WASHINGTON- They came ashore in Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, in a failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. On the debacle’s 50th anniversary, eight exiled Cuban fighters reunited in Washington to be honored by Congress.
“It really is an honor after 50 years to be here in Washington where decisions are made, and be recognized for the effort that a group of young Cubans 50 years ago,” said Pedro Roig, who fought at the Bay of Pigs.
On April 17, 1961, 1,700 Cuban exiles took on 60,000 of Castro’s forces with the backing of the CIA and the promise of American air support. That support never came, and the invasion lives in history as a great mistake of the John F. Kennedy’s administration.
“They were greatly outnumbered,” said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) “And still they fought with every inch that they had to give.”
The failure also lives in the minds of the men who carried out the invasion. Estaban Bovo was 22 years old when he flew planes in the Bay of Pigs. He said time has not faded his memories of the operation.
“When we meet each other we realize what a mess we were in, and we thank the lord that we came out alive,” said Estaban Bovo, who served as a pilot in the Bay of Pigs operation.
The Bay of Pigs veterans we spoke to said they’ve been recognized in some way every year. But this is the first time they’ve been officially recognized in Washington.
“This is the first time in 50 years that we’ve heard positive words about the invasion of Cuba from the U.S. government or a representative of the U.S. Government,” Bovo said. “In my wildest dreams I thought we would be recognized for what we did.”
The men watched Wednesday as Ros-Lehtinen read a speech on the House floor honoring them for their bravery. Later, a handful of lawmakers greeted them. One of them was Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is of Cuban descent.
“That mission was not successful,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). “But not through their fault, not for their lack of bravery.”
The Bay of Pigs fiasco occurred ten years before Rubio was born. Cuba’s political landscape has changed very little during his lifetime. Still, he says he’s inspired by the fighters’ efforts to free Cuba back in 1961.
“Young people like myself who have never known Cuba, have never visited there, feel aligned to that cause because they kept it alive,” Rubio said.
The men say they’ve never given up on a free Cuba and they hope future generations will fight just as hard as they did.
“We have to fight for what we believe,” Bovo said. “Freedom isn’t cheap. It wasn’t cheap in Cuba, it wasn’t cheap in Anzio, it wasn’t cheap in Normandy. You have to fight to keep us free.”