Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Honoring our heroes

Two events Saturday will pay tribute to Medal of Honor recipient Fernandez and other men and women of valor

Kenn Rodriguez News-Bulletin Staff Writer; krodriguez@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas With his heroic actions on the battlefield in the Vietnam War, Los Lunas' Daniel Fernandez left an indelible mark on both his comrades in arms and the Village of Los Lunas. This weekend, a pair of events will honor Fernandez as well as others in Valencia County who've served with valor.

A tribute to Fernandez is planned for 11:45 p.m. Saturday, June 12, at Daniel Fernandez Park on N.M. 314 south of Main Street in Los Lunas.

Fernandez' personal effects, including his medals and uniform as well as a collection of photos taken by him and fellow soldiers during his service in Vietnam, are also being shown as part of a display currently at the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts entitled "Men and Women of Valor: Art from a Veteran's Perspective."

The opening reception planned for "Men and Woman of Valor" is planned for Saturday, June 12, at 3 p.m.

Tribute to "Danny"

Norm "Butch" Petit, who is coordinating the tribute as part of a national reunion for his Charlie Company, First Battalion, Fifth Infantry Division, said the event was a long time coming.

"This is our fifth reunion, and we always said when we came west we'd do a tribute to Danny," he said. "What we're doing is coming out to honor Danny and, hopefully, give a little bit of closure for the Fernandez family.

"This is just our way of honoring him, the village and all the places named after him. There are quite a few guys alive today because of him."

Fernandez, who posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor, died at age 21 protecting his fellow soldiers from a grenade during a battle in Hau Nghia Province in February 1966.

Several buildings and parks in Los Lunas bear his name, including the park, Daniel Fernandez Intermediate School and the Daniel Fernandez Youth Center.

James Garley, commander of Los Lunas' Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9676, which also bears Fernandez' name, helped Petit organize Saturday's tribute and will act as host for the event.

The Los Lunas High School JROTC, under the command of Maj. Michael Lloyd, will be posting and retiring the colors during the tribute.

New Mexico Junior Miss Mayela Alejandra will sing the National Anthem, and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 574 of El Paso, Texas, will be on hand to offer a tribute.

Jim Wilson of the 25th Infantry Division, one of the men who carried Daniel Fernandez out of the jungle when he was mortally wounded, is scheduled to be one of the speakers along with Garley and numerous other friends.

Los Lunas Mayor Louis Huning will read a proclamation declaring July 12 as Daniel Fernandez Day in the village. The tribute will be closed by a 21-gun salute and a prayer by George Maxwell, who served in Alpha Company of the Fifth Battalion.

"Once vets started finding out about (the tribute), it traveled by word of mouth and people started calling him to offer their help," said Rosie Garley, who helped her husband, James, put the tribute together. "When it comes to something like this, a tribute, everyone starts calling. I think we all want to see and hear Daniel's friends honor him in this way."

Members of the reunion group will head to Daniel Fernandez Intermediate School at 10 a.m. Saturday, where they will view a video of a report made by a TV news crew shortly after Fernandez fell in battle.

Following that, the New Mexico Patriots motorcycle club will escort the group to the tribute at Fernandez Park. After the tribute, members of the group will attend the reception at the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts at 3 p.m. before heading back to Albuquerque for a reception.

The Los Lunas VFW post will host a post-tribute picnic in Daniel Fernandez Park, said Rosie Garley.

"Men and Women

of Valor"

Daniel Fernandez' presence will also be felt at the "Men and Women of Valor" exhibit at the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts.

In addition to the Fernandez display, the art of Rafael E. Gonzales of Albuquerque will be featured.

"Everything we're doing in this particular exhibit has some connection to the military theme," said museum coordinator James Fernandez. "We have this art work, have the information on the Civil War and we'll be featuring the oral history of Jose Chavez, who was a Bataan Death March survivor."

James Fernandez is Medal of Honor winner Daniel Fernandez's brother.

The museum will also recognize the work of Angie Lopez of El Cerro for her book, "Blessed are the Soldiers," which includes oral histories of veterans from World Wars I and II.

Los Lunas Library director Cynthia Shetter said the oral history of Chavez, recorded in February by village historian Patty Guggino, was especially interesting.

"He went into a lot of detail for the interview," Shetter said. "He was actually buried alive twice. He was so malnourished that they put him in a pile of bodies, and he positioned himself to where he could be able to breathe and his buddies noticed he was still alive and pulled him out.

"It's just amazing that this man ended up surviving basically on his wits," she said of Chavez, who turned 90 in June.

Shetter said it was a coincidence that the museum's reception was on the same date as the tribute to Fernandez, but said it worked out well.

"July 12 is when Congress enacted the Medal of Honor, so it's kind of serendipitous that we're doing all this," she said. "We planned the reception first, then found out what the VFW was doing, and we started coordinating with them."

Shetter said the band Los Reyes de Albuquerque, which recorded the song "El Corrido de Daniel Fernandez," will be on hand at the reception to play.

She said the song has received the Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts and can be found in both the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution.

Gonzales, whose art was inspired by his own experiences as a soldier in Vietnam and whose Broken Eyes Studio is located in Los Lunas, also has another tie to Daniel Fernandez, said Shetter.

"The Gonzales Orchestra in the '60s recorded a song called 'Men of Valor' that was written by Roberto Mondragon that mentions Daniel Fernandez, and Rafael played in that band. So everything ties back to Daniel Fernandez."

In regards to the "Men and Women of Valor" display, James Fernandez said the museum is still looking for contributions from local residents who have or had relatives who have served in the military - particularly the Navy and Marines.

"If individuals have things from their loved ones that they'd like to include, we encourage them to call us to have it included to flesh the exhibit out," he said.

To RSVP for the "Men and Women of Valor" reception or for more information on the exhibit, including inquiries about donating items - call James Fernandez at 352-7720 or e-mail him at fernandezj@loslunasnm.gov.

For more information on the Tribute to Daniel Fernandez, call James or Rosie Garley at 865-5265.

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