Captain Bernal was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter with the Marine Fighter Squadron 212, Marine Air Group 33, 1st Marine Air Wing. On 11 March 1951, while on a combat mission of attacking enemy vehicles, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire, crashed and burst into flames. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Bernal was awarded the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.