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Thank you and as always, yes. 25 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,320 Speaker 2: Hello, hey, ernandaw are you. 26 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 3: I'm well, it's so nice to see you. It's been many, 27 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 3: many years. 28 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 2: It has I know, it's incredible. 29 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 3: That's Tim Hernandez, an author and investigative researcher. And yeah, 30 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 3: it's been a while since we talked. It feels like 31 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 3: so much has happened. But also it feels like I 32 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 3: was justin like the Fresno area. 33 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:54,639 Speaker 2: I know that was eight I think eight years ago already. 34 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 2: So yeah, it's been a while, and look. 35 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 3: At us, we still look like not a day over 36 00:01:59,080 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 3: twenty five. 37 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 2: Right, Thank you, thank you. 38 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 3: I'm catching up with Tim today because he emailed to 39 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 3: say there have been some interesting developments on a story 40 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 3: that I did back on twenty eighteen, So that's why 41 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 3: I'm going to be hosting the show today. The story 42 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 3: I'm talking about is the story of a plane that 43 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 3: crashed in nineteen forty eight on that flight where twenty 44 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 3: eight Mexican citizens who were being deported from the United States, 45 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 3: the plane crashed, everyone on board died. The American crew 46 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 3: members had their bodies sent home to their families for 47 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:38,119 Speaker 3: a proper burial, but the twenty eight farm workers were 48 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 3: buried in a mass grave, nameless. This is the story 49 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 3: of Tim's search to find the families of those twenty 50 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 3: eight passengers, and above all, honestly, it's a story that 51 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 3: feels very connected to the present. 52 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 2: It's important for us to look back at history to 53 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 2: understand the lasting impact of of deportations over generations. 54 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 3: Since our story aired, Tim has been able to connect 55 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 3: with seven more families, and I have to say that 56 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 3: doesn't happen often. Our story contributed to his life mission 57 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 3: of identifying the families of the dead. 58 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 4: I was just on my phone, just kind of scrolling 59 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 4: through Twitter, just kind of, you know, picking up what 60 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 4: was happening in the day's events, and I came across 61 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 4: this story right of a plane crash. And when I 62 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 4: saw that, it just it automatically clicked in my mind. 63 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:33,959 Speaker 4: I said, Wow, you know what, there's a story in 64 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 4: our family of a plane crash. 65 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 3: We're going to hear more about those updates later, but 66 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 3: first you have to hear the story. So we're going 67 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 3: to play you the story that originally aired in twenty eighteen. 68 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 3: You'll notice that some of the time references are a 69 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 3: bit different because it's now been seventy seven years since 70 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 3: the crash happened. Stay tuned for those updates. This is 71 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 3: Latino USA. I'm Fernande Chavarri in for our host Marino Jo. 72 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 3: Let's get to our story. On a Wednesday morning, just 73 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 3: after ten am, a plane was flying over Los Gato's 74 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 3: Canyon in California Central Valley. It was nineteen forty eight 75 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 3: in February. The pilot noticed something was wrong, but he 76 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 3: had been to war and he had landed planes and 77 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 3: emergency situations before, so his training kicked in and he 78 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,919 Speaker 3: started looking for a place to land the plane. But 79 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 3: then as he went over the canyon, something unexpected happened. 80 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 3: The left wing suddenly fell off and the rest of 81 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 3: the plane caught on fire. The plane started spinning out 82 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 3: of control. It hit the ground nose first, and it exploded, 83 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:48,839 Speaker 3: killing everyone on board. 84 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:54,039 Speaker 5: When that first person that I saw was pulled out 85 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 5: of the plane, there was no head and the arms 86 00:04:57,480 --> 00:04:59,279 Speaker 5: and legs were gone. There's just the. 87 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 3: The plane was headed to Elcentral California, a half hour 88 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 3: from the border with Mexico. And this wasn't just a 89 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 3: regular commercial flight. There were thirty two people on the plane, 90 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 3: four Americans, including three crew members and an immigration official, 91 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 3: and twenty eight migrant farm workers. Everyone died that morning, 92 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 3: all in the same way, but they were not all 93 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 3: treated the same after death. The twenty eight Mexican field 94 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 3: workers on that plane were known as Braseros. They had 95 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 3: come here at the request of the US government and 96 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 3: were headed back to Mexico, but didn't make it. After 97 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 3: the crash, only the remains of the four Americans were 98 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 3: sent back to their families. The Mexican citizens were buried 99 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 3: in a mass grave in California under a tiny plaque 100 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:49,280 Speaker 3: that red. 101 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 6: Twenty eight Mexican citizens who die in an airplane accident 102 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 6: near Colinga. 103 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 3: Twenty eight Mexican citizens. That's all they would call them, 104 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 3: and for decades that's all. 105 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 2: There was. 106 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 3: No one identified the remains of the twenty eight passengers, 107 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,479 Speaker 3: No one asked for their families, No one really paid 108 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 3: attention until a Mexican American author came along and they 109 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 3: became personal From Futuro Media and per x It's Latino 110 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 3: USA am Fernanda Chavarri in for our host Maria jo Josa. 111 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 3: Today we go back to find out who were the 112 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:29,839 Speaker 3: twenty eight unnamed people on that grave and meet a 113 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 3: man who made it his life mission to give them names. 114 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 3: And to do that, I'm joined by Latino USA producer 115 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 3: Maggie Feeling. 116 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 7: Hey, Maggie, Hey, Fernanda. So when you and I found 117 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 7: out about this incident, we were talking about how these 118 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 7: people were virtually forgotten. They were nameless in death and 119 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 7: in the news. But the crash itself, it turns out 120 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 7: that more people might know about it than they realize. 121 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 8: Goodbye by, And it's all because of one song that 122 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 8: kept the story alive throughout the decades. 123 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 3: A song that has a very long, confusing title, Deep. 124 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 7: Porti parentheses playing record Los Gatos, and it's sung here 125 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 7: by Pete Seeger, a super famous American folk music icon. 126 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 8: Six hundred miles to that Mexico border. They chases like alaws. 127 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 3: But Pete didn't write the song, He just made it famous. 128 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 3: In the nineteen fifties. Pete's good friend Woody Guthrie wrote it. 129 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 7: When wood He heard about the crash on the radio, 130 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 7: he felt this strong sense of injustice. So he wrote 131 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 7: his feelings down as a poem, and it later became 132 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 7: the song. 133 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 8: All all these friends, all scattered like dry leans. On 134 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 8: radio sends they are just deep arty. 135 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 3: Who are these friends who are scattered like dried leaves? 136 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 7: The radio said they were just deportise. 137 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 3: These kinds of poems and lyrics were not unusual for 138 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 3: Woody Guthrie. He was always sort of a revolutionary. 