The life history of Anaheim High’s Class of 1951 alumnus Manuel “Tony” G. Moreno Jr. is, foremost, a story of courage. However, when you hear the entire saga of this brave American soldier, you’ll agree his story rings of dedication, perseverance and, ultimately, forgiveness for wounds suffered to the honor of his service.
Even after being captured just two weeks upon entering the Korean War, then spending 27 months as a POW, Moreno dedicated his life to his country as a career military man. The experience earned him five Purple Hearts and a chest full of medals.
If surviving the torture of a prisoner of war camp wasn’t enough to prove his dedication to country, Moreno returned to service after his release; then, upon discharge, re-enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. When he retired from active duty, he worked at the Naval Base in Jacksonville, Florida, until retiring in 2004.
His story begins in Tucson, where he was born to Manuel Moreno Sr. and Betty Aguilar. He grew up in Anaheim with his mother and stepfather Raymond O. Hernandez. At age 17, Moreno joined Anaheim’s Company K National Guard Division. Soon after, he voluntarily joined the U.S. Army to fight in Korea.
News stories about Moreno say that his combat unit came under attack and he was severely wounded. He and another soldier spent five days trying to get back to their battalion but were captured.
Sometimes called the “forgotten war,” the Korean Conflict is not lost in the memories of the 7,140 soldiers who were held captive. The official death rate was roughly 40 percent and more than 2,700 POWs are known to have died in captivity. Torture and attempted brainwashing was common among POWs in North Korea. Even deadlier was neglect of their dietary and medical needs. Also, there were 8,200 soldiers left in Korea whose remains are still unknown.
His half-brother, Raymond A. Hernandez Jr. from AHS Class of 1963, was 6 years old when his brother was taken prisoner. “When he was released in 1953, I was 8 and it was a very exciting time for our family,” remembers Raymond. “There was a lot of hugging and partying with relatives coming from other states to celebrate his return to our home at 316 N. Philadelphia St.”
Moreno became the first POW from Orange County, as well as Anaheim, who was freed from the horrendous conditions and torments of a Korean POW camp. While his family rejoiced, Korean War POWs were not embraced by a grateful nation.
Moreno’s patriotism was not diminished by the experience. Not even later when his Purple Hearts and military medals were stolen from his home, an act of cowardice that his family tried to rectify by having the medals replaced. They were successful in finding duplicates, but never replaced all five of his Purple Hearts.
Moreno with a shadow box of duplicate medals presented to him by his family after his originals were stolen.
The originals went missing for nearly 40 years until Kathryn Kinal from Ann Arbor, Michigan, found his medals at an auction in 2012. When she saw a Purple Heart was for sale, her sole goal was reuniting it with the rightful owner. The search took years and she didn’t get a break until an article about Moreno appeared September 2013 in the Orange County Register.
Even after coming across the story, she still couldn’t find Moreno or Hernandez. Finally she contacted government offices in East Troy and, three days later, Kinal received an email from Paula Bates, Moreno’s sister-in-law, only to learn Moreno had died Feb. 1, 2014.
Hernandez summed up his brother’s story: “To me, Manuel has always been a hero in my eyes. He was that heroic soldier who endured a terrible, torturous time in Korea. He fought in several battles and suffered as a POW. But he survived because he was a fighter. I’ll always be very proud of him and keep him medals as memorial to his bravery and to that of his fellow soldiers.”Despite the disappointment, Kinal proceeded with what she set out to do, and when family members received the lost medals, their reaction was joy, disbelief and gratitude to Kinal for going above and beyond the call of duty.
