Born Frederick Gallardo on September 7, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to Fulgencio (Frank) and Josephine (Joyce), Frederick was their eldest child and would go by the name Fred, Freddy, or Freddie.
Primarily motivated by his father, a Post Office clerk, Fred would attend, at an early age, the Loras Academy in Dubuque, Iowa with his younger brother Edward. There, the boys would work to help pay their tuition, and Fred would be an all-star athlete, despite his short stature of 5’ 7”. He graduated in 1948.
Fred was a proud Marine, serving for four years in the Corps during the Korean War earning a Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with 3 stars, U.N. Service Medal, and a Korean Presidential Unit Citation. Upon his honorable discharge, he would relocate his roots to Southern California.
At the same time, a childhood neighbor, Juanita, was in California taking a hiatus from her job as a control laboratory technician, based in Chicago. In the future Fred would write in a newspaper announcement, "When Fred was just 15 months old, he was left with Juanita's parents while his mother was in labor with his brother." At this time Juanita was only one month old. "As destiny would have it, the couple reunited..."
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'We Feel the Suffering'
December 10, 1952
MSgt. Tygart speaks for Sgt. McMaster, Sgt. Cerone, Cpl. Tursi, Cpl. Gallardo, and Cpl. Hebl writing a letter to the editor of the Record-Searchlight in Redding, California to tell how serious the need is in Korea, for the downtrodden people and their children, who have shared with them their heart-breaking stories.
"We live constantly with the knowledge that the peoples of Korea are as human as the people living in our home towns... we can feel, more than see the suffering and anxiety of these people."
"May we, here in Korea, extend to you folks at home a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and thank you in advance for all your efforts in this project..."