139 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 9: Woody was kind of the embodiment of your quote unquote 140 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 9: every man in the sense that he lived and worked 141 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 9: and wrote and traveled among the people. I'm Nora Guthrie, 142 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 9: and I'm Woody Guthrie's daughter. 143 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 7: We called Nora to find out why wood he wrote this. 144 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 9: There was a very strong similarity between the migrant workers 145 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,440 Speaker 9: in the nineteen thirties and the Oakies in the nineteen thirties. 146 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 7: The Okies were farmers in Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee, and of 147 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 7: course Oklahoma. They lost their homes during the dust Bowl 148 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 7: and migrated to California. Woody Guthrie was one of these people. 149 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:48,040 Speaker 9: When Woody came to California, he was homeless, living in 150 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 9: tents and little tin shacks, and so were the Mexican 151 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:55,679 Speaker 9: field workers. They're kind of all in the same boat, 152 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 9: and I think that just instinctively he connected with their plug. 153 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 9: He didn't start out to be political. He started out 154 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 9: just being curious, so he would always dig further and 155 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 9: further into the news reports. And that was what happened 156 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 9: with the playing record Los Gatos. 157 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,319 Speaker 3: Somewhere along the way, Pete Seeger, who was Woody's friend, 158 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 3: got ahold of the poem, set it to music, and 159 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:21,200 Speaker 3: started singing it. Then the song got huge. It took 160 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,160 Speaker 3: on a life of its own and was covered by 161 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:24,359 Speaker 3: dozens of musicians. 162 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 10: Johnny Cash, Johnny Rodriguez. 163 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 11: Roll In and Dolly Parton, orangz. 164 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 7: Jo Bias is so Dumb, Bob Dylan's Yeah, Mexico Harder, 165 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 7: they call him money, Burce Springsteen, and Woody's son Arlo 166 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 7: gu Three Legos is Lucy Maria. 167 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:03,079 Speaker 3: So you have all these super famous all American music 168 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 3: icons singing about Mexican farm workers in the nineteen forties. 169 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 7: And it's really crazy because this song was sung throughout 170 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:12,839 Speaker 7: the decades, and yet nobody bothered to find out who 171 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:13,560 Speaker 7: these people were. 172 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 9: And my father left a lot of songs like this. 173 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 9: Sometimes I call them like seeds to be harvested by 174 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:26,199 Speaker 9: the next generation. So the thing is that he left 175 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 9: this song with the question why weren't the deportees. 176 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 10: Namely, Oh, they will call you. 177 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:39,839 Speaker 2: These are the words that kept humming in my head. 178 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 2: All they will call you, will be deport All they 179 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 2: will call you. I'm Tim Hernandez, and I'm the author 180 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 2: who's been working on this plane. Requet los gatos for 181 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 2: the last seven years of your book is the name 182 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:52,200 Speaker 2: of my book? Is all they will call you. 183 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 7: So here's where Tim comes in. He's a professor and 184 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:57,960 Speaker 7: an author, so he's always sort of digging for stories. 185 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 7: One day, Tim was doing recent search for something unrelated 186 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:05,160 Speaker 7: back in twenty ten when he came across a newspaper article. 187 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 2: And it said one hundred people see an airplane fall 188 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:10,200 Speaker 2: out of the sky ship plunge to earth and it 189 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 2: was a farm labor accident. 190 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 3: So Tim was like, weird, that sounds familiar, and he 191 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 3: realized that it was the same story as the one 192 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 3: he knew from the song, and the same way that 193 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:22,720 Speaker 3: Woody Guthrie was bothered by the injustice decades ago, Tim 194 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:25,959 Speaker 3: too wanted resolution for the families of the victims, so 195 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 3: Tim set off on a quest. 196 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 2: You know, I just let my curiosity sort of pull me, 197 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:32,960 Speaker 2: and I began to ask who is all and who 198 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 2: are they? And what do they call you? And that's 199 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 2: just what kept me going. 200 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:38,840 Speaker 3: That was a s a quest that over the years 201 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,720 Speaker 3: became more and more personal for Tim as he saw 202 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:44,400 Speaker 3: the similarities between his life growing up in the Central 203 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 3: Valley and the migrant farm workers who died that day. 204 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,320 Speaker 2: You know, growing up the son of migrant farm workers, 205 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 2: I saw first hand the moments where my family felt voiceless, 206 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 2: and I started to see them play out as I 207 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 2: got older. Not beyond my family, I'd see them play 208 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:05,679 Speaker 2: out in the broader community. 209 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 11: You know. 210 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:08,160 Speaker 7: Tim put himself in the shoes of these twenty eight 211 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 7: families and thought, this could have been me, This could 212 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 7: have been my family. 213 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 2: I was born and raised here in California's San Joaquin Valley, 214 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,960 Speaker 2: the agricultural hub here. My parents were actually migrant farm workers, 215 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 2: originally from South Texas and New Mexico, you know, kind 216 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 2: of growing up with migrant family, you know, we traveled 217 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 2: a lot quite a bit, working in different fields and 218 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,200 Speaker 2: different harvests throughout the year, and my parents did that 219 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:33,440 Speaker 2: pretty much you know up until I don't know, I 220 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 2: was about maybe eight or nine. 221 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 3: And although Tim's family didn't participate in the Brassido program, 222 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 3: they did spend generations working in the fields in Texas 223 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 3: and California. 224 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:49,240 Speaker 10: Farming is America's biggest industry. All such farm jobs which 225 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 10: are top dirty or unpleasant are generally referred to as 226 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 10: stoop labor. 227 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 3: The Brasido program, to summarize, was a seasonal worker program 228 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:01,080 Speaker 3: that was the sort of amicable agree between the US 229 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 3: and Mexico that went on from the early forties to 230 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:04,959 Speaker 3: the mid sixties. 231 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:05,720 Speaker 10: Brasseros. 232 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 3: At that time, the US desperately needed workers to pick 233 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:10,679 Speaker 3: fruits and vegetables. 234 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 10: It isn't easy to find men willing to take on 235 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 10: such undesirable kinds of work. Understandably, then, the American farm 236 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 10: labor supply falls short and is supplemented by Mexican citizens. 237 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 3: So they gave Mexican farm workers temporary permits to come 238 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 3: here and do the work. Millions of Mexican workers came 239 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 3: and went. 240 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,680 Speaker 7: When the harvesting season was over and the US government 241 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:34,319 Speaker 7: didn't need them anymore, they would send them back by 242 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 7: train or fly them by plane. 243 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:41,280 Speaker 3: And that morning that's exactly what was happening. Those twenty 244 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 3: eight migrant workers were flying from San Francisco to El Centro, 245 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:47,959 Speaker 3: right on the border with Mexico in a US government 246 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 3: chartered plane. 