Glendale veteran receives Purple Heart six decades after Vietnam service

A long-overdue moment of recognition was realized recently in Glendale, when longtime resident Roger Hernandez was presented with the Purple Heart medal he earned more than 60 years ago.

The medal was presented during a small gathering at the Glendale Town Hall, where Hernandez was joined by family, friends and fellow veterans. The event came as a surprise arranged by his wife, Jorja Hernandez, who escorted him to the town hall with­out revealing the purpose of the visit. Hernandez accepted the medal recog­nizing wounds he sustained during military service in Vietnam.

Left to right, photos by Myrna Cox:

• Front (L-R): American Legion District Commander Marty Bigbee, Purple Heart recipient Roger Hernandez. Back (L-R): Ron Terry, Leland Spencer, Larry Stanger, Glenn Chamberlain, Kevin Chamberlain, Mayor Danny Spencer.

• U.S. representative Celeste Maloy awards Roger Hernandez his Purple Heart in a January 2, ceremony held in Glendale.

  
  

The event was organized by Glendale Mayor Dan Spencer. Those in atten­dance included Marty Big­bee, a state representative; the district commander of the American Legion; and Celeste Maloy, U.S. repre­sentative. Several Ameri­can Legion members and local friends also attended to congratulate Hernandez and show their support.

Hernandez comes from a family with a strong tradi­tion of military service. His father served during World War II, as did three of his uncles. Seven of his mother’s brothers, all first-generation Americans born to parents from Mexico, also served in the U.S. military.

That sense of duty led Hernandez to serve in the U.S. Army during the Viet­nam War. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Divi­sion, 327th Infantry Regi­ment, Cobra Company, and served on active duty from October 14, 1963, to July 18, 1966.

During a patrol in Viet­nam, Hernandez was wounded when he was struck in the head by sniper fire. He was evacuated by helicopter to a field hospi­tal that was under enemy shelling at the time. In the confusion sur­rounding his evacu­ation and treatment, records documenting his injury were never properly forwarded. Hernandez still carries metal fragments in his head from the incident.

For years, efforts to locate the missing re­cords were unsuccess­ful. That changed when Courtney Pendleton, a veteran’s service of­ficer, took a special interest in the case. Af­ter extensive research, Pendleton located the necessary information and helped assemble documentation that led to an amended DD Form 214, the official military discharge re­cord. With that correc­tion in place, the Pur­ple Heart Hernandez earned decades earlier was finally approved.

More than six de­cades after his injury, Hernandez was able to stand and accept the medal recognizing his sacrifice. Community members expressed pride that a veteran of his caliber calls Glen­dale home.

Hernandez and his wife expressed their thanks to city lead­ers, American Legion members, event or­ganizers and friends who helped make the long-overdue recogni­tion possible.