Alberto A. Nido

Alberto A. Nido
Alberto A. Nido
	Brigadier General Alberto A. Nido; Co-founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard
Born	1 March 1919; Arroyo, Puerto Rico
Died	27 October 1991 (aged 72); San Juan, Puerto Rico
Buried	Puerto Rico National Cemetery in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Allegiance	United States of America (also Canada)
Service/branch	Royal Canadian Air Force (1941–1942),; Royal Air Force (1942–1943); United States Army Air Forces (1943–1947),; United States Air Force (1947) ; Puerto Rico Air National Guard (1947–1975)
Rank	; Brigadier General
Commands held	Puerto Rico Air National Guard
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross; Air Medal
Other work	Co-founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard

Brigadier General Alberto A. Nido (1 March 1919 – 27 October 1991) is a former United States Air Force officer who during World War II served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, the British Royal Air Force and in the United States Army Air Forces. He was also the co-founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.^[1]

Early years

Nido was born and raised in the town of

U.S. Virgin Islands with the intention of joining the United States Naval Aviation.^[1]

Nido passed the physical examination, however he was denied acceptance into the aviation program because of a minor dental problem. According to the examining medical doctor, the fact that he had one tooth that grew above another would make it impossible for him to fly in high altitudes.[1] He then traveled to Washington, D.C., and attempted to join the armed forces there. After passing the physical examination, he was again denied acceptance, for the same reason. Nido then traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and enrolled in the Sparton School of Aviation where in 1941, he received his pilot's certificate.^[1]

Military career

After he graduated, he was given a job as an aviation instructor in the institution. An officer of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) who was in Tulsa looking for recruits asked Nido to consider joining them. Nido accepted the offer and in September 1941, he received a telegram from the RCAF office in

Flying Officer and sent to an air base in Quebec, where he served as an aviation instructor to bomber pilots and aerial gunners.^[1]

Nido returned to his homeland, to spend 15 days with his mother and three brothers Rafael, Pedro and Thomas, who were members of the United States Armed Forces. During his stay he met his future wife, Alile Colon, a university student at the "Colegio del Sagrado Corazon", from the town of

Yabucoa.^[1]

World War II

Type of P-51 which Nido flew for the USAAF

On 24 December 1942, Nido was sent to

P-51 Mustang fighter pilot. Nido baptized his P-51 with the name of "Alile" in honor of the girl that he left back home.^[1]

Post World War II

After the war he continued to serve in the Army Air Forces and in 1947 became part of the newly formed United States Air Force. On 23 November 1947, the Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PRANG) came into existence as a result of the efforts led by

Lieutenant Colonel José Antonio Muñiz. Nido served as commander of PRANG for many years and was later assigned to the National Guard Headquarters as Chief of Staff for Air.^[3]

In January 1966, Nido, approached Maj. Gen. Winston P. Wilson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, inquired about the possibility of constructing a range at the Army Guard's Salinas Training Area (

Camp Santiago), located 35 miles on the south coast area of Puerto Rico. Two days later, Brig Gen. Salvador Roig approved a plan for this project and assigned Captain Gabriel I. Peñagarícano as project officer. The NGB budgeted $10,000 for this construction, this tight budget required a maximum in-house effort. The U.S. Army Antilles Command, caretakers of the Salinas Training Area, provided earth-moving equipment and personnel to level the target area. They also dug necessary holes for electric power poles, communications and strafing and skip-bombing targets. The range towers were donated by the air depot at McDill AFB and transported directly to the range on C-123 aircraft.^[4] Nido, who also served as commander of the local chapter of the "Military Order of World Wars", retired from the military with the rank of Brigadier General in 1974.^[3]

On 27 October 1991, Nido died in San Juan, Puerto Rico and was buried with

full military honors in Plot: J 9 of the Puerto Rico National Cemetery in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.^[5]

Awards and decorations

Among Nido's awards and decorations were the following:

oak leaf clusters	Air Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters	National Defense Service Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal	American Campaign Medal	World War II Victory Medal

Legacy

A main road at Muñiz Air National Guard Base is named after Brigadier General Alberto A. Nido.

In 2021 Alberto A. Nido was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h El Mundo; "La carrera de Alberto A. Nido en las fuerzas aéreas de los EE. UU."; 26 April 1944; Number 9986; (Spanish)
^ "9th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Prov)- (4 January 1944 – 30 May 1945)"; Microfilmed records on roll B-0017 frames 0078-0336; OpReps (Form 34A) located on frames 0127-0336 6/44 to 7/45
^ ^a ^b San Juan Star; Tribute to retired National Guard Commanders, 1976
^ "Camp Santiago: U.S. Army Salinas Training Area". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 23 May 2009.
^ Puerto Rico National Cemetery
^ https://www.opv.pr.gov/salon-de-la-fama/salon-de-la-fama