Cubans Honor Eight Who Fought at the Bay of Pigs

More than 1,000 Cuban expatriates gathered Sunday to honor eight U.S. military officers of Cuban ancestry who fought in the Bay of Pigs invasion, as part of a protest rally to call for democracy in their homeland.

On the 29th anniversary of the ill-fated overthrow attempt, the expatriates came by the busload and by car from throughout Southern California to the International Club in Pico Rivera to participate in the rally.

The event was to be beamed this morning to Cuba via Radio Marti and Radio Mambi by a Miami-based radio station, said Radio Marti representative Angelo Esteban, who attended the rally.

Dressed in their Sunday finest, expatriates greeted each other warmly in Spanish, hugging one another when they saw a familiar face. They spoke about the old times--the way things were for them in Cuba before they came to the United States. And they spoke about their renewed hopes that their homeland can again be a democracy after decades of Communist rule under Fidel Castro.

The crowd stood and cheered when, during a speech honoring the officers, a voice in the banquet hall bellowed, “Viva Cuba Libre!” or “Long live a free Cuba.”

The eight honorees--now highly ranked U.S. military officers--were members of Brigada 2506, the crack, U.S.-trained brigade of 1,000 Cuban expatriates who returned to their homeland April 17, 1961, in the unsuccessful military assault.

After they were captured and forced to serve several years in Cuban prisons, the officers were freed and given the opportunity to join the U.S. armed forces. In the 29 years since, the eight, including Army Col. Orlando P. Rodriguez, have been honored many times by the U.S. government for their service to this country.

Like the other officers, Rodriguez said he attended the rally to send a message of hope to Cubans pushing for democratic reforms and freedoms in their own country.

“We all have been fighting for years for the same principles we would like to see restored in Cuba,” said Rodriguez, who was asked by the other officers to act as their representative at the ceremony. “We hope the message of democracy that we represent gets across to every nation that does not honor the rights of liberty, self-determination and justice.”

Another honoree, recently retired Capt. Ray Lazo, said: “We see what is happening in Eastern Europe and elsewhere, where people suffering under the weight of Communist governments have risen up. We Cubans around the world are looking and hoping the same thing will happen in Cuba.”

Lazo said the eight men had come from all parts of the nation for the event, and that their actions were personal, and not in behalf of the U.S. government. Nevertheless, the officers were resplendent in military dress uniforms with chests full of medals and ribbons.

Before being seated for the speech-making in their behalf, the officers greeted the expatriates and had their pictures taken with many of them.

“These are the men that fought for us,” one woman said in Spanish to her young daughter as they stood in front of the officers.

Rodriguez smiled warmly and clasped the child’s hand.

The event was sponsored by the Federacion Mundial de Ex-Presos Politicos Cubanos, the worldwide federation of Cuban ex-political prisoners.

The group’s past president, Rene Cruz, told the crowd about the men’s valor in fighting in the defense of freedom at the Bay of Pigs and afterward, in such places as Vietnam and the Dominican Republic.

“They are an example for us all,” he said.

Radio Marti, named after Cuban national hero Jose Marti, was launched by the U.S. government in 1985 to send a pro-democracy message to Cubans.

Castro has spoken out on several occasions against the U.S. broadcasts, calling them a threat to his nation’s sovereignty. The United States is trying to beam television programs to Cuba, despite the regime’s successful jamming efforts.