1373
Interview in Spanish.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Hernández briefly talks about his family; in 1958, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he submitted his birth certificate and proof of military service in order to put himself on the local list of available workers; as part of the contracting process, he was stripped, medically examined and vaccinated; as a bracero, he completed four contracts and labored in the fields of Colorado and New México cleaning, pruning and picking beets and cotton; he goes on to detail the various worksites, housing, provisions, duties and remittances; while working in the beet fields of Greeley, Colorado, he had to use the short hoe, which was extremely difficult; he had to learn how to cook his own food; Saturdays, after work, he went into town for supplies; although he was never really able to save any money, he was treated well and never had any problems; after his time in the program, he returned to México and continued working in the fields; when he was roughly twenty-five years old, he married and later had two children; he eventually immigrated to the United States and became a legal resident; overall, he has positive memories of his time as a bracero; he is grateful to the United States because of all the help he received.