Hernaldo Tersol's story of how he went from living in an impoverished area of the Phillippines, not knowing what was going to happen with his life. To joining the Navy and moving to the United States, and how he now helps to support his home village and also his family.
From Humble Beginnings
Hernaldo Tersol grew up in a small fishing village called Longos in the province of Pangasinan in the Phillippines.
Hernaldo said, “It is a small village that has a lot of poor people. We went to school and didn’t have any shoes or sandals. For high school, we had to walk more than 5 miles to get there because it was the closest school.”
His mother passed away along with his youngest brother due to an unknown illness when he was young. This left his father to be the sole provider for his four children.
Hernaldo said, “You normally didn’t have anything to eat and normally didn’t know what you had to eat the next day, so you had to find food.”
His father worked on a small farm and also was a fisherman. Growing up he and his three sisters would spend their weekends and anytime off from school working on the farm to help their father.
There are not as many job opportunities in this region of the Phillippines and it can be challenging to get a well-paying job, or any job at all.
Hernaldo said “I grew up knowing the only thing to bring me out of this life is getting a better education.”
After graduating high school he wanted to go to engineering school but couldn't because his father couldn't afford it. He then decided to go to a vocational school.
Joining the Military
In 1964 Hernaldo was taking classes at the vocational school, when one of his classmates mentioned that the U.S. Navy was recruiting. He took the required test and other screenings and was one of the few to get accepted into the Navy.
He said, “I am the only one out of the 15 others in my class that made it into the U.S. Navy.”
In 1947 the U.S. Navy began to recruit Filipinos. According to the historical marker database. Over the course of the following four decades over 35,000 Filipinos served in the U.S. Navy.
Hernaldo said “I trained in the military in San Diego, then went to school to learn how how to cook. do laundry, and make beds.”
Filipinos and African Americans were primarily the only ones allocated for these steward jobs. Their main purpose was to serve the officers.
He said, “We do the best we can. We do it with a lot of love and everything. We Filipinos are committed to our jobs. We don’t do it just for a paycheck”
Until the early seventies, Filipinos were reserved as only stewards but slowly Filipinos started to occupy different spaces in the Navy.
Hernaldo said, “In 1971 the admiral gave a chance to all of the Filipinos who want to do more than cooking and making beds.
He continued, “I became an aviation jet engine mechanic, it opened up a lot of chances for me. I went to many schools and enjoyed my job.”
He ended up working his way up to Senior Chief with an expertise in aviation mechanics and served 24 years for the U.S. Navy.
Adjusting to America
At the end of 1964, Hernaldo Tersol was stationed in San Diego on depoyment. In 1971 he married Veronica Cruz in the Philippines and they moved to the United States. He was stationed in D.C. but a few years later got moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia where he still lives today.
Hernaldo said, “It was a lot of shock and changes for us. It took so many years to get used to how Americans live like”
Segregation in the United States ended in 1964, but there were still some lasting repercussions from the laws.
Hernaldo spoke about times he remembers feeling racism before and after segregation was lifted, “Filipinos did not know where to go on the bus. African Americans were in the back, and White people were in the front and we didn’t know where to go. Same thing with the bathroom. There was no brown.”
He continued, “In the Philippines, we did not have that, it was a shock when we came to America.”
After segregation, there were changes to the way America handled race. Some mindsets though were still deeply engrained into people. There were still some unsaid "rules" that people went by when it comes to race. Certain restaurants were only "meant" for white people. It wasn't enforced by the law, but it was in other ways.
Hernaldo said, “They did not want us to go to certain restaurants because we were Filipinos. The way they would look at us would tell us that we weren’t welcomed, but they wouldn’t say it.”
Even though most Filipinos were fluent in English, they still wanted to speak their native language whenever they get the chance. Hernaldo spoke about how Filipinos were treated when speaking their native language of Tagalog.
He said, “They would look at you in a very judgemental way if you were talking in a different language than English.
This is what led to them predominately going to Filipino-only establishments where they could feel welcomed and able to speak their own language without judgment.
