Print This Page

Private First Class Jose Antonio Fernandez

A gray-haired Fernandez, dressed in a suit and tie, looks into the camera with glasses on.
  • Date of Birth: July 20, 1929
  • Date of Death: May 16, 2013
  • Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
  • Place of Death: Grand Blanc, Michigan
  • Cemetery: Section 10, Site 1468, Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, Michigan
Contributed by Renata Aguirre, Jishnu Arunkumar, Krushna Dhawale, Advith, Cescily Howard, Anna, Jeremy Liang, Taras Moskalyuk, Samriddhi Panda, Natalie Sobotka, Sudharshan Suguna Chandru, Aania Thimlapurada, and Sophia Xiao
Mentored by Ms. Erika Berger
Boulan Park Middle School
2024/2025

Early Life

Jose Antonio Fernandez was born on July 20, 1929, in the Dominican Republic to his parents, Antonio and Delores Fernandez. His family, including his two sisters, Delores, Jr. and Lucy, moved to Puerto Rico in the 1930s. In December 1939, Jose’s mother, Delores, who was born in Lebanon, petitioned for naturalization. The petition indicated that her husband, originally from Puerto Rico, had gained U.S. citizenship in 1917 through the Jones Act. 

Jose Fernandez’s parents’ citizenship status eventually allowed the family to move to Chicago, Illinois. According to the 1950 census, as a young adult, Fernandez worked 40 hours a week as a nurse at a local hospital. His father also worked at a hospital as an elevator operator, while his mother sewed, and both of his sisters worked as bank clerks. Fernandez likely continued working as a nurse until he joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War. 

A petition for naturalization application formed filled out by Fernandez's parents.
Petition for Naturalization by Jose Fernandez’s parents, 1939. National Archives and Records Administration.
The 1950 Census showing the Fernandez family in Chicago, Illinois, 1950. National Archives and Records Administration.

Homefront

Like today, Chicago in the 1950s was a bustling city full of activity. The city offered public transit, boasted department stores like Marshall Field, and was home to several sports teams. The population growth in the 1950s also led to the call for housing reform. 

Chicago had a diverse workforce, with people employed in sales, office positions, food production, and factories—particularly in South Chicago, where steel mills were especially prevalent. Although the workforce was diverse, the population in 1950 was not. The city was primarily White, which made the Fernandez family a minority. 

Illinois housed several factories that played an important role in providing weapons for the Korean War. In western Illinois, Rock Island Arsenal produced missile launchers, super-bazookas, and a variety of other weapons. Just outside of Chicago, the Joliet Arsenal produced shells for artillery.

During the early years of the Korean War, the country, including Chicago, faced economic hardship. In 1952, reports showed that the economy finally took a turn for the better, aided by the end of the steel strike. The steel industry greatly affected the city’s economy. In fact, during this strike, Chicago steelworkers lost an estimated $75 million in wages.

In 1952, Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson ran for President against Dwight D. Eisenhower. Both candidates campaigned in Chicago. Stevenson defended President Harry S. Truman’s decision to go to war in Korea, which was an unpopular decision at the time. Eisenhower ended up winning Illinois, likely because he promised to attempt to end the Korean War. 

A newspaper headline reads, "Army Develops New Weapons at Rock Island - Arsenal Plays Key Role in U.S. Defense."
A Chicago Tribune article explaining how the work of the Arsenal at Rock Island, September 17, 1951.
An aerial photograph of a densely populated South Chicago showing the locations of Republic Steel plants, 5 in total.
A map showing iron and steel factories in South Chicago, 1950. Illinois Digital Archives.
A newspaper headline reads, "Joliet Arsenal Loading Shells for Korea War."
A Chicago Tribune article about the Joliet Arsenal manufacturing loading shells for the Korean War effort, September 10, 1952.

Military Experience

Jose Fernandez served in the United States Army during the Korean War, earning the rank of Private First Class. His specific unit and assignments during the war remain unknown, but given his background as a nurse, he likely performed some kind of medical work.

With his experience, he may have been in the Army Nurse Corps Association (ANCA). These nurses carried out various tasks, including blood transfusions, suturing wounds, monitoring supplies, and administering medicines. When resources were scarce, they had to be creative in delivering care, especially those working in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH).  