247 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 7: So, based on Tim's research and interviews with the families 248 00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:00,840 Speaker 7: over the years, here's what happened. After the crash, officials 249 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:04,839 Speaker 7: recovered as many scattered body parts as they could. Then 250 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 7: they formally notified the families of the four Americans and 251 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:12,080 Speaker 7: sent them caskets of piece together remains, some as far 252 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:13,320 Speaker 7: as upstate New York. 253 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 3: As for the Mexican passengers, the leftover body parts were 254 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 3: also put in caskets, but they were not sent back 255 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 3: to Mexico. They were buried in that mass grave we 256 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 3: mentioned earlier, fourteen on one side, fourteen on the other, 257 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:29,680 Speaker 3: in Fresno, California. 258 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 7: So the Mexican passengers' bodies were never repatriated. Some families 259 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 7: in Mexico were notified by the Mexican government via letter, 260 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 7: others only heard about it on the radio. It's unclear 261 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 7: exactly how each of the families found out and if 262 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,400 Speaker 7: they even knew where their loved ones were buried. 263 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 3: We reached out to the Mexican government officials at the 264 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 3: embassy in DC, but were denied an interview. Of course, 265 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 3: we weren't going to find people working there who were 266 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 3: working for the Mexican government seventy years ago, but we 267 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 3: wanted to know how the government handle this. An official 268 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:07,600 Speaker 3: said via email that today their policy is to help 269 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 3: families in Mexico find funeral homes and cremation services in 270 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:14,720 Speaker 3: the US, and that based on the family's financial need, 271 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,840 Speaker 3: the Mexican government can help them pay for part of 272 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 3: the cost of getting their remains back to Mexico. 273 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 7: We also wanted to know how only some of the 274 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,400 Speaker 7: victims of the crash ended up identified, so to find 275 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 7: out we flew to meet Tim Ornandez in California. 276 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 12: This is all cattle territory up here. It's Los Gatus Canyon. 277 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 12: It's all ranchers. 278 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 2: Fay's family were cattle ranchers up there. 279 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 12: They were And did you see the house. 280 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 3: I'm sorry, I know they're the cutest little baby cats. 281 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:44,160 Speaker 12: Did you see the big long horns earlier? 282 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,440 Speaker 7: Yes, We're driving a ko linga about an hour southwest 283 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 7: from Fresno with Tim and his friend Larry Hawes. 284 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 3: Larry is sort of Tim's sidekick and an unofficial historian 285 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 3: of his family, the family that owned the property where 286 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 3: the plane crashed seventy one years ago. 287 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 2: It's hard every turn looks the same here unless you 288 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 2: know exactly where the crash happened. So then that's what 289 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 2: prompted me to want to call find Larry's the Gaston family, 290 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 2: so that I could identify exactly where it happened. 291 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 3: I have to ask what are we driving through? What 292 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 3: is what is this? 293 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 12: This is called the oil patch, and this is the 294 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 12: Kalinga oil field, and this is Kalinga is actually coaling station. 295 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 7: A oil was actually discovered here, and today there's a 296 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:28,920 Speaker 7: whole bunch of industrial oil derricks covering a huge part 297 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 7: of a barren desert area. 298 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:32,520 Speaker 2: The plane would have been able to see these oil 299 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 2: dereks as it was coming in here this way. And 300 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 2: because he had crashed landed that airplane twice before, it 301 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 2: makes sense that the one could actually you know, you 302 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 2: could surmise from that that he was more than likely 303 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 2: looking for a strip of dirt to land on. There's 304 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 2: nothing you can do crash landed q that same exact 305 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 2: airplane he had crashed landed twice before. 306 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 7: Okay, so it wasn't the exact plane, but the kind 307 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 7: of plane, a Douglas DC three, which back in the 308 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 7: thirties and forties was a pretty revolutionary plane. Frank Atkinson, 309 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 7: the pilot, was used to flying and crash landing the 310 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:08,040 Speaker 7: DC three. 311 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 3: So he thought he could land that plane again, and 312 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:12,919 Speaker 3: he might have been able to if all that was 313 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:14,679 Speaker 3: wrong was a plane malfunction. 314 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 12: But plane wing broke off and it started spinning out 315 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 12: of control and throwing people out. So we're here, we 316 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:31,400 Speaker 12: are here. 317 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:41,680 Speaker 3: We're going through a barbarie fence. I'm so short it 318 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:42,719 Speaker 3: fair works. 319 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:46,400 Speaker 12: This is the actual crash site, and this was where 320 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,880 Speaker 12: the main bodies were at and dead people were everywhere 321 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 12: right where we're standing. 322 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 3: Larry wasn't born when the plane crushed, but growing up 323 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,400 Speaker 3: he heard stories about that day and about how his 324 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:00,119 Speaker 3: family raced to the scene to help in any way 325 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 3: they could. 326 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 7: Larry's mom and his aunt June were little girls at 327 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 7: the time. His aunt June was nine years old when 328 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 7: she saw the wreckage and is the only surviving witness 329 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 7: in Larry's family. 330 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:11,960 Speaker 2: June was stunning, you know, not too far off here 331 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 2: looking at and eye witnessing all this. 332 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:16,360 Speaker 3: June is in her eighties now and remembers it all 333 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,760 Speaker 3: in very graphic detail. So we called her at her 334 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 3: home in North Carolina to get an account of what happened. 335 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 5: We saw bushes with brains hanging on it, and my 336 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 5: thoughts then, as a little girl, that looks like decorating 337 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:35,480 Speaker 5: a Christmas tree. It was just all over with these brains. 338 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:38,880 Speaker 3: At the time, June didn't realize the impact this would 339 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,560 Speaker 3: have on her beyond the trauma of witnessing a crash. 340 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,640 Speaker 7: Do you remember as you got older learning more about it. 341 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 5: I do remember, because my mother was following it in 342 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:53,399 Speaker 5: the papers, and I remember her shortly after that saying, 343 00:18:53,960 --> 00:19:00,239 Speaker 5: this has become an international incident because they've buried all 344 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:05,400 Speaker 5: of these people together in the mass grave. Then that 345 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:10,679 Speaker 5: really occurred to me, how really terrible that was, that 346 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:15,880 Speaker 5: they were just demeaning these people because they weren't us 347 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,640 Speaker 5: by leaving their name off. I finally came to see 348 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 5: what an insult it was. 349 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:26,120 Speaker 7: Tim also felt like the twenty eight people who died 350 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:29,520 Speaker 7: that day were not treated humanly or equal to the 351 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 7: families of the American passengers. 352 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,679 Speaker 3: So he wanted to right that wrong. Tim felt that 353 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 3: these brascados were sort of invisible in life and then 354 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,359 Speaker 3: in death they weren't even given a name. 355 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:43,920 Speaker 2: And some big dream I might have in the future, 356 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 2: maybe put us some kind of a headstone marker with 357 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 2: their names on it. 358 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,240 Speaker 7: So first he went to the cemetery in Fresno where 359 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,879 Speaker 7: the mass grave is. He wanted to see the plot, 360 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 7: so we asked Carlos Rascone, the cemetery director, to show him. 361 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 3: After they walked over and saw the tiny plaque and 362 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,440 Speaker 3: the the act of the cemetery that read twenty eight 363 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 3: Mexican citizens, Tim asked Carlos to see the cemetery's ledger 364 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 3: of names. Surely the cemetery would have a record of 365 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:11,760 Speaker 3: who was buried there, right, But. 366 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:14,600 Speaker 7: When Carlos pulled it out of the archives. 