SFC Jose Antonio (Tony) Hernandez was born on December 23, 1960, in San Pedro California. He enlisted in the Regular Army on February 25, 1980, at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. After Attending Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training as a medic, he was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 8th Infantry Division Artillery in the Federal Republic of Germany during 1980 - 1982. He then returned to the United States where he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, at Ft. Riley, Kansas, during 1982 - 1983. After his tour with the 1st Infantry Division, SGT Hernandez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Infantry (Airborne), 82nd Airborne Division, Ft Bragg (now Ft Liberty), North Carolina, where he participated in the invasion of Grenada. In 1986 he entered Special Forces training as a medic, graduating in December 1987. His initial assignment as a Special Forces Medic was with the 3rd Battalion, 10th SFG(A) at Ft Devens, Massachusetts. In December 1990 he was assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 10th SFG(A).
As a U.S. Army medic, he made a career out of helping the sick, the injured, and the dying. During Operation Provide Comfort in 1991, he participated in the force that aided Kurdish rebels in the mountains of Iraq and Turkey at the end of the first Gulf War. Hernandez was honored for establishing an aid station for the refugees fleeing war-ravaged Iraq.
Hernandez, an expert skier and outdoor enthusiast, was killed in a skiing accident during military training in the Bavarian Alps of Southern Germany.
SFC Hernandez's numerous awards and badges include the Meritorious Service Medal (Posthumous), the Army Commendation Medal (4 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Achievement Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), the Army Good Conduct Medal (3 Awards), the Non-Commissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon (2 Awards), the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service, the Southwest Asia Service Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal, both the Expert Field Medical Badge and the Combat Medical Badge, the Special Forces Tab and the Master Parachutist Badge. SFC Hernandez was also a member of the Special Forces Association.
He was buried with full military honors on 8 February 1992 at Green Hills Memorial Park, Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, California.
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, Special Forces Association Chapters V "Garden of Eden Chapter" and Chapter LXV "Flint Kaserne Chapter"