Today's TJJ Blog by @Ryan reminded me that Hot Rodding legend, Fran Hernandez was a WWII Navy veteran . . . who served aboard the USS Cabot (CVL-28) as a machinist. Here's some pics (& documents) from the Fran (Francisco) Hernandez page: Francisco Hernandez - Machinist Mate First Class Pat & Fran Hernandez - December 1942 USS Cabot (CVL-28) CVL-28 - A Division - Fran is in the front row, 2nd from the right CVL-28 - Island Fran's Shellback Certificate Fran's Award of Meritorious Conduct Fran's Presidential Unit Citation Fran's WWII dog tags Cover of the April 1949 issue of HOT ROD Magazine
I was a jet engine man USAF 1965-1969. Strategic Air command. No body gave a shit about us then, nobody gives a shit now. Too little too late
Drafted in July of 1968, Flew to Nam the middle of December 67. I was a "blue" = grunt with A troop 1/9 cav, First Cav. After I got drafted in July of 67 I put my 51 Merc up at my grandparents house and moved it out behind the cow shed in November/December where it sat until I moved back from Texas in 1977. I think I had taken this photo in December 68 after I got back and my then girlfriend and I walked out back to look at it. the hood blew off in a wind storm in 68 and hit my granparents camp trailer that was sitting in the shed straight back from it. The cows licked the primer off it. In front of my newly built Hooch after I switched from blues to Scouts to be a scout observer/gunner in OH 13 and OH 6 helicopters. URL=https://hosting.photobucket.com/alb...cf06829c9.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds][/URL] Short timer photo in early December 68. I finally got the Merc running with a 350 Buick and turbo 350 that my buddy gave me in late 78 or 79. The Merc (gray primer front right) sitting in front of Paul Harpers house up on the hill in Roslyn in the early 80's. URL=https://hosting.photobucket.com/alb...fMercs001.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds][/URL] A Vet and his car.
I was drafted in 1964 and served in the 1st Infantry Division, ending up after a 30-day cruise outa Oakland to Vietnam. A friend kept the roadster, ran it every month. The Parilla, not so good -- another friend let his younger brothers learn to ride a motorcycle.
The Parilla brings back memories. I sold my '31 Model A in 1967 for $300.00 and bought a Parilla. Needed lots of work. Parts were hard to come by but Cosmopolitan Motors in Philadelphia, PA was the US distributor. My dad worked for GE at the time and traveled to Philadelphia on a regular basis. He brought back many apart on the red eye from Philadelphia to LAX. Ran the piss out of the Parilla until the crank broke on the way to work at a local smorgasbord restaurant. First and only motorcycle.
Thank you for your service...Birdman, when you were doing that pretty wild stuff, really it was, what were they B52's, XR/SR71 Blackbirds, B2s...anyways I was 5-9yrs old in that stretch and as your neighbors to the north I can assure you that you assisted the allied world in protecting our freedom so I do give a shit... By the way, please share a pic of your Hotrod perhaps then or now (I know you had a few) as that was the second half of Ryan's theme for the Veterans Day Thread...
A moment in time...that was a pretty moving story @swade41...tearing a bit right now......the real deal...that's a nice thing you all did in remembrance and carrying the torch forward...
Mr.William J. Weckel ...my H.S. History teacher and mentor... Chenango Valley NY... upon retiring he and his wife Esther moved to Florida... a short video
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