367 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 13: So it just said on Mexican nationals twenty eight times. 368 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:25,440 Speaker 3: At this point, Carlos also wanted to find their names. 369 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:28,240 Speaker 3: He wanted to know who was buried in his cemetery. 370 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,560 Speaker 3: So Carlos joined Tim on his search, which led them 371 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,400 Speaker 3: to one more place, the Hall of Records in Fresno. 372 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:38,119 Speaker 3: That's the place that keeps all birth and death certificates. 373 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 7: And it was there that they were finally able to 374 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:42,560 Speaker 7: get a list of names. 375 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:47,880 Speaker 3: But they quickly realized that list was unreliable. In Mexico, 376 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 3: you usually have two last names, you're a maternal last 377 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:53,479 Speaker 3: name and paternal last name, and so many of them 378 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 3: were treated as first names. There was somebody with the 379 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 3: last name Lada that was turning to a woman named Laura, 380 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:02,120 Speaker 3: and many of the names in Spanish were turned into 381 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:03,200 Speaker 3: Italian names. 382 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:05,440 Speaker 7: So they knew right away this list was botched. 383 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 13: The fact that there were misspelled it kind of maybe 384 00:21:08,359 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 13: shows a little bit of who might have been behind 385 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 13: the pin or the books. 386 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 7: Sure enough, there had always been a list with the names, 387 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,400 Speaker 7: but why didn't it make it to the cemetery. 388 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,160 Speaker 13: I would think that It's just it was a very 389 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:23,879 Speaker 13: sad oversight, I would say. 390 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 3: So there they were with an actual list of names 391 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 3: in their hands for the first time, and it was wrong. 392 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 7: But then Carlos remembered that every November, on the day 393 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:40,239 Speaker 7: of the dead, someone came by to leave flowers at 394 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:44,719 Speaker 7: the mass grave. Someone was visiting a loved one. This 395 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 7: was Tim's first real clue that these people were not 396 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 7: totally forgotten. 397 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:53,439 Speaker 3: He wanted to find who that person was, so Tim 398 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 3: put out a call on the local paper in Fresno 399 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 3: that said, if you or someone you know is related 400 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:01,960 Speaker 3: to any of the two twenty eight Mexican passengers who 401 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 3: died in that plane crash in nineteen forty eight, contact me. 402 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:10,439 Speaker 3: And someone did. That's coming up after the break. 403 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:23,080 Speaker 7: Hey, we're back. 404 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:25,679 Speaker 3: Before the break, Tim r Nandez had put out a 405 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,639 Speaker 3: call in the Fresno newspaper asking to hear from family 406 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,600 Speaker 3: members of the Mexican passengers who died in the plane crash, 407 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,840 Speaker 3: passengers whose bodies had been buried in a mass grave 408 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,320 Speaker 3: under a plaque that read twenty eight Mexican citizens. 409 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:40,639 Speaker 7: And not long after Tim put out the call he 410 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:41,480 Speaker 7: got a response. 411 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:45,880 Speaker 6: Someone gave me a newspaper and said, look, they're talking 412 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 6: about your grandpa's blank crush. 413 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,000 Speaker 3: This is Jim Ramirez. We met him in Fresno with Tim, and. 414 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 6: I started reading it isn't I and I got my 415 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 6: computer in his start. 416 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,240 Speaker 3: Jimi went to his computer and started writing Tim an email. 417 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 3: He wrote in Spanish, I know about the accident because 418 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:05,679 Speaker 3: that's where my maternal grandfather named Ramon Parets and my 419 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:09,800 Speaker 3: uncle while Lupe Ramires Lada were killed. Jime then included 420 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 3: his address. 421 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,680 Speaker 7: My phone number and ended with if you need information, 422 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 7: just let me. 423 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 6: Know anything that you want to know. 424 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:18,159 Speaker 3: Just yeah, what do you need to know? 425 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:20,840 Speaker 2: I'm right here, I was like, And so that was 426 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 2: really hopeful. Your email, as short as it was and 427 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 2: as quick as it was, it had so much hope 428 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:26,280 Speaker 2: inside of it, and so I was excited to meet 429 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:27,399 Speaker 2: you right away. Yeah. 430 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 7: And not only is Hime a surviving family member, but 431 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,160 Speaker 7: Tim didn't have to go to Mexico. Jime was right 432 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:35,160 Speaker 7: there in Fresno. 433 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 3: Jime owns a restaurant called Olifrijole, and everyone in Presno 434 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 3: knows the restaurant. Most of the employees there are related 435 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:43,919 Speaker 3: to Hime, and they are descendants of two of the 436 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:46,439 Speaker 3: passengers from the plane crash, his uncle and his grandpa. 437 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,200 Speaker 2: So when he first told me that that was his restaurant, 438 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:50,919 Speaker 2: I said, no, I said, you're kidding, because I've been 439 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 2: there since I was a kid. You know, I've been 440 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 2: going there. I'm sure I've seen you before, and that's 441 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:57,400 Speaker 2: my restaurant. And I said it's legendary, and he said, yeah, 442 00:23:57,400 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 2: it is. You were looking for. 443 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:00,159 Speaker 3: Now and I was right there. 444 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,120 Speaker 7: And Hime was there all along in more than one way. 445 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:07,919 Speaker 3: Remember the flowers that someone was putting on the mass 446 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:09,680 Speaker 3: grave on the other Los Mortos, and. 447 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 2: I said, wow, you know, I wonder who that person is. 448 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:13,439 Speaker 2: Later on I would learn that. 449 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 6: It was yes, sy Wassin Salinas. 450 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 3: It was him. He's the one that was putting flowers 451 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,000 Speaker 3: on the grave. He was Tim's first found family member. 452 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,200 Speaker 3: And turns out he was also Tim's golden ticket. 453 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 6: The newspaper my grandmother kept, and I kept it. 454 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 3: I don't know why. So here's what happened. Not long 455 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:43,720 Speaker 3: after the crash, in nineteen forty eight, a small Spanish 456 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:48,159 Speaker 3: language newspaper published an article that listed every passenger with 457 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:50,400 Speaker 3: the correct spelling of both. 458 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:54,240 Speaker 6: Last names, and he had all the names and where 459 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 6: they were from in Mexico, did little towns. 460 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:02,360 Speaker 7: This was it. Years of searching and Tim finally had 461 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:06,240 Speaker 7: their names. 462 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 3: Independent newspaper in Faro, very old. It looks like it's 463 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 3: a front page, right, Yeah, it is. 464 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:15,119 Speaker 2: It is the front page. 465 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, so it's a front page. And in the front 466 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:23,159 Speaker 3: page you have the two photos of a priest looking 467 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:26,640 Speaker 3: over the bodies for the funeral service. On the right 468 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,200 Speaker 3: side is the column that has all of the names 469 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 3: first last name, where they're from, the names of their 470 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:40,200 Speaker 3: parents or wives, if they knew them. Kelli hues Par. Wow, 471 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,240 Speaker 3: I'm going to try to translate that as beautifully as 472 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,560 Speaker 3: it is written in Spanish. On Saturday, the thirty first 473 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,840 Speaker 3: of January that just passed, there was a funeral for 474 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 3: the twenty eight compatriots that were chosen by destiny to 475 00:25:55,240 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 3: perish in an unfortunate accident near Collinga, California. Like just 476 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 3: the way that this is written is super like old newspaper. 