Most ended up in the US, a country willing to fund Castro's overthrow.
They landed at dawn on 17 April 1961. Due to the mid-day of 19 April they possessed actually been actually beat. The survivors of the 2506 Brigade were actually discharged much more than a year eventually, in behind time 1962, adhering to rigorous arrangements.
The enduring participants of the attacking power are actually still waiting in exile for the drop of the Cuban socialist federal authorities.
Cuba, subsequently, commemorates every 19 April the loss, through a tiny country, of an military of "mercenaries" moneyed due to the world's very most highly effective nation.
It has actually been actually 60 years.
This is actually the account of exactly just how the intrusion program was actually hatched, why it fell short, and also exactly just how it has actually denoted the lifestyle of its own protagonists.
Johnny López de la Cruz, right now 80 years of ages, is actually the existing head of state of the Affiliation of Veterans of the 2506 Brigade. He was actually aspect of a paratrooper battalion that joined the intrusion of the Gulf of Pigs. This is actually his account:
My eyes were actually opened up the time Sergeant Benitez was actually gotten rid of.
He was actually coming from Batista's cops, a friend of the family members that certainly never left behind Cuba due to the fact that he strongly felt he possessed carried out absolutely nothing at all inappropriate.
At first I assisted Castro. He certainly never claimed he was actually a Communist. If he possessed carried out thus, no person in Cuba will have actually assisted that.
Yet very soon after that, folks began to become carried out. Residential buildings and also lands were actually confiscated and also nationalised.
Eventually, pair of of Castro's males gotten here and also took Benitez away towards place him on test. I existed, towards assist him.
Most ended up in the US, a country willing to fund Castro's overthrow.
It lasted lower than one-half a hr. He wasn't also permitted towards communicate. He and also 4 various other males were actually proclaimed bad and also were actually needed to an deserted burial ground away from city.
They were actually carried out and also tossed right in to an usual severe.
I woke up. I didn't recognize exactly just how you can purchase the implementation of folks without permitting all of them towards safeguard on their own. That was actually an misuse of authorization.
At that point I began to join counter-revolutionary tasks.
Our experts will circulate handouts and also create "With Fidel" on wall structures.
Yet at that point, pair of participants of my team were actually detained. Folks near me said to me that I was actually upcoming. Thus I opted for 3 pals towards Havana and also flew bent on Miami along with phony documents.
When I gotten here in the US in 1960 I actually recognized that exiles were actually being actually skilled due to the CIA in Guatemala towards attack Cuba. I produced my means there a handful of times eventually.
In between 1959 and also 1960, hundreds of anti-Castro young people including Lopez de la Cruz ended that their simply alternatives were actually exile or even occupying arms versus the federal authorities.
Very most found yourself in the US, a nation happy to finance Castro's topple.
The nationalisation of United states sectors and also services along with Castro's boosting links along with the Soviet Union very soon caused a souring of relationships in between Cuba and also the US.
