Plane Wreck at Los Gatos I went to the Common Experience event featuring Tim Z. Hernandez. He told the story of what happened with the plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon. 32 people were killed from this plane accident. Out of the 32, 28 were Mexicans who were working to provide for their families back home. Tim learned the stories of those who were killed in this tragic accident aby talking to some of the families of those that were on the plane.
I wasn’t going to go to this Common Experience event, but I’m really glad I did. I also didn’t expect to feel emotional over something that happened over 60 years ago, but I did. The most emotional part for me was when the song “Deportee” was performed by a music teacher from Texas State. This song was written by Woody Guthrie after he heard about the plane crash. I just sat there and listened to the lyrics and I started to tear up. I was just so sad for the people who died and their families. The part that got to me the most was when he sang,
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita,
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria;
You won't have a name when you ride the big airplane,
And all they will call you will be "deportees."
This part just made me tear up because I was just thinking about how they didn’t even acknowledge their names. They were exactly like everyone else, except they were Mexican …show more content…
About 12 years ago, a small headstone was donated reading, “28 Mexican citizens who died in an airplane accident near Coalinga, California on Jan. 28, 1948 R.I.P.” Names weren’t put on it, because their names were unknown. Tim Hernandez researched for many years and finally found the names from the death certificates. He wanted to raise money for a headstone that had all of the names of the Mexican citizens who died on that plane. Many people came together and raised over $10,000 to provide this stone. The original stone was kept and the new one was made to be placed around the old
I wasn’t going to go to this Common Experience event, but I’m really glad I did. I also didn’t expect to feel emotional over something that happened over 60 years ago, but I did. The most emotional part for me was when the song “Deportee” was performed by a music teacher from Texas State. This song was written by Woody Guthrie after he heard about the plane crash. I just sat there and listened to the lyrics and I started to tear up. I was just so sad for the people who died and their families. The part that got to me the most was when he sang,
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita,
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria;
You won't have a name when you ride the big airplane,
And all they will call you will be "deportees."
This part just made me tear up because I was just thinking about how they didn’t even acknowledge their names. They were exactly like everyone else, except they were Mexican …show more content…
About 12 years ago, a small headstone was donated reading, “28 Mexican citizens who died in an airplane accident near Coalinga, California on Jan. 28, 1948 R.I.P.” Names weren’t put on it, because their names were unknown. Tim Hernandez researched for many years and finally found the names from the death certificates. He wanted to raise money for a headstone that had all of the names of the Mexican citizens who died on that plane. Many people came together and raised over $10,000 to provide this stone. The original stone was kept and the new one was made to be placed around the old