477 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:09,000 Speaker 2: Very poetic, poetic. It's very poetic. In fact, even the 478 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:10,680 Speaker 2: biblical sort of Seeing. 479 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:13,200 Speaker 7: How the Spanish language paper wrote about the twenty eight 480 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:16,960 Speaker 7: Mexican victims made it even more clear just how differently 481 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 7: their deaths were treated and how their remains were handled. 482 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 3: Twenty eight families without closure, without being able to have 483 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 3: a physical place to mourn. And although yes, most of 484 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:30,960 Speaker 3: the families knew how their sons, brothers and husbands had died, 485 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:33,800 Speaker 3: they didn't get to have a funeral or a place 486 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 3: to visit their loved one. Lay flowers, just grieve and 487 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,879 Speaker 3: as any cemetery director would know. Godlos says, there is 488 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,240 Speaker 3: an importance to being able to visit someone's grave. 489 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,159 Speaker 13: It's just a sense of emptiness, like wait a minute, 490 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 13: you know it's not just some John Doe that got 491 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 13: you know, no family indigen nobody knows there was information, 492 00:26:58,040 --> 00:26:59,720 Speaker 13: and so I left kind of a blank there, like 493 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 13: eight a minute now. 494 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 3: So now with the full names spelled correctly, Tim, Carlos 495 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,880 Speaker 3: and Jaime could start the process of making a proper 496 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:12,760 Speaker 3: headstone with all the names on. 497 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:16,200 Speaker 7: It, and they would also travel to Mexico to try 498 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 7: and find other families. Tim wanted to tell them that 499 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:22,440 Speaker 7: their loved ones were no longer in a nameless mass grave. 500 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 3: So the first family Tim wanted to meet was Jimes. Remember, 501 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:29,480 Speaker 3: both his grandfather and great uncle died in the crash. 502 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:32,000 Speaker 3: So Tim and Jim got on a plane and flew 503 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 3: to Juanajuato in central Mexico. They were there on the 504 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:36,800 Speaker 3: sixty seventh anniversary of the crash. 505 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:38,520 Speaker 2: I don't want. 506 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:42,159 Speaker 7: To Jim set up a meeting with his family, and 507 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 7: right at ten forty am, the time when the plane crashed, 508 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:46,640 Speaker 7: they had a moment of silence. 509 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:55,040 Speaker 3: During the trip, Jaime told Tim a little more about 510 00:27:55,040 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 3: his grandfather and great uncle. Guadalupe and grew up in 511 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 3: charcole Panto, a farming community into when they got older, 512 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 3: they both owned land and farm garbanzo beans wheat in alfalfa. 513 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:11,399 Speaker 7: But their towns struggled to get an irrigation system in place. 514 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 7: They didn't have the money to get it set up. 515 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 7: That's when the idea to go work in the fields 516 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:17,360 Speaker 7: in California came up. 517 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 3: So they both went back and forth working as braseros 518 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:21,760 Speaker 3: and bringing money back to their town. 519 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:24,880 Speaker 7: Do you remember stories growing up about them. 520 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:46,720 Speaker 6: Yeah, it's my mitioos. 521 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:42,000 Speaker 3: Dongle liked horse riding into just like shoot a bullets 522 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 3: in there. 523 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 6: Oh, yellows is. 524 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:53,160 Speaker 3: His uncle was so blonde that they call them corn 525 00:28:53,240 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 3: hair like pelos. Jime's family is split between Fresno, California 526 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 3: and Juanajuado, and these are the types of stories that 527 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 3: have been keeping his grandfather alive in Jime's memory. So 528 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:14,320 Speaker 3: for him to tell his family, his mother mostly that 529 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:18,240 Speaker 3: her father would no longer be buried under a nameless headstone, 530 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:21,400 Speaker 3: it was life changing. Now we know who the people are. 531 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 2: Now, we know who their lives are, who their family are, 532 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:26,400 Speaker 2: we know how they how they are in its community. 533 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 3: So on September second, twenty thirteen, the new headstone was 534 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 3: unveiled in the cemetery. These Braseros, who were once invisible 535 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 3: and forgotten under a mass grave, had their names on 536 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 3: a big, beautiful marble headstone. 537 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 6: Miguel Negrete, Alvarez, Francisco Yamas, Duran, Santiago Garcia, Alixandro Rossalio, 538 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:54,800 Speaker 6: Padi Estra, Nabe Lopez Garcia, Ramon pre Mas, Avigna de Gracia, 539 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 6: Lupe Ramirez, Las. 540 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 2: Several, Medina Lara. 541 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:00,120 Speaker 7: In this moment of having these names carved in to 542 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:04,280 Speaker 7: stone forever, this is what Tim and Jime wanted for years. 543 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:10,320 Speaker 6: Manuel Calderon, Mari Luiz Cuevas, Miranda Martin, Rasso, Navarnacio, Perez Navarro, 544 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 6: Romano Too, Ramirez, Placentia, Alberto Carlos, Ronandez Rodrigu, Maria Santana, 545 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 6: Rodriguez One, Valenzuela Luis when says Lao flores Sevalivia, sanchezs Santos. 546 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:37,000 Speaker 2: Around the edges of the headstone are thirty two leaves 547 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:39,000 Speaker 2: for the song that says, who are these friends all? 548 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 3: Scattered? 549 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:42,200 Speaker 7: Like dry leaves, which brings us back to the song. 550 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:46,400 Speaker 5: Who are all these friends now? 551 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 8: Scattered? 552 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:51,280 Speaker 7: Folk musician Pete Seeger, just like Tim, was always curious 553 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 7: about his friend woundy Ga Thrie's inspiration for the poem. 554 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,520 Speaker 7: When Tim was working on this back in twenty thirteen, 555 00:30:58,080 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 7: Pete actually gave him a call. 556 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:07,080 Speaker 10: Seek trying to get a message to Kim there, I'd 557 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 10: like to talk to you. 558 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 7: Pete also wanted to know who were these people, and 559 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 7: Tim had the answer, do you ever. 560 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 2: Think, Pete, you know singing that song at any point 561 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 2: that maybe someday someone would answer the answer that who 562 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:21,360 Speaker 2: are these friends? 563 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:23,800 Speaker 11: No? 564 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 2: And you took it on as a job that God 565 00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 2: would want done. 566 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 7: Tim wound up meeting Pete in person, where he told 567 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:37,480 Speaker 7: him the names of the twenty eight passengers, and then 568 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:41,360 Speaker 7: in commemoration, Pete played deporte playing rec at los. 569 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:49,480 Speaker 8: Catos, Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye. Also liita ah do you. 570 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:53,680 Speaker 5: Mis Jesus. 571 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 7: Tim wouldn't know it, but this would be the last 572 00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 7: time Pete would sing the song when he died a 573 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 7: few months later. 574 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:03,960 Speaker 6: Oh We'll call. 575 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 4: You Woopy. 576 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 3: Deep and those friends who were scattered like dry leaves 577 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,280 Speaker 3: had all been memorialized together. In the end, the headstone 578 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:23,920 Speaker 3: also included the names of the four American crew members, because, 579 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,920 Speaker 3: as Tim saw it, leaving them out would be perpetuating 580 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,800 Speaker 3: the same kind of omission, that erasure that started all 581 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 3: of this in the first place. 