Hernaldo said, “I didn’t realize at the time, but going back we were treated poorly. Not just in the service, but outside when you go out. People were not used to Filipinos at the time. That's why it took a lot of adjustment for us.”
His daughter, Verna Tersol said, “My family stuck out because of the accents and the language barrier. I remember in elementary school we were one of the only Asian families around. We were definitely unique."
Since then, there have been an immense amount of changes in the Filipino community, and Hernaldo explained how the racism he experienced felt like a distant memory
He said, “I notice a lot of changes now, and now Filipinos have the opportunity to go places where they couldn't before.”
Raising a Family
Between the years of 1972 and 1977, they had three daughters. Hernaldo was still active duty in the Military at this time and was consistently going out on deployments.
He said, “Building a family if you were in the military is the hard part. You can’t even see your children growing up. If you go out to sea for 6 months, you have missed so much.”
His wife Veronica Tersol said, "I remember feeling lonely and depressed and wished that he wouldn’t leave me. I was so happy whenever he came home. It was hard."
Being in a new country with no relatives to lean on when times were hard is what Hernaldo recalls as one of the hardest adjustments to moving to America.
He said, “It was scary for me to start a family with nobody around you except some friends that you can rely on.”
Hernaldo's daughter Vangie Hendrickson said, “I remember the homecomings. They were always sweet when he came home and meeting him on the dock when the ship came in."
Throughout his time in the U.S. Navy he went on about eight deployments, each was about six months at a time.
He said, “I’m glad that now I am retired I can spend time with my children that I was never able to spend with them.”
Even though America was the "Promised Land" with limitless opportunities and hope, that doesn't mean the Tersol family didn't go without a struggle.
Hernaldo said, “It was hard having three kids and one income, you would just barely make it.”
Vanessa Mauskapf, one of his daughters said, "I never realized how poor we were. You have no concept of money when you were young.”
She continued, “No job was ever too humbling for him. The thing about dad is he always had a smile on his face no matter where he was.”
Supporting family back home
As soon as Hernaldo joined the military he immediately started sending money back home to help his family. He was able to send two of his sisters through nursing school and provide a better life for them.
His daughter Vanessa Mauskapf said, "As soon as he went into the military he started sending money back. He sent his sisters to college but didn’t go himself.”
Even though his family may have been struggling themselves to establish their lives in a new country, he knew he had to put his family first.
His sister Lydia Aviles said, “If he didn’t join the Navy we wouldn’t have been able to go to nursing school.”
Besides just monetarily, he showed support to his family in other ways. In order to get citizenship in the United States you must go through all sorts of leaps and bounds and one of them is having a family member petition you.
In 1971 Hernaldo gained his citizenship and In 1972 he sponsored his sister and her family, and they finally gained citizenship in 1994 .
Hernaldo said, "The priority for brother to sister is a lot slower than other types of relationships like a child to parent.”
According to Boundless (Immigration Resources,) "The national average processing time for naturalization (citizenship) applications is 14.5 months." But this doesn't include scheduling a biometrics appointment, attending your interview and exam, and lastly finally receiving their decision on approval.
He is currently petitioning for his half-brother and his family of four to come to the United States.
His half-brother Edwin Tersol said, "When our parents died, he did not abandon us in supporting us. He filed a petition to get us to the United States"
Hernaldo said, “It is hard. I filed a visa for them and it is a long process. I filed for them in 1997 and they are just finally getting interviews.”
According to the American Immigration Council, there were immense delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trump administration's put five separate travel restrictions in place, including canceling all immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments.
Hernaldo said, “If you ask me truly as a Filipino or a Filipino American the process is not right. We come here to work and contribute to society. But it is hard to get Filipinos over here. The priority for Filipinos to come to America is not high.”
In October, Hernaldo went to the United States representative, Elaine Luria's office. He inquired about the unusually long process they have been going through and wanted answers. They took his information down and told him they would be in contact with the Manila, Phillippines office.
A month later they were told that their interviews and physicals have been scheduled after years of receiving delay notifications. They are hoping to move to the states in 2023.
