North Fort Myers resident Ernest M. (Buddy) Cadenas is a citizen of the world so to speak. Other than his native English he also speaks Spanish, Italian, French, Arabic, “and enough Swahili to get by,” he says. His beautiful home is filled with exotic collections from his tours of duty in Morocco and Guantanamo Bay. The gracious and cultured gentleman is also a modest man, although he has dined with kings and politicians and admirals.

Cadenas majored in mathematics at Georgia Tech and signed up to join the Navy while still in school. His recruiter allowed him to finish school; he married, and then was sent to flight training in 1946. He is also a graduate of George Washington University.

Captain Cadenas began his career as a Naval Officer in 1944 when he received his Navy Wings and Ensign Bar. His first duty assignment was as an aviator with VD-63 and in air operations aboard CVE-105, USS Commencement Bay, air craft carrier. He then rotated for a tour in the Training Command as in Instrument Jet All-Weather Instructor in FAWTULANT (Fleet All-Weather Training Unit, Atlantic). The next assignment was to sea duty aboard the USS Intrepid as Flight Deck Officer. Next he served as Executive Officer of Fighter Squadron VF-82 (Fighting Fools). In 1959 he was transferred to Andrews Air Force Base as Officer in Charge of the navy Jet Detachment.  He then attended Naval War College, graduating in 1961.

As I’m writing this, it occurs to me that this man never rested, and if he did, it certainly wasn’t on his laurels.

After refresher training in the F3H-2 Demon and associated weapons system in VF-101 Key West, Cadenas assumed command of Fighter Squadron 14. Cadenas is a lucky man, having survived without a scratch the crashing of his plane on highway 101 in Key West. Captain Cadenas laughed when recounting that the city tried to sue him personally to recoup the cost of repairing telephone and power lines and damage to the road. The Navy, naturally, stepped up and paid.

Cadenas also served as Air Operations Officer on the USS Enterprise and as a member of a two-year study in advanced sea-based deterrents conducted by the Navy Department, Washington D.C.  After serving two tours as Commander of Morocco U S Naval Training Command he received his final rotation before retirement as Commanding Officer, U S Naval Air Station, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Buddy Cadenas is a man who loved his jobs in the Navy and thrived on the adventure and foreign intrigue. Of all the tours he completed he says his favorite was commanding the Naval Training base in Morocco. Whether he was in the air flying, or on the ground in a strategy planning session, he excelled at the task at hand because he just didn’t know how not to do a job in exemplary fashion. He explains that his awards, accommodations, and letters of praise from high government and military officials as “just doing my job.” I saw the picture of his grandfather in WWI uniform hanging on his wall and knew that the doctor must have been so proud of grandson, Buddy, knowing he had dedicated his life to protecting his country and its citizens.

“Of all my tours of duty, I would have to say that Kenitra, Morocco was my favorite. There was never a dull moment,” the Captain shared. As the senior “in country”  military member there, he was charged with managing the military air base, serving over 5,000 civilian and military personnel and coordinating authority over two other U S bases in the area. He supervised the training of foreign national military personnel in jet fighter aircraft and was daily liaison with Moroccan civilian dignitaries, U S State Department officials and U N Ambassadors.

While in Morocco several attempted coups took place, one directly in which Cadenas could have been assassinated. On July 20, 1971 Cadenas had been invited by his friend, King Hassan II, to attend his 42nd birthday celebration at his seaside summer palace and golf course, in Skhirat. Ambassadors from several nations and other foreign and domestic dignitaries attended the party. After his golf match Cadenas and his group joined others at the bar tent set up on the palace lawn. While sharing some laughs with friends at the bar they saw seven Moroccan Army trucks pull up north of the palace and unload four platoons of soldiers. Everyone was buzzing about what was going on and figured it must be a military tribute in honor of the king’s birthday. Cadenas wasn’t concerned at first because he had been talking to the King during the golf match and he had not mentioned anything about any problems of state. The troops deployed line abreast in front of the group and began to fire with machine guns at point blank range! The crowd in the tent scattered in every direction but nobody was hit, the first volley was blank. Still thinking it was some kind of show for the crowd to demonstrate their military prowess, the Captain and the Marine colonel sat down at one of the tables covered in crisp white linen. For a few minutes the troops ignored the two American officers sitting at the table and began firing at the running dignitaries. This time the ammunition was real and people began dropping to the ground, others running and screaming. Mortar fire began to explode on the golf course and a caddy’s head was blown off. A concussion grenade landed within 10 ft of the table where Captain Cadenas and his friend were seated. They jumped from their seats and started shouting in French at the troops that they were Americans and were immediately surrounded by six Moroccan soldiers who forced their hands into the air. The two officers were searched for weapons and marched over to a flower garden where they were forced to lay on their stomachs for about four hours with hands behind their backs and guns held to their heads. During those four hours people were called out by the members of the coup, questioned, and shot on the spot. Cadenas witnessed the King’s brother stumbling with blood all over his white djelaba but didn’t know of the King’s fate until later when he was informed that a guard had managed to secure King Hassan into a bathroom. About 2000 soldiers under the command of officers seeking to set up a rogue military regime was behind the attack, some even the King’s trusted generals. At least 100 guests were murdered in the hot African sun on that bloody day. When the loyal military arrived some of the culprits were shot on sight but at least eleven of them were executed on live television. The King would rule for many more years and survived more coup attempts. Cadenas’ old friend, King Hassan II, a friend to America, died at age 70 in 1999.

Ernest M. Cadenas must have cut quite a striking figure in Morocco with his Hollywood good looks in dress whites, or dress blues, representing Uncle Sam on foreign soil. Now a widower, he shares his home with the irrepressible Tabitha, a little dog he adopted when he saw her sitting in a baby buggy, complete with bonnet, at his local Publix. She gives the orders these days.

Thank you for your service, Captain Cadenas.