582 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:34,120 Speaker 7: And since Tim had been in touch with the American 583 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:36,720 Speaker 7: families for a while, they were able to travel to 584 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 7: Fresno and attend the ceremony at Holy Cross Cemetery. 585 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,480 Speaker 3: Jime was there too, and at one point a brown 586 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:47,360 Speaker 3: suv pulled up and Jime's brother Guillemo got out. He 587 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:50,240 Speaker 3: opened the door and helped his seventy seven year old mother, 588 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:54,520 Speaker 3: Garitina Parretes Murrillo, step out. She was a kid when 589 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 3: her father died in the crash. 590 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:01,840 Speaker 6: My mother also, I think she said that she felt 591 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:06,840 Speaker 6: like she was in the actual burying ceremony. 592 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 3: Oh, because she never got to do an actual funeral, 593 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 3: So for her this was really the first, as if 594 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:16,400 Speaker 3: it was happening decades ago. 595 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:20,480 Speaker 6: Yes, she felt like that, like she was burying her father. 596 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 7: And when you're standing here right now, what are you 597 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:25,240 Speaker 7: thinking about? 598 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:36,719 Speaker 6: More content? More content to become Poor Celestan i Nadi. 599 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 3: He's happy that there's recognition and honoring of them finally 600 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:44,240 Speaker 3: in this community, at least, because they didn't really get 601 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:51,320 Speaker 3: any recognition or anything anywhere else. They were in darkness. 602 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:54,280 Speaker 3: You could say, in the in the shadows. 603 00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:57,880 Speaker 6: Yes, in the shadows, and I'll never forget. 604 00:33:57,920 --> 00:33:59,840 Speaker 2: When we asked her, and how do you feel, Kattina, 605 00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:02,400 Speaker 2: and she said, well, I'm crying and I don't know 606 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:04,640 Speaker 2: if they're tears of joy or tears of pain, you know. 607 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,080 Speaker 3: After hearing the Deep or Tees song play a few 608 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 3: times during the ceremony, the Ramidez family requested that Mariacci's 609 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:33,759 Speaker 3: play Mexico and the song lyrics say my dear and 610 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:37,479 Speaker 3: beautiful Mexico. If I die far away from you, say 611 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:53,359 Speaker 3: that I'm sleeping so they can bring me back to you. 612 00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:06,920 Speaker 3: After meeting with Jime's family, Tim continued traveling in Mexico 613 00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:10,040 Speaker 3: in the US trying to answer what we Gotri's question, who 614 00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:13,160 Speaker 3: are these friends? As of today, Tim has been able 615 00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:16,040 Speaker 3: to connect with the relatives of eight of the twenty 616 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:18,600 Speaker 3: eight Mexican passengers, so he's still searching. 617 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:24,080 Speaker 14: As a chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, I 618 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:29,440 Speaker 14: rise to recognize a tragic incident that occurred seventy years Last. 619 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:32,400 Speaker 3: Year, on the seventieth anniversary of the crash, the California 620 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:35,920 Speaker 3: State Senate held an emotional ceremony where for the first 621 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:39,840 Speaker 3: time in history, they recognized the twenty eight Mexican victims 622 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:43,240 Speaker 3: of the plane crash. Senator Benusso stood next to Jime 623 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,120 Speaker 3: and other surviving family members as they held photos of 624 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 3: their relatives, and the Senate didn't forget to honor the 625 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:52,040 Speaker 3: man who spent seven years of his life making this 626 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:52,960 Speaker 3: all possible. 627 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 14: Tim Hernandez did the work that the government should have done, 628 00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 14: but seventy years later, they will be remembered as a 629 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:03,400 Speaker 14: valued part of the history of our state. 630 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:20,280 Speaker 3: What you just heard was the story that we first 631 00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:24,560 Speaker 3: aired on Latino USA in twenty eighteen. I'm Fernande Chavari 632 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,920 Speaker 3: and I'm back now with Tim Ernandez for updates on 633 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:31,319 Speaker 3: what's happened since. So from what you've sent me over 634 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 3: email recently, it looks like some things have happened since 635 00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:37,359 Speaker 3: we air that story, and some of the things were 636 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:39,440 Speaker 3: directly related to us airing that story. 637 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:39,920 Speaker 5: Is that right? 638 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:43,360 Speaker 2: Absolutely? Yeah, it was partly in due thanks to the 639 00:36:43,360 --> 00:36:45,080 Speaker 2: story that you all aired that I was able to 640 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:47,960 Speaker 2: find for me one of the most important I think 641 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:51,200 Speaker 2: in passengers on that airplane, which is the only female 642 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:55,280 Speaker 2: Mexican passenger, Madia Rodriguez Santana who was the first passenger. 643 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,880 Speaker 2: I started to look for her family. I started to 644 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:01,319 Speaker 2: look for the Rodriguez family since early twenty eleven. My 645 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:04,520 Speaker 2: rationale was the reason why I'm looking for this person 646 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:08,359 Speaker 2: first is because in an airplane full of all men, 647 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 2: I thought she would stand out. She'd be the easiest, 648 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:13,239 Speaker 2: probably the first one I could locate. So I was 649 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:15,759 Speaker 2: going to look for the female Mexican passenger. Makes sense 650 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:17,080 Speaker 2: for the Yeah, it does. 651 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:17,480 Speaker 9: Yeah. 652 00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:19,160 Speaker 2: And so after the first you know, year or two, 653 00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:21,279 Speaker 2: I just I couldn't find any information. So I sort 654 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:24,560 Speaker 2: of gave up on her. But it wasn't until our 655 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:28,240 Speaker 2: first interview aired that a ethnic studies high school teacher 656 00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:31,960 Speaker 2: contacted me and said, hey, that's my aunt Maria. 657 00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:35,480 Speaker 3: That ethnic studies teacher was Mike Rodriguez. 658 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:37,880 Speaker 4: I live in Orange County, and I grew up in 659 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,160 Speaker 4: Los Angeles and I live in Orange County with my 660 00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 4: wife and my two kids. I've been a teacher of 661 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:46,200 Speaker 4: nineteen years in Los Angeles and here in Orange County 662 00:37:46,239 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 4: as well. You know, I'm a huge fan of Latino USA. 663 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:56,040 Speaker 3: And there's this moment that really changed Mike's life. 664 00:37:56,120 --> 00:37:57,600 Speaker 4: I woke up one morning, I think it was a 665 00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:00,360 Speaker 4: Sunday morning, and I was having my morning couple coffee 666 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:02,840 Speaker 4: at the table, and I was just on my phone, 667 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 4: just kind of scrolling through Twitter, just kind of, you know, 668 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,600 Speaker 4: picking up what was happening in the day's events, and 669 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 4: I came across this story right of a plane crash. 670 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:16,120 Speaker 4: And when I saw that, it just it automatically clicked 671 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:18,279 Speaker 4: in my mind. I said, wow, you know what, there's 672 00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:20,760 Speaker 4: a story in our family of a plane crash. 673 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:22,400 Speaker 3: It was a story that he had heard in his 674 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:26,200 Speaker 3: family before, so he kept reading the Latino USA social 675 00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:27,160 Speaker 3: media post. 676 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:29,279 Speaker 4: And then I read about the story and how it 677 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:32,280 Speaker 4: was actually people that were being deported twenty eight Mexican 678 00:38:32,719 --> 00:38:37,480 Speaker 4: migrants being deported from Oakland to Mexico. And so I 679 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:39,680 Speaker 4: had heard the story of a plane crash, but I 680 00:38:39,719 --> 00:38:42,520 Speaker 4: had never heard a story about anybody being deported in 681 00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:45,680 Speaker 4: our family. So I messaged Latino USA on Twitter. I said, 682 00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:47,239 Speaker 4: is there a list of the names where I can 683 00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:49,239 Speaker 4: find them? And they said yeah, I just go to 684 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:51,200 Speaker 4: the bottom of the articles. I was like, all right, cool, cool, cool, 685 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:52,680 Speaker 4: So I'll scroll down to the bottom of the article 686 00:38:52,719 --> 00:38:55,040 Speaker 4: and I saw the list of all of the names 687 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:57,759 Speaker 4: of the people who passed that day and then I 688 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:01,400 Speaker 4: all of a sudden, I see it Maria Riguez Santana, 689 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:03,479 Speaker 4: and I said, wow, that's our name. 690 00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:09,359 Speaker 3: Then Mike texted the unofficial family historian, Histio Gonzalo, and 691 00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:14,800 Speaker 3: Dio Gonzalo confirmed it was their relative. So Mike wanted 692 00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:17,440 Speaker 3: to learn more, so he sent Tim an email. 