Hernaldo's sister and father
Hernaldo with two of his sisters
After the Military
In 1989, Hernaldo retired from the U.S. Navy after serving 24 years. After retiring he worked in the civil service for the following ten years.
He said, “Leaving the military gave me more freedom and time with my family. I committed myself to the military for 24 years, I figured it was time to commit myself to my family.”
After retiring from the military, he also gained a bachelor's degree in Human Relations from Saint Leos college while still working full time.
After working in the civil service for 10 years, Hernaldo worked a civilian job as an Aviation Engineer at Lockheed and Martin as an Aircraft Electrician until he retired in 2009.
He said,"I decided to retire to spend time with my wife, children and grandchildren, to make up for lost time."
Always giving back
Hernaldo spoke about one of his visits back to his home village Longos.
He said, “When I went back I saw how bad it was. I lived there so long ago but it is still the same and there has been no improvements. Very few people are able to get out of that life, I feel sorry for them.”
After this visit, Hernaldo began to send money back to the village in order to help the children and families there.
His brother Edwin Tersol that still lives in Longos said, "He shares his blessings, he gives money to his relatives here and also to the poor children. Things like school supplies."
Hernaldo financially provides for seven families in his home villiage and sends money to them every two months.
He said, “Now I am supporting seven families in the Phillippines. Some of them are just barely making it. It’s not enough, but it helps.”
Besides the every two-month reoccurring financial help, twice a year he makes a large donation to the village as a whole. Once at Christmas, and once on his birthday. The village uses the money for whatever is most needed at the time food, school supplies, and clothes. During Christmas though, they throw the village a party with his donation. They make meals for every family and make sure every child gets a present for Christmas.
Hernaldo said, "Seeing the children enjoying Christmas with small gifts and something to eat fills me with joy. Not just because I did not experience this, but also because I'm just sharing my blessings. Hopefully, this will help the children realize that a lot of opportunities are waiting for them."
He is now working with the pastor in Longos to start a church program for the children to try and keep them on track, motivated, and going to church.
Pictures of the Christmas
celebration held every year
In 2019 Hernaldo was able to attend himself. He gave a speech to the children encouraging them to go to chuch, get an education, and work hard.
A pillar in his community
Hernaldo's helping hands did not stop when it comes to his home village or in the workforce. Since being retired he has made strives to help others whenever he has the opportunity.
Almost every Monday he hosts a Filipino bible study group at his home where him and other Filipinos can bond with each other. He explains how some of the elderly aren't visited by their families and can be very lonely, so he wanted to create a space for them to feel welcomed and loved.
His granddaughter Annalynn Hendrickson said, "He puts other people first and when I think about who sets that example in our family I think of him. He will do anything he can with the resources he has to help you."
Beyond that, he helps the other elderly Filipinos who are not able to drive places and will transport them to where they need to be.
He said, “It is joy. Picking them up and bringing them to church, my house, the mall, anywhere. I love doing it and helping them. I am doing it for the lord nothing else.”
His daughter Vanessa Mauskapf said, “He has this bible study community that is always calling him for help or for advice. At all times of the day”
Leaving a Legacy
Hernaldo is now fully retired and enjoying time with his wife, daughters, and grandchildren. Him and his wife travel often and spend a lot of their time with their grandchildren.
He said, “I love being a grandparent. My daughters didn’t experience grandparents at all so I want to give my grandchildren what their mothers didn't have”
Hernaldo has been known to fully show up in his grandchildrens lives. Whether daily phone calls asking how school is, or funding trips the whole family of sixteen can enjoy. Making sure he is an active role in their lives has always been his main priority.
His daughter Vanessa Mauskapf said, “He has created a legacy of generosity, kindness, and love.”
His granddaughter Annalynn Hendrickson said, “The overarching thing that has stuck out that he’s done for our family is the importance of just spending time with each other. He really wants to show up for us and he sets an example of the importance of spending time with the people you love and going out of your way to show people you care about them. "
When asking Hernaldo what he would tell his younger self, the one who was sitting in his classroom at vocational school unsure of what path laid before him he said, "Trust in god, it all works out."
