Brigadier General Belisario De Jesus Flores
- Unit: Attached to the Colombian Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
- Date of Birth: July 22, 1926
- Entered the Military: January 10, 1945
- Date of Death: February 19, 2018
- Hometown: Eagle Pass, Texas
- Place of Death: San Antonio, Texas
- Award(s): Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Republic of Korea Service Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Korean Service Medal with Two Bronze Service Stars, Air Force Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal
- Cemetery: section 16, grave 2759. Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas
Early Life
Belisario De Jesus Flores was born on July 22, 1926 in Eagle Pass, Texas, to Jose and Felipe Flores, both of whom were Mexican natives. In 1931, the family moved to San Antonio. Here Mr. Flores worked as a bill collector and Mrs. Flores as a dressmaker to support the family, which also included another son, Jose, who was two years younger than Belisario.
As a first generation Hispanic-American, Belisario, known as ‘Bel’ to his family and friends, took full advantage of the opportunities available to him to gain a first class education at San Antonio Vocational and Technical High School. There he was also introduced to the military as a member of the school’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. Flores graduated in 1944, at the height of U.S. involvement in World War II.
Homefront
Texas played a significant role in supporting the war effort on the homefront. Texas citizens, similar to civilians nationwide, planted victory gardens, rationed, and participated in scrap metal and war bond drives to aid the allied cause in World War II.
Due to its favorable climate, clear skies, abundant resources and centralized location, Texas played a key role in troop training at established military bases in Flores’s hometown of San Antonio, as well as others in El Paso and Killeen grew. Additionally, many new military installations were established and trained the hundreds of thousands of soldiers, airmen, and sailors who fought in the war.
Industrial Giant
At the same time, industrial plants sprung up all over Texas in support of the war effort. These industries, which were highly diversified in their production and utility to the Allied troops, included fuel refineries, steel mills, synthetic rubber factories, aircraft and bomber factories, munitions manufacturers, and shipyards.
“Kelly Katies” Support the War Effort
As Flores and other able bodied men prepared to graduate from high school and head off to the military, there was an increased need to fill military support roles on the homefront that were traditionally filled by men. At Kelly Field in San Antonio, which became the world’s largest air depot by the end of World War II, women comprised 40% of the workforce. Over 10,000 women, known as “Kelly Katies,” worked alongside men, turning wrenches, building engines, and fixing aircraft. These women, like their “Rosie the Riveter” counterparts nationwide, played a significant role in changing the narrative about women’s roles in the military and society.
Military Experience
World War II
At the end of his senior year of high school in March 1944, Flores went against his parents’ wishes and enlisted in the U.S. Army with hopes of becoming a fighter pilot. Flores entered into active service on January 10, 1945, and completed basic training at Camp Hood in Texas, where he received training to become a machine gunner and a tank driver. However, the war in Europe ended and he worked as a supply sergeant at the 38th Field Artillery Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Division Headquarters at Camp Carson, Colorado until the War in the Pacific ended. Technician Fourth Grade Flores was honorably discharged on August 8, 1946.
G.I. Bill
Following his discharge, Flores took full advantage of the G.I. Bill to further his education at San Antonio Junior College, where he took courses to improve his English and math skills so he could pursue a business degree at St. Mary’s College in San Antonio, and earn an Army commission in Field Artillery through the ROTC program. Through hard work and determination, Flores graduated from St. Mary’s in 1950 with honors and a military rank of second lieutenant.
Korean War
In May 1951, Flores was recalled to active duty. He was sent to Camp Polk, Louisiana, for basic training. Next, he completed the basic officer training in artillery at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. In February 1952, he deployed to Korea.
Second Lieutenant Flores was one of three officers assigned as forward observers to the Colombian Infantry Battalion, which was part of United Nations Forces attached to the U.S. 31st Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division. This officer trio was assigned to companies “A,” “B,” and “C” of the Colombian Battalion, whose soldiers only spoke only Spanish. Being a forward observer was a particularly dangerous job. It required Flores to situate himself at the front of the lines halfway between the enemy and his own troops to direct fire at the enemy positions.
The most noteworthy event of Flores’s Korean War service occurred from October 17 to 24, 1952, at the Battle of Triangle Hill, also known as Operation Showdown, which was part of an ongoing fight with Chinese and North Korean troops that claimed the lives of several hundred American soldiers. The Colombian Battalion was stationed off to the left of the battle being fought by the 31st Infantry Regiment, but of which it was not directly involved. However, their location provided Flores with a particularly good vantage point to both see and successfully attack enemy supply lines. After several calls with the commander requesting permission to engage with the enemy, Flores was given permission to direct fire at the enemy and its supply lines. Although hundreds of men lost their lives during the battle, the battalion’s actions (due to Flores’s foresight) provided an important show of strength to the enemy troops as they made their way up the hill that had become so coveted by both sides. For his “meritorious achievement in ground operations against the enemy” during the Battle of Triangle Hill, Flores received the Bronze Star and was promoted to first lieutenant. In March 1953, he was honorably discharged from active duty and joined the U.S. Army Reserves.
