I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the staff at GHQ upon the death of a fine American who contributed so much to this hobby and to his country. Information concerning Mr. Fernandes passing is contained on the TAC NEWS bulletin for May-June, 2009. As a Marine who served in Viet Nam and later re-entered the Corps to act as an interpreter and served in Beirut, he was present in the hotel when the terrorist bomb exploded.
So, he knew about combat and about the grunt. I never had the pleasure of meeting this man but he truly was a great American whose example we should all try to follow.
Please forward my sympathies as well to his wife. He was so young (61) it seems he went before his time, but that is not up to me to judge. He did his duty and perhaps God said, you have done enough, it is time to come home.
May his soul rest in eternal peace and may our heavenly Father bring comfort to his family and those who knew him so well.
There is so much more that I could say about John beyond what I said in an earlier topic, but it would not even begin to touch the quality of the man and how much he touched us. He was a loving husband to Bev, a hero, a thinker, a sage, a writer, a researcher, a creator, a gentleman, a fun person, and so much more, but most of all - he was a true friend to those who got to know him.
His & my path first crossed almost 40 years ago, then back & forth over the years. Each moment with him was always in good company. I look forward to raising a horn in his honor, when I have journeyed to the Valholl and our paths shall cross again.
