The Bay of Pigs remembered 40 years later
Published Tuesday, April 17, 2001 in the
Miami Herald
After three bloody days, it ended in defeat. The assault on Playa Girón
off the Bay of Pigs that began 40 years ago today failed to oust dictator Fidel
Castro. Some 1,400 Cuban exiles in Brigade 2506 went to battle. Nearly 1,200
landed in prison. The 114 who died are honored each year at the Monument of
Martyrs in Little Havana.
For many veterans, however, decades haven't erased the sense of loss or
betrayal. The U.S. government secretly trained Brigade 2506 and promised support
-- only to withhold air cover after the invasion force landed.
Worse, the same unrepentant dictator remains in power today. For 40 years
Cubans have suffered the totalitarian communism that the brigade hoped to
vanquish.
While decades often change views, not all Brigade members think alike today.
That's natural. Some have chosen to engage in dialogue with the regime they once
hoped to topple. Recently, five veterans attended a Bay of Pigs retrospective in
Havana organized by academics and the Cuban government, which Castro also
attended.
Those veterans have a right to practice engagement, and to go to Cuba
legally to express their opinions. Likewise, the Association of Bay of Pigs
Veterans has a right to its beliefs, which include expelling those who engage in
exchanges with Cuba's repressive regime. This may make some uncomfortable, but
that's OK. Voicing opposing views is a healthy, democratic process. Today, the
struggle to free Cuba continues. Brigade 2506 members have earned their due. But
unlike in Cuba, they're free to express themselves without official reprisal.
Copyright 2001 Miami Herald | 