From Army to Air Force: Ascent to Leadership
In 1954, when he was offered the position of Supply Officer for the Texas Air National Guard, Flores transferred from the U.S. Army to the U.S. Air Force. From that point forward until the end of his military career, he ascended the military leadership ladder to its highest levels.
In 1959, he was appointed comptroller for the 149th Tactical Fighter Wing of Texas Air National Guard. In 1964 he commanded the 136th Combat Support Squadron and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In 1969, Flores was temporarily assigned as the commanding officer of this 1,000+ personnel fighter wing during a six-month temporary absence of the wing’s permanent commanding officer. Upon completion of this assignment, he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal.
In 1971, Texas Governor Preston Smith appointed Flores to the position of Assistant Adjutant General of the Texas Air National Guard. The apex of Flores’s military career came in 1974, when he was promoted to brigadier general, which made him the first Hispanic in the Air Force to achieve that rank from the state of Texas. At the time, there were only eight other Hispanic General Officers in the United States. While serving within Texas, he was authorized by the governor to wear the two stars of a major general, as can be seen in some photographs from late in his career.
On July 31, 1986, Brigadier General Flores retired from the Texas Air National Guard and the United States Air Force after 41 years of combined active and reserve duty. In 2008, Flores was enshrined in the Texas Military Forces Hall of Fame.
Veteran Experience
Family Time
Following his retirement, Flores enjoyed spending time with his wife, Josephine, whom he married in 1954, until her death from emphysema in 1998. In 2000, he rekindled a relationship from his teenage years that led to marrying his second wife, Adelina Greco Flores. While Flores and his first wife Josephine were childless, second wife Adlelina’s two children, seven grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren embraced Belisario.
Latino Leader
Belasario Flores remained active in his church and with military affairs throughout retirement. In the early 1990s, reports of racial and sex discrimination in the Texas National Guard prompted both state and federal investigations. Due to this high profile situation and his own experiences with discrimination throughout his 41-year military career, Flores joined with other military retirees to form the Hispanic Military Officers Association. Their goal was to use their collective strengths and leadership to end discrimination in the armed services.
Belisario’s Benevolence
On February 16, 2018, only three days prior to his death, Flores and his wife were honored by St. Mary’s College for their generous contribution to the creation of an on-campus Veterans center named in their honor. Brigadier General Belisario J. Flores died on February 19, 1918, at the age of 91. He was survived by his second wife, Adelina. Flores was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Belisario Flores. Oral history transcript. June 16, 2014. Korean War Legacy Project. https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/belisario-flores/.
Belisario De J. Flores, DD-214, Department of the Army. National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Belisario De J. Flores, Honorable Discharge Certificate (1948), Department of the Army. National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Belisario De J. Flores. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.
“Belisario J. Flores.” San Antonio Express News [San Antonio, TX], March 11, 2018. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/sanantonio/name/belisario-flores-obituary?id=11194585.
“Retired Hispanic Officers Seek End to Discrimination.” The Kerrville Times [Kerrville, Texas], April 4, 1994. Newspapers.com (18827855).
Rosales, John. “Texas Air Guard General Fights For Minority Officers.” El Paso Times [El Paso, Texas], April 29, 1990. Newspapers.com (436103284).
San Antonio Vocational and Technical High School Yearbook. San Antonio: San Antonio Public Schools, 1942. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.
Texas. Bexar County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.
Texas. Maverick County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.
Secondary Sources
“A WASP in the Spotlight.” National WASP WWII Museum. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://www.waspmuseum.org/wasp-in-the-spotlight/.
“Battle for Triangle Hill (Hill 598).” The Hourglass (Spring 2004): 28-30.
“Belisario and Adelina Flores Student Veterans Center.” St. Mary’s University. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://www.stmarytx.edu/military/veterans-center/.
“Belisario and Mrs. Flores.” University of Texas at Austin Voces Oral History Center Moody College of Communication. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://voces.moody.utexas.edu/collections/stories/belisario-mrs-flores.
“Belisario ‘Bel’ Flores.” Find a Grave. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187452678/belisario-flores.
“Belisario Flores.” Korean War Legacy Project. Accessed February 11, 2025. https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/belisario-flores/.
“Belisario J. Flores.” National Cemetery Administration. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov.
“Belisario J. Flores.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/BELISARIOJFLORES/7034E48.
“Fort Cavazos.” Texas State Historical Association. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/fort-hood.
“Hall of Honor–2009 Honorees.” Hispanic Sports Foundation for Education. Accessed February 11, 2025. https://hsffe.com/hall-of-honor-2009-honorees/.
Martinez, Guadalupe A. “The Colombians’ role in the battle for Triangle Hill (Hill 598).” The Graybeards (January-February 2009): 30-31. https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/04/67/53/00119/01-2009.pdf.
Mathison, Samantha. “Women’s History Month: Legacy of the ‘Kelly Katies.’” Joint Base San Antonio News. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/2550933/womens-history-month-legacy-of-the-kelly-katies/.
Proctor, Ben. “World War II.” Texas State Historical Association. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/world-war-ii.
“Texas in World War II.” Texas Historical Commission. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://thc.texas.gov/learn/military-history/texas-world-war-ii.
This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.