Cardenas flew bombers like this during WWII.
Bob Cardenas
Fighter Pilot
Community Leader
Cardenas: Born in Mexico, He Became an American Hero
Born in 1920 in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, Robert Cardenas and his family moved to San Diego when he was 5 years old. Excelling in math and physics in high school, he attended San Diego State University, then in 1939 enlisted in the California National Guard. In 1940, he was designated an aviation cadet, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corp in July 1941.
In 1944, Captain Cardenas was on his 20th bombing mission over Germany when his aircraft was hit and he sustained a head injury. Bailing out of the crippled plane, he landed on the [Continue Reading]