planes such as the C-5 and B-52, receiving about 40 commendations for his work. That's also where he met Mary Rhodes; they were married in 1962.
Bernal was so dedicated to his work that he almost never took sick days, his wife said.
Bernal retired in 1995, but stayed involved in the community, volunteering at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, watching sports — especially the San Antonio Missions — and maintaining a pristine lawn.
Earlier this year he developed colon cancer. Surgery and chemotherapy sessions damaged his immune system, eventually leading to pneumonia.
"We will miss him so much. It's hard to realize after you've been married so long that you won't see that person anymore," Mary Rhodes Bernal said.
mmendoza@express-news.net
Ellie
Web Posted: 11/22/2007 09:11 PM CST
Moises Mendoza
Express-News
Jose "Pa" Bernal Jr. left high school to join the Marines during the Korean War, before returning to the United States to spend more than 40 years working on military airplanes. He died of pneumonia Sunday at age 75.
Bernal was born in San Antonio, where he grew up and attended Fox Tech High School. But in 1951, as war raged in Korea, he decided to leave school and enlist in the military, said his wife, Mary Rhodes Bernal.
"He just wanted to do his duty," she said.
Bernal never saw combat, but because he spoke Spanish he became a translator in Europe and North Africa. As a sergeant, he also supervised several military brigs.
In 1954 or '55, Bernal left the Marines and completed his high school education, his family said. But, "Once a Marine, always a Marine," he would tell them.
For the rest of his life, Bernal would proudly put Marine decals on his cars, and he hung the Marine Corps flag outside his home. After he and his wife had a son and two daughters, Bernal always made it a point to take them to air shows and to hear military bands.
After his military service, Bernal worked for a while in his uncle's television repair shop before applying for a civilian electronics apprenticeship course with the Defense Department.
He started working at Kelly AFB, where he helped maintain and repair big planes such as the C-5 and B-52, receiving about 40 commendations for his work. That's also where he met Mary Rhodes; they were married in 1962.
Bernal was so dedicated to his work that he almost never took sick days, his wife said.
Bernal retired in 1995, but stayed involved in the community, volunteering at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, watching sports — especially the San Antonio Missions — and maintaining a pristine lawn.
Earlier this year he developed colon cancer. Surgery and chemotherapy sessions damaged his immune system, eventually leading to pneumonia.
"We will miss him so much. It's hard to realize after you've been married so long that you won't see that person anymore," Mary Rhodes Bernal said.
mmendoza@express-news.net
Ellie