The exact date of Fernandez’s departure from the U.S. Army is unknown, but based on his medical education timeline, he likely left around 1953.

A scene from a M.A.S.H. unit. One soldier is laying on a cot with his back to the camera in the foreground. Another is being prepped for a procedure by nurses while a doctor takes his blood pressure. There are two other men in the image looking on.
Nurses and medical corpsmen tended to soldiers during the Korean War. The Army Nurse Corps.

Veteran Experience

After the war, Fernandez attended the Medical School Universidad De Nuevo León in Mexico until 1961. He then moved to Flint, Michigan, where he completed his medical residency at Hurley Medical Center to become a pediatrician. Following his residency, he started his own practice and later partnered with Dr. Amitabha Banerjee around 1976.   

Throughout his career, Fernandez was involved in the community. He led a “Stop Smoking” class in 1983. He taught medical students at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine-Flint Campus. He also advocated for affordable healthcare. Supporting these endeavors, he became one of the first pediatricians in the Greater Flint HMO in the 1980s, which involved small copayments for visits.

A well-known and loved pediatrician in the Flint community, Fernandez cared for more than 5,000 children in his 30-year career. His patients’ parents praised him for treating them as if they were his own children, and he has been credited with saving lives. A former patient’s obituary even mentioned him, expressing gratitude for the doctors who cared for him, including Fernandez.

Jose married Maria Fernandez and had four children: Jose, David, Miriam (Pellerito), and Mildred (Hickman) Fernandez. Fernandez was a devout Christian throughout his life and likely attended the First Flint Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

A newspaper headline reads, "God's hand: Retiring pediatrician will miss caring for the children." Underneath is a photograph of Dr. Fernandez administering care to a young child.
An article in The Flint Journal discussing Jose Fernandez’s retirement, September 3, 1994.
A letter to the editor about Fernandez entitled, "Treated children like own."
A letter to the editor of The Flint Journal from one of Fernandez’s patients’ parents speaking highly of the care he gave, September 14, 1994.

Veteran Experience

Jose Fernandez passed away on May 16, 2013, at the age of 83. He is buried at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

“1950 Census of Population: Volume 3. Census Tract Statistics.” United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-3/41557421v3p1ch5.pdf

“Adlai Defends Truman’s Korea War Decision.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], August 31, 1952. Newspapers.com (372766735).

Advertisement for Chicago Transit Authority. Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], July 27, 1950. Newspapers.com (371296331).

Advertisement for Marshall Field & Company. Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], December 12, 1952. Newspapers.com (372246785).

Advertisement for Maurice L Rothschild & Co. Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], July 12, 1950. Newspapers.com (370705627).

Antonio Fernandez Falero. Petition for Naturalization Puerto Rico Federal Naturalization Records, 1887-1985. Digital Images. https://ancestry.com. 

“Applause.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], April 24, 1993. Newspapers.com (1107277074).

“Army Develops New Weapons at Rock Island.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], September 17, 1951. Newspapers.com (371738964).

“Asks Decisive Action to End Korean War.” The Detroit Free Press [Detroit, MI], December 18, 1952. Newspapers.com (97449400). 

“Care that’s there.”  The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], December 7, 1989. Newspapers.com (1106568890).

“Chicago Bears Football Team News.” The Daily Calumet [Chicago, IL], May 5, 1949. Newspapers.com (755625279).

Chicago Plan Commission. Chicago’s Place in Industrial America, 1952. Map. Chicago Historical Society (ICHI-37022). http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3610.html.  

“Cub Group Gives Bats, Balls to Kids.” The Daily Calumet [Chicago, IL], September 8, 1951. Newspapers.com (755831747).

“Fernandez, Dr. Jose A.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], May 19, 2013. Newspapers.com (1111402161).

General Dwight D. Eisenhower on Parade. Photograph. October 31, 1952, Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection, Chicago History Museum (DN-0-9717). https://images.chicagohistory.org/asset/56320/.  

