Matthew Hernandez

"'The kid's the meanest bastard I think I've ever seen hop across the Rio Grande. He'll make it through.'""- MACV-SOG Officer."

Overview
Matt Hernandez (Born Matthew Raul Montez Hernandez) Was a Mexican immigrant to the United States who was one of the test subjects for the LAC Incident during the 1970's. He also served as a United States Marine during the Vietnam War, having fought in the Tet Offensive during the third phase of the operation as a member of the Military Assistance Command's Studies and Observations Group.

He served as a personal mentor for HYPO during her childhood and adolescence. He is alive during the events of Trinity, being 88 years old and nearing the end of his story.

Early Life
Matt was born in the city of Nogales in the state of Sonora during 1951. He described his family as 'dirt-poor' and elaborated that his father didn't stick around for very long after he was born. His uncle taught him to play a trombone when he was nine years old, and he helped with his family's printing shop when he was able.

His family took him along when they illegally crossed the border in 1963, though he fell down a small ravine and attained superficial scarring to his back from a jagged rock during the journey. He resided in Tuscon, Arizona for a year before moving to St. Louis, Missouri to stay with family. He alternated between illegally staying in the William Igoe Apartments with friends and staying with his aunt, who he described as a 'crazed bitch' to outsiders.

In 1967, his brother was killed during a gang-related dispute, in which he was shot in the gut with a shotgun. He deferred his Saint Maria Goretti necklace pendant to Matt, who wore it for an indefinite amount of time afterwards as a tribute to his late brother. The incident effected him immensely, and his mother became increasingly frustrated with how withdrawn and bitter he had become. He also started smoking cigarettes around that time, which would eventually develop into his fascination with cigars that many noted him for in his later adulthood.

Military Career
Matt joined the USMC shortly after, using forged documents to confirm his citizenship and age. He was placed in the 1st Marine Division and transferred to FORECON shortly after, being one of the members of that SOC that was incorporated into MACV-SOG. He assisted in PHASE III of the operation, though he expressed outward disappointment that he was relegated to 'Mini-Tet' and wasn't able to operate during the first phase. His disillusionment increased as time progressed, and he was reprimanded for getting into a fist fight with a member of the Chemical Corps over a disagreement on whether or not the crops he was destroying were meant to feed civilians. He later refused to apologize when he came to learn that he was correct in his assumption that the agricultural infrastructure was meant for the civilian population.