693 00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:20,360 Speaker 4: All I do remember is saying that I read about 694 00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,840 Speaker 4: your story and about your book from Latino, USA, and 695 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:26,560 Speaker 4: I wanted to let you know that that was our 696 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:30,279 Speaker 4: Dia Marian that you wrote about in the plane crash, you. 697 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:32,880 Speaker 2: Know, behind my desk doing my work one morning, I 698 00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:35,960 Speaker 2: see an email come up and it says something to 699 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:38,680 Speaker 2: the effect of mister Hernani's my name is Mike Rodriguez 700 00:39:38,760 --> 00:39:41,920 Speaker 2: the third, and I heard your interview and I'd love 701 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:43,759 Speaker 2: to talk with you. And also my family wants to 702 00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:46,000 Speaker 2: thank you for putting the headstone up and finding the 703 00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:47,200 Speaker 2: names and all of that right. 704 00:39:47,440 --> 00:39:49,520 Speaker 4: And so it just kind of began this journey, right, 705 00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:52,799 Speaker 4: this journey of uncovering right for all of us, because 706 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:55,880 Speaker 4: then it's like, what else don't we know about our family. 707 00:39:56,400 --> 00:40:00,080 Speaker 3: Tim knew that this journey with Mike was just getting started. 708 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:02,759 Speaker 2: Whenever I receive it on my end an email like that, 709 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,080 Speaker 2: I just I look at it and my first thought is, Oh, 710 00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:07,200 Speaker 2: this person's going to be in my life for a 711 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:11,120 Speaker 2: long time, and they don't realize that yet. Because because 712 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:13,759 Speaker 2: this has been a year's long project today it's going 713 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,960 Speaker 2: on fifteen years. I've been searching, still looking for families, 714 00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:20,360 Speaker 2: interviewing families. Wow, I interview them over a period of years, 715 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:22,719 Speaker 2: because we start to really dig deeper into who they were, 716 00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:25,319 Speaker 2: who these passengers were. That's the goal here, is to 717 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:27,160 Speaker 2: find out who they were and what their families are 718 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:28,560 Speaker 2: doing today in the United States. 719 00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:32,600 Speaker 3: Tim and Mike have remained close friends ever since that email. 720 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:35,480 Speaker 4: He's like my brother from another mother, you know what 721 00:40:35,480 --> 00:40:37,560 Speaker 4: I'm saying. Like, you know, we have a lot in 722 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:41,319 Speaker 4: comment and both of us are interested in telling these 723 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:42,520 Speaker 4: stories that are untold. 724 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:51,640 Speaker 3: Tim, I'm wondering if, besides this update of someone listening 725 00:40:51,719 --> 00:40:54,080 Speaker 3: to the story that we did, contacting you and saying, hey, 726 00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:56,920 Speaker 3: that was my relative, anything else that has happened that 727 00:40:56,960 --> 00:40:58,920 Speaker 3: you want to share with us. I mean, this enough 728 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,719 Speaker 3: is a pretty big deal, But wondering if you've been 729 00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:02,799 Speaker 3: able to find any other families or if anything else 730 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:05,680 Speaker 3: has happened since we last aired the story. 731 00:41:05,960 --> 00:41:08,839 Speaker 2: In twenty twenty four. Last year, in fall, I wrote 732 00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:11,640 Speaker 2: a second book title they Call You Back to continue 733 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:13,400 Speaker 2: the story. That wasn't the intention when you and I 734 00:41:13,440 --> 00:41:16,399 Speaker 2: met eight year seven, eight years ago. I literally thought, Okay, 735 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:18,040 Speaker 2: it's just just one book and I'm done. I will 736 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:21,200 Speaker 2: keep collecting the stories and for posterity and history's sake. 737 00:41:21,719 --> 00:41:24,479 Speaker 2: But what I didn't realize even the stories after that book, 738 00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:26,799 Speaker 2: first book came out, the stories were so profound in 739 00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:29,840 Speaker 2: the families I could tell really needed to tell this story. 740 00:41:30,239 --> 00:41:34,480 Speaker 2: And since that time when the interview aired, I found 741 00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:37,400 Speaker 2: a seven more families, so now fifteen of the families, 742 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:39,040 Speaker 2: and so I decided to write a second book, and 743 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:41,520 Speaker 2: that's what the title is. They call you Back, because 744 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:43,000 Speaker 2: they do. I thought I was done, and they kept 745 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:46,319 Speaker 2: calling me back to the story. So that's happened. And 746 00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:48,960 Speaker 2: you know, really grateful that we've been able to capture 747 00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:52,200 Speaker 2: all this on footage and interviews and audio recordings, and 748 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:54,400 Speaker 2: we've just really done a great job of documenting this 749 00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:57,560 Speaker 2: entire search since day one. And so I'm really excited 750 00:41:57,640 --> 00:41:59,640 Speaker 2: about all the things that we've been doing with this 751 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:02,040 Speaker 2: story and hoping to get this story out as far 752 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:04,399 Speaker 2: as we can, because at this time, this moment in time, 753 00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:09,759 Speaker 2: I think these stories are so critical. It's important for 754 00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:13,759 Speaker 2: us to look back at history to understand the lasting 755 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:19,320 Speaker 2: impact of deportations over generations, because that's what this story 756 00:42:19,320 --> 00:42:21,919 Speaker 2: allows us to do. Glimpse back and to see how 757 00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:25,239 Speaker 2: many generations, three or four generations down the line, that 758 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:30,600 Speaker 2: this single incident, this single dehumanization with regards to a 759 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:33,719 Speaker 2: group of Mexicans being deported, how that has played out, 760 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:37,200 Speaker 2: and all these families' lives over three generations at this point, 761 00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:40,400 Speaker 2: people who are now here in this country doing wonderful 762 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:45,560 Speaker 2: things as American citizens, teachers, flight attendants, doctors, restaurant owners. 763 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:48,760 Speaker 2: They're all here in this country legally doing amazing things 764 00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:51,879 Speaker 2: for this country, contributed in a way that is I think, 765 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:54,360 Speaker 2: just integral to who we are as a country. This 766 00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:55,399 Speaker 2: story has that. 767 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:59,520 Speaker 3: Power, a sentiment that Mike also shares. 768 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:03,640 Speaker 4: Important story to tell, especially seeing what's happening today with 769 00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:07,080 Speaker 4: migrants in our community and right here in Orange County, 770 00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:10,879 Speaker 4: and what's happening to the families of my students. Why 771 00:43:10,880 --> 00:43:13,960 Speaker 4: are my students' families calling in saying that we want 772 00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:15,719 Speaker 4: our kids to go virtual for the last week of 773 00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:17,960 Speaker 4: summer school. You know why, because they can't be out 774 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:20,879 Speaker 4: right now because you know they're being hunted down by 775 00:43:20,920 --> 00:43:25,640 Speaker 4: federal agents. And so it's that feeling of like dehumanization, right, 776 00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:28,319 Speaker 4: That's what my family felt. That's seventy five years ago. 777 00:43:28,719 --> 00:43:32,560 Speaker 3: There's a lack of respect in life that translated to 778 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:35,280 Speaker 3: a lack of respect and a lack of dignity exactly 779 00:43:35,360 --> 00:43:36,840 Speaker 3: in death. It seems very. 780 00:43:36,719 --> 00:43:38,960 Speaker 9: Parallel, exactly exactly. 781 00:43:43,239 --> 00:43:47,759 Speaker 3: From what I hear there now is a new memorial 782 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:50,920 Speaker 3: marker at the crash site. Because I remember, other than 783 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:53,680 Speaker 3: you and Larry, who we hear from in the story, 784 00:43:53,719 --> 00:43:55,640 Speaker 3: other than the two of you telling us this is 785 00:43:55,640 --> 00:43:58,200 Speaker 3: where the crash happened, there was no marker whatsoever that 786 00:43:58,280 --> 00:44:02,400 Speaker 3: signified that. So tell me more about how that memorial 787 00:44:02,440 --> 00:44:03,240 Speaker 3: marker came about. 