WWII veteran Hernandez was tobacco sales rep By Edmund Tijerina - Express-News Whether he was growing up in the grocery business, serving in the Army Air Corps, opening his own grocery store or working as a salesman for R.J. Reynolds, Fidel Hernandez exemplified for his children the power of hard work. Hernandez, who was proud to have been the first Mexican American sales representative for the tobacco company, died Tuesday of natural causes. He was 88. A 1940 graduate of Brackenridge High School, Hernandez was drafted into the Army and served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. During that period, he spent much of his time in India as a member of the 58th Bomb Wing of the 20th Air Force. From India, the unit was assigned to Tinian Island, north of Guam. Two bombers based at Tinian dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the war, he and his new bride, Belia Muraida, opened their own San Antonio grocery store and meat market. He grew up in his father's grocery store and so it seemed a natural decision for a man who knew that business. Together, the spouses ran the Richter Street Market and Grocery on the West Side for several years, when one of their vendors tried to recruit Hernandez. A sales representative from R.J. Reynolds had been impressed with how the market operated and asked Hernandez to come over to the company. Although he didn't go at first, the sales rep persisted, and Hernandez made the switch and began working as a salesman for the tobacco company. “He was proud that he was the first Mexican American,” said Rudy Hernandez, his son. He passed up opportunities to move into management in order to keep the family together in their hometown. Here, he helped found and run the Woodlawn Little League, which played its games near Woodlawn Lake. After he retired, he and his wife devoted much of their time to the China-Burma-India Veterans Association. He was a local commander and an officer on the state level. Throughout his life, he made sure that he was able to spend time with his family. “My dad's perspective on life is, ‘your word is your bond,'” Rudy Hernandez said. “If you tell somebody you're going to do something, you do it.” WWII veteran Hernandez was tobacco sales rep