Diego E. Hernandez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vice Admiral Diego E. Hernandez (born c.1930 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a retired United States Navy officer. He was the first Hispanic to be named Vice Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
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[edit] Biography
Hernandez was raised in the Capital of Puerto Rico where he received his primary education. Upon his high school graduation, he was able to attend Illinois Institute of Technology with a Navy ROTC scholarship. In 1955, he earned a degree in Physics and was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy upon his graduation. He then underwent flight training and on August 1956, was designated a Naval Aviator.
Hernandez served in carrier-based fighter squadrons at sea in a variety of assignments. He flew two combat tours in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He also served as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Carrier Division 14. At sea, he was the commander of a fighter squadron, a carrier air wing, and a fleet oiler.
On June 27, 1979, Captain Diego E. Hernandez relieved outgoing Captain Tuttle and took command of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVA/CV-67). The Kennedy is one of two non-nuclear aircraft carriers still on active duty with the United States Navy (the other is the USS Kitty Hawk ). It is capable of anti-submarine warfare (ASW), making it an all-purpose carrier.
On September 19, 1980, Libyan Air Force planes engaged in an unprecedented number of sorties in the vicinity of USS John F. Kennedy’s Battle Group over international waters. F-14’s under E-2 control intercepted two Libyan sections, and six and eighteen sections, respectively, on September 20 and 21.
On 29 August 1981, after a change of command ceremony, Captain D. Bruce Cargill relieved Captain Hernandez as commandor of the USS John F. Kennedy.
In 1988, Vice Admiral Diego E. Hernandez as Commander, Third Fleet, coordinated RIMPAC '88, a massive naval exercise which included more than 40 ships, approximately 200 aircraft and more than 50,000 sailors, airmen and Marines from the United States, Japan, Australia and Canada. This exercise marked the first inclusion of a battleship, USS Missouri, as a component in RIMPAC.
His last assignment on active duty was as Deputy Commander in Chief U.S. Space Command, dual hatted as Vice Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command.
In 1987, Hernandez was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Puerto Rican Coalition. In 1988, he was named the distinguished graduate of his class by Illinois Institute of Technology and presented with the institutions Professional Achievement Award.
Hernandez, retired from the Navy in 1991, after having served for a total of 36 years.
[edit] Awards and decorations
Among Vice Admiral Diego E. Hernandez' decorations and medals were the following:
[edit] Currently
Diego E. Hernandez resides in Miami, Florida. He serves as management consultant to private and public companies. He is also a member of the Veterans Administration Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. Hernandez is also a member of the Companions of the Naval Order, the oldest, exclusively naval, American society.
