Page 4 - Aerotech News and Review, April 29, 2022

Celebrating the life of Bob Cardenas
by Chase Kohler
Edwards AFB, Calif.
Devotion.
That is the best word to describe the late Brig. Gen. Robert “Bob” Cardenas, who was laid to rest March 31, 2022, at Miramar Na- tional Cemetery at 102 years old.
At a ceremony attended by many who knew him, there was perhaps nobody more familiar with that devotion than Retired Col. Mike Cardenas, his eldest son.
“My father just loved being an American. He believed serving his country and giving back was our purpose in this world, and he acted as a perpetual rock for everyone who knew him. He kept the founda- tion strong wherever his devotion took him” notes Cardenas.
After his retirement from active duty, Brig. Gen. Cardenas main- tained two passions — flying wings and the Miramar National Cemetery. “American military members need- ed another option, and my father wanted to ensure he could contrib- ute to make that a reality,” Cardenas said.
Despite a career spanning de- cades as a war hero, famed test pi- lot and National Aviation Hall of Fame member, many would be sur- prised to hear that Cardenas actively told the next generation to not fol- low in his footsteps.
“He strongly believed everyone had to take their individual jour- ney and establish their own values. Don’t try and mimic someone else.” Brig. Gen. Cardenas took this from personal experience. Before flying B-24 Liberators in Germany, his first assignment after flight school was to fly gliders in Twentynine Palms. “That was the worst posting any new aviator could have, but he accepted the assignment in stride,”
said Cardenas.
Ultimately, it was his vast expe-
rience designing glider operations that lead Brig. Gen. Cardenas to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, after World War II, where en- gineers relied heavily on his experi- ence for a variety of test programs, including acting as chief test pilot for the infamous Northrop YB-49.
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Marine Corps photographs by Lance Cpl. Jose S. GuerreroDeLeon
Above: Family and friends pay respects to Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Cardenas at the Miramar National Cemetery, San Diego, Calif., March 31, 2022. Cardenas was born March 10, 1920, and passed away March 10, 2022. Right: A B-2 Spirit conducts a memorial flyover during a memorial service for Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Cardenas.
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