We Always Come Back to Texas: The Story of Retired MSgt Hector Melendez

Beautiful beaches, swimming in natural ponds within the rainforest with views of amazing waterfalls. These are memories Hector Melendez recalls from his life in Puerto Rico where he was born and raised. But along with these happy times Hector’s family faced financial struggles and a period of homelessness. It was during this time that Hector chose to provide for himself so as not to add to his parents’ burden. Beginning at the age of 16 he pushed himself to achieve his goals without relying on anyone else. He made it through high school and entered college.

It was in his last year at the University of Puerto Rico that he joined the U.S. Air Force. Hector and Nelly, his high school sweetheart and new wife, moved to Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, Texas when he was 22 years old. While neither Hector nor his wife spoke fluent English, they enjoyed the multicultural environment, friendly people, the hill country, and the wide variety of opportunities Texas offered for everyone. During his service, Hector worked as a Senior Budget Analyst retiring as a Master Sergeant. The couple have two children, Glorianne and Hector Jr. Hector also took courses through the University of Southern Colorado eventually finishing his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Wayland Baptist University in San Antonio. He continues to work for the Air Force as a Budget Analyst at Randolph Joint Base.

Hector says that his faith as a practicing Catholic has always played an important role in his life. It has helped him to find strength in difficult times and has held his family together. It never fails him. There were several moments when faith was required during his years in the military. In 1989, Hector and his family were on a flight to his next duty station at Howard Air Base in Panama. While flying, a dependent travel restriction was implemented causing the plane to return. With all of their household items and car already in Panama, Hector was forced to leave his family behind with nothing. Nelly took the children to Puerto Rico to stay with family. Two months later, Hurricane Hugo struck the area of Puerto Rico where Hector’s family was living. After a full week of not being able to contact his family, Hector boarded a military plane headed for Roosevelt Naval Station in Puerto Rico. When he arrived, he was able to see the devastation. The island was without running water and electricity. It took him four agonizing hours to make the normally thirty-minute trip to the home of his in-laws to find his family doing well given the circumstances.

Three months later his wife decided to take their children back to their previous base in Del Rio, Texas without informing Hector. She traveled on a government plane to a naval station in Dallas with barely any money. The family arrived at one in the morning and were fortunate to meet an air traffic controller who assisted them with finding a hotel to stay in for the night. The next day this same person picked them up to rent a car and directed her toward I-35 and on to Laughlin AFB. When she parked the car, a twenty-dollar bill fell from the visor. Hector did not hear from his family for three days during this time. When they finally spoke and Nelly told Hector of all that had happened, they concluded that the money must have come from the air traffic controller who had helped them. The most unusual and amazing part of this trip happened when Nelly tried to contact the naval station to thank the man who helped them; no one recognized the man’s name or physical description. Two months after Nelly and the children arrived in Del Rio a tornado hit, missing the family’s home by less than a quarter of a mile. Hector spent two days not knowing that his family was okay. It is moments like these when Hector feels only prayers and faith bring comfort that everything will be alright.

Hector has spent a total of twenty-four years in Texas. This is his second home after Puerto Rico. Hector says that home is where the family is. He still has family in both locations but Texas is where his now adult children were born and the place where they plan to stay. Although his life and career have taken him to many different places, he says he always finds himself coming back to Texas.

Holly Knowles is a senior at St. Mary’s University. She is majoring in Theology with a minor in International and Global Studies. Holly is originally from Wisconsin and has lived in Texas for three years.

Posted April 16, 2019

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