1SG (R) Frank Calderon

1SG (R) Frank Calderon sat down with me for Heroes I Know.

He sat in his truck. Camera sideways. Two and a half hours. He had been hesitant. Then we started talking about dads and deer and he stayed.

His dad died when he was two. Zero memories. Two small black and white pictures. A painting of his dad. His sister. Him. His sister was a newborn. He still talks to his father when it gets hard. Come on dad. Work with me here.

He was born in Mexico. About 89 kilometers south of Tucson. Grandparents and aunts raised him until he was nine or ten. July of 72 they brought him to L.A. He had to learn English. Then the projects in East Los Angeles. Ten years there. Until the Army. Budget was 312 dollars a month. He started work at ten. Local grocery. Three to ten at night.

Severe acne. Could not speak English. A kid named Ralph sat next to him in eighth grade drafting. Picked him to pieces. Frank told him to meet at 6:30. Frank showed up. Dove on him. A bloody mess. The gangsters in the projects said hey Cisco come hang out. That day he kicked Ralph's stool over. Teacher asked if there was a problem. He said not anymore. He dropped out that day. Joined the gangs. Thirteen. Fourteen. He needed acceptance. He had never had it.

Jump school. Day before the first jump he went to the chaplain. Guilty conscience. Thought he was going to die. The chaplain called him Francisco. Said God will take you when He wants. First jump or last jump or somewhere in between. Said he would be on that bird with him in the morning.

Joining the Army was the best thing he ever did. Two days before we talked his younger brother called. You left us. We were kids. Frank had carried that guilt until his mom passed. He told her the kids would be fine. The same brother said he would not be where he is today if Frank had not gone.

He was my squad leader. He took Ginger and me in. Green Ramp. Sicily Drop Zone in the summer. You do not have to explain that misery to another veteran. His daughter is still scared of first sergeant voice. He called the battery to attention anyway. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.