As we head into Hispanic Heritage Month I can think of no better time than to pay tribute to a true hero.
I'm going to talk about a man who is a dear friend, who overcame obstacles and who at this moment is literally out of this world. On Aug. 28 he blasted off into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery. He and the rest of the crew are expected to head back to earth in a few days.
Jose M. Hernandez serves as a mission specialist II/flight engineer. For Jose, this was the culmination of a dream that was years in the making. Through his hard work and dogged determination his dream came true.
Hernandez was born in San Joaquin County, just outside Stockton. His parents, Salvador and Julia Hernandez were migrant farm workers who every year along with Jose's two older brothers and sister would leave La Piedad, Michoacan and head to California. Every year beginning in March they followed the harvest starting in the Imperial Valley and finishing in the Stockton area. By mid-November they would begin the two-day car trip back to Michoacan.
Jose still tells the tale of how his dad would heat cans of Campbell's' soup on the car's engine block.
Although Jose didn't learn English until he was 12, he had an aptitude for math. Which would come to serve him well later on.
The yearly trips meant that Jose and his siblings would leave a few months after the school year began. His parents would tell their children to get enough school work for the months they would be gone. It stopped when one of Jose's teachers met with Don Salvador and Dona Julia and convinced them they needed to stay so their children could get an education.
Even though the family settled in Stockton, it was by no means the end of laboring in the fields. On weekends and during school vacation Jose and his siblings worked alongside their parents in the fields.
It was in those fields that the seed to go into space took root.
Jose was hoeing a row of beets when he heard over his transistor radio that Franklin Chang-Diaz, a Costa Rican, would be the first Latino in space. Jose was a senior in high school at the time.
It was at that moment Jose decided to follow in Chang-Diaz's footsteps.
But making it to liftoff proved to be a challenge. Although he held a bachelor's degree from the University of the Pacific and a master's from UC Santa Barbara, getting into the astronaut program was no easy task.
Jose applied 12 times before being accepted in 2004 into the 19th astronaut class.
His is a story of determination, inspiration and above all else hope. He held tight to the hope that one day he would fly in space. He can now say mission accomplished.
He'll receive a hero's welcome when he gets back. Plans are underway for a huge celebration tentatively slated for October. His future plans aren't concrete yet. There's talk of possibly working for NASA. And there's also the possibility of a run for Congress. But for now, as evidenced by the huge smile on his face in the numerous photos from the space station, he is still soaking in the experience of floating among the stars.
For nearly two weeks, he has been living his dream.
And just like he did long ago planting seeds that would one day reap a bountiful harvest, Jose is now planting a different type of seed.
It is the seed of hope; one that will reap a harvest of endless possibilities for other Latinos for generations to come.
And his field is the endless expanse of space.
I'm going to talk about a man who is a dear friend, who overcame obstacles and who at this moment is literally out of this world. On Aug. 28 he blasted off into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery. He and the rest of the crew are expected to head back to earth in a few days.
Jose M. Hernandez serves as a mission specialist II/flight engineer. For Jose, this was the culmination of a dream that was years in the making. Through his hard work and dogged determination his dream came true.
Hernandez was born in San Joaquin County, just outside Stockton. His parents, Salvador and Julia Hernandez were migrant farm workers who every year along with Jose's two older brothers and sister would leave La Piedad, Michoacan and head to California. Every year beginning in March they followed the harvest starting in the Imperial Valley and finishing in the Stockton area. By mid-November they would begin the two-day car trip back to Michoacan.
Jose still tells the tale of how his dad would heat cans of Campbell's' soup on the car's engine block.
Although Jose didn't learn English until he was 12, he had an aptitude for math. Which would come to serve him well later on.
The yearly trips meant that Jose and his siblings would leave a few months after the school year began. His parents would tell their children to get enough school work for the months they would be gone. It stopped when one of Jose's teachers met with Don Salvador and Dona Julia and convinced them they needed to stay so their children could get an education.
Even though the family settled in Stockton, it was by no means the end of laboring in the fields. On weekends and during school vacation Jose and his siblings worked alongside their parents in the fields.
It was in those fields that the seed to go into space took root.
Jose was hoeing a row of beets when he heard over his transistor radio that Franklin Chang-Diaz, a Costa Rican, would be the first Latino in space. Jose was a senior in high school at the time.
It was at that moment Jose decided to follow in Chang-Diaz's footsteps.
But making it to liftoff proved to be a challenge. Although he held a bachelor's degree from the University of the Pacific and a master's from UC Santa Barbara, getting into the astronaut program was no easy task.
Jose applied 12 times before being accepted in 2004 into the 19th astronaut class.
His is a story of determination, inspiration and above all else hope. He held tight to the hope that one day he would fly in space. He can now say mission accomplished.
He'll receive a hero's welcome when he gets back. Plans are underway for a huge celebration tentatively slated for October. His future plans aren't concrete yet. There's talk of possibly working for NASA. And there's also the possibility of a run for Congress. But for now, as evidenced by the huge smile on his face in the numerous photos from the space station, he is still soaking in the experience of floating among the stars.
For nearly two weeks, he has been living his dream.
And just like he did long ago planting seeds that would one day reap a bountiful harvest, Jose is now planting a different type of seed.
It is the seed of hope; one that will reap a harvest of endless possibilities for other Latinos for generations to come.
And his field is the endless expanse of space.
