Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Cuba's grief carries a new mark, this time for the 32 combatants who fell defending sister nation Venezuela and its president, NicolásMaduro, kidnapped along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
It is not the first time Cuba has mourned its sons. The long line of people waiting today to pay their respects near the headquarters of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) in Havana recalls the tragic days of December 1989.
Back then, even in the smallest corners of the island, the 2,085 martyrs who served on military missions and 204 on civilian duties, who fell on missions in Africa, were received with profound sorrow through what was called Operation Tribute.
“…From Angola we will take with us the deep friendship that binds us to that heroic nation, the gratitude of its people, and the mortal remains of our beloved brothers who fell in the line of duty…,” declared Army General Raúl Castro, then Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, on December 12, 1976.
And his words ring true once again. This Thursday, our sons, brothers, and relatives returned from Venezuela… and along with our dead and wounded, so too did the pride and honor of never surrendering, of giving even their own lives in combat against the enemy.
It is a sad moment, also filled with anger, because it was an unequal fight, a handful of men facing off in the middle of the night against the surprise, the technology, the army of the world's greatest imperial power, whose government never stops invading and boasting about its military might.
Even so, after the initial euphoria expressed by President Donald Trump over the supposed success of the aggression against Venezuela, some testimonies from US military leaders were made public, acknowledging the bravery shown by the Cuban heroes.
"They are very tough, they are good soldiers," the president admitted in recent statements.
US and Cuban official sources confirmed that, faced with an enemy with a clear superiority in numbers and firepower, the Cuban combatants, equipped only with light weapons, did not retreat an inch and fought to the last moment of their lives.
Although they were clearly outnumbered, according to US media reports, "they offered fierce resistance, and in an instant, gunfire could be heard everywhere."
Fox News reported that during the confrontation, a US military helicopter was seriously damaged and several soldiers were wounded.
"It hurts a lot," was a common sentiment on social media this Thursday.For Venezuela and for Cuba, pain and tears have been flowing across the entire island since January 3rd.And “there is nothing more essential, more fundamental, than paying tribute to our dead,” a colleague wrote on behalf of everyone. (Source: Prensa Latina)