General Mills – Property Photos 1940s and 1950s. Photograph. c.1940-1960. Southeast Chicago Historical Society, Illinois Digital Archives. https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/pshs03/id/547/rec/1.

“GFHMO Cares for Kids.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], October 5, 1986. Newspapers.com (1106748654). 

“Gifts for Chicagoland’s Fighting Men in Korea.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], October 30, 1952. Newspapers.com (372239505).

“God’s Hand: Retiring pediatrician will miss caring for the children.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], September 3, 1994. Newspapers.com (1107897355).

Governor Adlai Stevenson rally at Chicago Stadium. Photograph. November 1, 1952. Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection, Chicago History Museum (DN-0-9648). https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/digital/collection/uic_rjdaley/id/6245/.

“Hospitals, others offering stop-smoking classes here.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], September 1, 1983. Newspapers.com (1105503200).  

“Housing Reform Urged to Halt Slum Deaths.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], November 26, 1950. Newspapers.com (371857757).

Illinois. Cook County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. http://ancestry.com.

Industry – South Chicago Trades and Labor Assembly Yearbook 1950. Chicago, Illinois: South Chicago Trades and Labor Assembly, 1950. https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/pshs03/id/385/rec/1.

“Joliet Arsenal Loading Shells for Korea War.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], September 10, 1952. Newspapers.com (372303714).

“Mercy Flight Taking Flint Boy to Denver.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], January 24, 1964. Newspapers.com (1102694069). 

“Obituary: Christopher R. Stoulil.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], November 25, 2012. Newspapers.com (1111393553).

“Obituary: Jose Fernandez.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], May 19, 2013. Newspapers.com (1111402161). 

“Reports Sharp Comeback in U.S. Economy.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], August 29, 1952. Newspapers.com (372763168).

“Republic Steel – Republic Reports July 1950.” Illinois Digital Archives. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/pshs03/id/648/rec/2.

Sanborn Map Company. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Map. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4104cm.g01790195049/?sp=1&st=image&r=-1.179,0,3.358,1.509,0.

“‘Stuff’ holds memories of friends, neighbors.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], December 28, 2000. Newspapers.com (1108453087). 

Theater and Music Page. Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], September 10, 1950. Newspapers.com (389876632).

“Treated children like own.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], September 14, 1994. Newspapers.com (1107901557). 

“Tribune Ready to Answer All Draft Queries.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], July 12, 1950. Newspapers.com (370705627).

“Truman Will Not Hesitate to Ask Powers, He Warns: Midyear Economic Report Foretells Trying Times.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], July 27, 1950. Newspapers.com (371296331).

“Union Leaders Here Leave for Policy Session.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], July 1952. Newspapers.com (372900876).

“Vote Tuesday, August 8th, to Re-Elect Ken Hardin.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], August 6, 2000. Newspapers.com (1108442594).

“Wayne State Dean to Speak at Hurley.” The Flint Journal [Flint, MI], June 27, 1965. Newspapers.com (11027275593). 

“Week-end Fun Lifts Hawks in Scoring Race.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, IL], November 1, 1949.  Newspapers.com (370355278).

Secondary Sources

“Dr. Jose Antonio Fernandez.” Find a Grave. Updated May 18, 2013. Accessed October 16, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/110793120/jose_antonio-fernandez.

“Highlights in the History of the Army Nurse Corps, 1950 to 1960.” Army Nurse Corps Association. Accessed January 17, 2025. https://e-anca.org/History/ANC-Eras/1950-1960.

“Jose Antonio Fernandez.” National Cemetery Administration. Accessed October 16, 2024. https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov. 

“Jose Antonio Fernandez.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed March 22, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/JOSEANTONIOFERNANDEZ/F6BB5C3.

Kim, Jinhyouk. “Development and Influence of Military Medicine during the Korean War: the Medical Field Service School and Training in the U.S.” Korean Journal of Medical History 32, no. 3 (2023): 891-930. https://medhist.or.kr/journal/view.php?number=2457. 

“Local businesses step up.” Chicago Navy Memorial. Last modified November 16, 2019. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://chicagonavymemorial.org/insights-from-the-pier-blog/local-chicagoland-businesses-step-up-world-war-2.


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.