788 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:05,880 Speaker 2: Yes, that's such an important part of the story to me. 789 00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:08,440 Speaker 2: It feels like the book end of the story. Because 790 00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:11,360 Speaker 2: we had the headstone that we installed at the cemetery 791 00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:14,480 Speaker 2: in twenty thirteen with all the names finally, and the 792 00:44:14,520 --> 00:44:16,640 Speaker 2: one thing that we didn't have was this memorial marker 793 00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:20,280 Speaker 2: at the crash site itself. And people because of the song, 794 00:44:20,440 --> 00:44:23,719 Speaker 2: people have come from all over the world looking for 795 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:26,560 Speaker 2: the crash site, sort of making pilgrimages to the crash site, 796 00:44:26,560 --> 00:44:28,759 Speaker 2: but not knowing exactly where the plane crash. So it's 797 00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:31,440 Speaker 2: always been sort of important and for us one of 798 00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:33,719 Speaker 2: the plans we've had since the beginning of it all. 799 00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:36,239 Speaker 2: And I say we, I mean myself and the community 800 00:44:36,239 --> 00:44:38,400 Speaker 2: there and LOSC got those canyon and the families that 801 00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:42,280 Speaker 2: this affected. So we had over the years made attempts 802 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:45,760 Speaker 2: to talk to the historical marker, the organization, the entity 803 00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:48,600 Speaker 2: that that helps us put those things together, and we 804 00:44:48,719 --> 00:44:50,200 Speaker 2: just sort of it just kind of you know, they're 805 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:52,720 Speaker 2: with the red tape and everything. Things are lingered and lingered, 806 00:44:52,719 --> 00:44:55,759 Speaker 2: and nothing ever came of it. So finally it was 807 00:44:55,800 --> 00:44:59,200 Speaker 2: a residence of Los Gootto's Canyon. The farmers who still 808 00:44:59,239 --> 00:45:01,880 Speaker 2: own the rancher I should say, who still own property 809 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:04,040 Speaker 2: up in the canyon. People who've been up there for 810 00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:07,440 Speaker 2: generations and have heard of the crash and knew of it, 811 00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:11,799 Speaker 2: got together themselves and decided we're not going to wait 812 00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:14,840 Speaker 2: for any institution or organization or whatever the government to 813 00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:16,920 Speaker 2: come and decide and help us put this together. We're 814 00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:19,160 Speaker 2: going to do it ourselves. So they got a piece 815 00:45:19,160 --> 00:45:21,560 Speaker 2: of property right across the street from the crash site, 816 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:24,359 Speaker 2: and on their own raise the money, put their own 817 00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:28,799 Speaker 2: money into it, and with their own hands created this 818 00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:32,400 Speaker 2: beautiful memorial out of stones lifted out of the canyon itself. 819 00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:36,239 Speaker 2: And so that memorial is there now today, and it 820 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:38,719 Speaker 2: has the names again of all the passengers who perish there. 821 00:45:38,719 --> 00:45:40,160 Speaker 2: It has a little bit of the history, it has 822 00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:42,520 Speaker 2: a quote by Woody Guthrie, it has a quote from 823 00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:45,200 Speaker 2: my book is they just did a beautiful job of 824 00:45:45,239 --> 00:45:47,920 Speaker 2: putting it there on the roadside. So now anytime you 825 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:50,520 Speaker 2: drive up into Loscoto's Canyon, you can't miss the site. 826 00:45:50,520 --> 00:45:53,600 Speaker 2: Now it's this beautiful memorial. And in September of last year, 827 00:45:53,600 --> 00:45:56,800 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty four, myself with all of the families 828 00:45:56,800 --> 00:45:59,879 Speaker 2: of losc Goatto's Canyon, we all went out there and sell, 829 00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:02,920 Speaker 2: raided and unveiled the memorial. I tried to invite all 830 00:46:02,920 --> 00:46:05,120 Speaker 2: the families I could from that I have found till 831 00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:08,080 Speaker 2: then all fifteen of them, and also to the help 832 00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:11,759 Speaker 2: of Witty Guthrie's family, his family also said we'd like 833 00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:13,799 Speaker 2: to help you get the families there. What can we do? 834 00:46:13,840 --> 00:46:16,480 Speaker 2: And they actually supported the family's flights and tickets and 835 00:46:16,520 --> 00:46:17,919 Speaker 2: gas and things like that to get there. 836 00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:18,680 Speaker 15: That's amazing. 837 00:46:18,719 --> 00:46:20,960 Speaker 2: The Whitty Guthrie family did that. And then they had 838 00:46:21,120 --> 00:46:24,040 Speaker 2: Whitty Guthrie's grandson, Damon Guthrie come out there and he 839 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:26,880 Speaker 2: spoke on behalf of Witty Guthrie there at the canyon. 840 00:46:28,280 --> 00:46:28,919 Speaker 13: It was just a. 841 00:46:28,800 --> 00:46:33,040 Speaker 2: Powerful moment, and everyone was there, and some of the 842 00:46:33,040 --> 00:46:35,000 Speaker 2: families did end up making it. I'd say about half 843 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:36,839 Speaker 2: of the families were out there. It's just a very 844 00:46:36,840 --> 00:46:40,080 Speaker 2: powerful moment. It did feel like a closure. And I 845 00:46:40,120 --> 00:46:43,000 Speaker 2: asked one of the families that morning. I said, the 846 00:46:43,040 --> 00:46:46,040 Speaker 2: family of passenger Alberto Carlos Ragosa. I asked her name 847 00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:47,320 Speaker 2: is Maria, and I said. I looked at her and 848 00:46:47,320 --> 00:46:49,720 Speaker 2: I said, Maria, does this finally feel like a closure 849 00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:53,160 Speaker 2: for your family? And she looked at me and she said, actually, 850 00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:55,800 Speaker 2: it doesn't feel like a closure. It feels like an opening, 851 00:46:56,360 --> 00:47:00,520 Speaker 2: a time for a new day for our family. We 852 00:47:00,560 --> 00:47:02,759 Speaker 2: can now let that pass go and move forward into 853 00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:04,680 Speaker 2: a new day for our family because we've kept this 854 00:47:04,760 --> 00:47:08,800 Speaker 2: story and grieved over our Abato for years, for generations already, 855 00:47:09,120 --> 00:47:10,080 Speaker 2: So it feels like a new day. 856 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:14,239 Speaker 4: Honestly, I thought that it really touched me that a 857 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:16,959 Speaker 4: lot of people showed out from the community, people who 858 00:47:16,960 --> 00:47:21,000 Speaker 4: don't necessarily have a direct connection to the story, but 859 00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:24,160 Speaker 4: they still came to pay their respects and to honor 860 00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:26,520 Speaker 4: the lives of the twenty eight migrants. 861 00:47:26,600 --> 00:47:27,680 Speaker 7: It was very powerful. 862 00:47:27,760 --> 00:47:30,799 Speaker 4: You know, we're teachers now, and you wonder how much 863 00:47:31,120 --> 00:47:33,759 Speaker 4: of that story was a part of us becoming teachers, 864 00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:36,759 Speaker 4: you know, as teachers were storytellers since twenty eighteen. And 865 00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:39,880 Speaker 4: I'm thinking, is this like, has this been thea Maria like, 866 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:41,919 Speaker 4: you know, calling to me right and calling to us 867 00:47:42,040 --> 00:47:44,960 Speaker 4: to do this work all these years? And it really 868 00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:47,359 Speaker 4: it puts goosebumps down my spine to think about it, 869 00:47:47,440 --> 00:47:50,440 Speaker 4: you know, and because her spirit, the spirit of all 870 00:47:50,760 --> 00:47:52,799 Speaker 4: the ones that have passed, are still with us. And 871 00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:55,640 Speaker 4: so you know, once again, I'm just very thankful to Tim. 872 00:47:55,719 --> 00:48:00,319 Speaker 4: You know that Tim took you know, got into did 873 00:48:00,400 --> 00:48:02,520 Speaker 4: in the story and decided to write about it, you know, 874 00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:04,440 Speaker 4: so we can learn about it today. 875 00:48:06,280 --> 00:48:10,960 Speaker 3: Thank you, timz Hernandez, author and professor, for speaking with us. 876 00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:13,439 Speaker 2: My pleasure. Thank you, Fernande, Thank you so much. 877 00:48:13,719 --> 00:48:13,959 Speaker 8: Mike. 878 00:48:14,080 --> 00:48:15,080 Speaker 3: I really appreciate it. 879 00:48:15,160 --> 00:48:15,799 Speaker 4: Yes, thank you. 880 00:48:39,560 --> 00:48:39,759 Speaker 15: All. 881 00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:43,360 Speaker 3: They will call you will be Deportise. Originally aired in 882 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:47,440 Speaker 3: twenty eighteen. It was produced by me Fernando Chavarri as 883 00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:51,080 Speaker 3: well as Maggie Feeling, and it was edited by Nadia Raymond. 884 00:48:51,800 --> 00:48:57,120 Speaker 3: Latino USA Today includes Droxanna Guire, Julia Caruso, Jessica Ellis, 885 00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:02,120 Speaker 3: Victoria Strada, Reinaldo Leanoz, Junior Stemi, La Beau, Andrea Lopes Crusado, 886 00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:08,560 Speaker 3: Luis Luna, glorimr Marquez, Julietta Martinelli, Marta Martinez, Monica Morles, Garcia, 887 00:49:09,040 --> 00:49:14,320 Speaker 3: JJ Carubin and Nancy Trujuio. I'm the managing editor. Penileera Mirez, 888 00:49:14,360 --> 00:49:18,160 Speaker 3: Maria Garcia and Marie Jojosa are our co executive producers. 889 00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:20,440 Speaker 3: Join us again next time, and in the meantime, you 890 00:49:20,440 --> 00:49:23,560 Speaker 3: can find us on social media and don't forget. If 891 00:49:23,600 --> 00:49:26,279 Speaker 3: you want to listen ad free and get bonus episodes, 892 00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:29,600 Speaker 3: join Futuro Plus. You'll support the kind of reporting that 893 00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:32,759 Speaker 3: makes episodes like this one possible. Thank you. 894 00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:34,200 Speaker 7: Arios. 895 00:49:35,719 --> 00:49:39,680 Speaker 15: Latino USA is made possible in part by the John D. 896 00:49:39,960 --> 00:49:44,520 Speaker 15: And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden, 897 00:49:45,160 --> 00:49:50,000 Speaker 15: and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. For more than 898 00:49:50,080 --> 00:49:56,040 Speaker 15: fifty years advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a 899 00:49:56,080 --> 00:49:58,680 Speaker 15: better world at Hewlett dot org. 900 00:50:00,080 --> 00:50:00,560 Speaker 11: Hello,