John Ernest Hernandez was born June 24, 1950, in San Antonio, Texas. He was born into the Mescalero tribe of the Apache Nation. He is the third born of 10 siblings. His family grew up poor, but his mother always taught him to help others because there is always someone who is less fortunate.

He said he had tons of unhappy experiences as a child with discrimination. When he was enrolled in a Catholic school in Texas, he was always picked on because of his complexion. After high school, he joined the Army and fought in the Vietnam War, and it was the harrowing experiences of war that later caused his drug and alcohol dependency.

Life led him to Springfield when he came here to live with his parents, but he later became homeless until his future wife saved his life. Hernandez married Jeanne in September 1980 and later had a daughter, María.

Spirituality and working with the community also helped Hernandez. He also was involved with prevention programs with the Department of Mental Health on their drug and alcohol board, in local nonprofits benefiting children in the Ozarks, and at the Center for Substance Abuse in D.C.. He worked in the education and museum departments at Bass Pro and with NATO to teach children all around the world.

Listen to FOG’s audio production of Hernandez’s story by tapping the link in our bio.

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Music is Bach Cello Suite no. 3 by Colin Carr from the Free Music Archive.

Episodes are edited, recorded, mixed, and published by Diana Dudenhoeffer.