The Cuba Yell for Freedom!
By Antonio Benedi
“Oh Liberty, Liberty, your waters appease the
thirst of those who die of hunger. Don’t see in
death the end of your dreams and ideals.” These are
words written by my late father, Dr. Claudio F.
Benedi. How true these words ring out from Cuba
today!
The Biden administration was slammed for barring
Cubans fleeing Cuba by sea. Those were the headlines
yesterday to President Biden regarding the
humanitarian crisis facing the people in Cuba. Is
this the reaction of a sane and freedom loving
Nation? I think not. For the last 60 plus years we
have had a brutal Communist regime that oppresses
its people with neglect and abandonment.
The world has watched the horrific atrocities
perpetrated by the Castros and their thugs on the
Island Nation ninety miles from our shores. There is
much history to learn about the hows and whys of the
United States turning its back on Cuban people.
There is a reason this horrible situation has lasted
so long.
During the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Cuban
Patriots were trained by the United States for a
mass invasion to thwart Castro’s regime. Under the
watch of President John F. Kennedy, these freedom
fighters disembarked from U.S. Naval ships and as
they reached the shore of The Bay of Pigs. Then,
Castro’s Soviet made planes brutally attacked the
Cuban liberating force with bombs and bullets. The
brave liberators where part of the 2506 Brigade.
Most were killed on the beach. Others were captured
and tortured by the Revolutionary criminals and held
for ransom. President Kennedy and his Attorney
General Robert Kennedy decided to pull back the U.S.
Naval ships that had brought the 2506 Brigade to
Cuba and left them defenseless. The ransom was paid
and the survivors were released. Many joined the
U.S. Military and served with distinction for
multiple tours in Vietnam, where they continued to
fight against communism.
Shortly after the Bay of Pigs, the Soviet Union
installed offensive missiles in Cuba pointing
towards the United States, under the leadership of
Nikita Khrushchev. Kennedy found himself facing a
Nuclear War against the Soviet Union. The stalemate
ended with the Kennedy Khrushchev Accord. Khrushchev
agreed to remove the missiles in Cuba if the United
States would remove its missiles from Turkey and
would not attempt to overthrow the Communist
Revolution in Cuba ever again. The removal of the
Soviet missiles from Cuba was never verified!
We had, in the Western Hemisphere, a foreign power
occupying a country against the long- standing
Monroe Doctrine that was issued on December 2, 1823.
The Doctrine warned European and other foreign
powers against interfering in the affairs of the
Western Hemisphere. Obviously, the Monroe Doctrine
is being violated to this day.
Today we find ourselves facing a new type of
revolution in Cuba. The revolution for freedom of
the oppressed Cuban people who are desperate,
starving, and without hope. We have seen brave
demonstrations in the streets of Cuba, where, for
over 60 years, no such assembly of people has been
permitted. This at the risk of being beaten and
arrested.
In many cases documented from sources in Cuba, these
demonstrators, many holding the U.S. flag
symbolizing Freedom and Liberty, have vanished and
it is speculated killed for their quest to be free.
One such case involves a Catholic Priest, Father
Castro Jose Alvarez Devesa.
The question we have is WWBD. What will Biden do? It
is time for the United States to stand firm against
the oppressive and brutal Communist Dictatorship
that has plagued our neighbor, the Island Nation
just ninety miles from our shores, for over six
Decades.
My late father, a patriot who loved this country and
fought his whole life for the people of his native
land of Cuba, wrote these powerful words:
“Only those who are willing to give their lives for their cause are worthy of having one.
To be fulfilled you have to give yourself fully.
He who loses their identity with God, with his
country and with himself has lost everything,”
Antonio Benedi
Former Commissioned Officer and Special Assistant to
President George H.W. Bush.
Former Member of the Board of Directors of the
Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty.
Member of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library
Advisory Council.
U.S. Naturalized Citizen