May 21, 2005
Still Flying High...
Some of the most thrilling encounters at the CubaNostalgia gathering in Miami this weekend can take place in wholly unexpected, most surprising ways.
It's early Saturday afternoon and the place is already jammed by throngs of people, most of them Cubans, as expected, but there are also many other nationalities represented here: Venezuelans, Colombians, Argentinians, and yes, even Americans.
At one point, the crowd flowing through one of the corridors parts momentarily and from the Babalublog.com station we can see a man attired entirely in black. No, it's not Michael Jackson or the ghost of Johnny Cash, but none other than Antonio Sanson. He is one of the very few remaining pilots of the original Cubana de Aviacion. He stills fits perfectly into one of his old uniforms, from the snappy black hat to his polished wing tips. Pinned on his breast is the polished insignia of a captain.
Sanson stops briefly to visit us and when asked, recalls that he started flying during World War II, when he joined the Air Corps and received training to pilot the famed fighters known as the Mustang P51, widely reputed to be the airplane that practically saved England from the Nazi onslaught. He is, without a doubt, a member of the Greatest Generation, though you won't find any mention of him in Tom Brokaw's book about the men and women who gave our nation so much during those crucial years in the 1940s, or even in the regular transmissions of The History Channel.
But Sanson is, without a doubt, a full-fledged hero.
After the war ended, Sanson flew for Braniff Airlines, and eventually Cubana de Aviacion. Though he appears to be somewhere in his mid-70s, he still has a firm grip when he shakes your hand, and he carries himself with the elegant poise and easy-flowing motions of a well-trained military man. His mind, likewise is still razor sharp and he has the innate sense of humor of virtually every Cuban who can see a joke or a funny side to nearly any situation.
Though Sanson is pressed for time, because a television crew awaits him in the next building, he promises to return, for more stories about his days flying in Cuba and other countries.
Told that he would be able to send an e-mail to Cuba's tyrant and say anything he'd like, he smiles broadly and declares: "A ese hijo de puta le daria un ataque al corazon si viera or escuchara mi nombre (that son-of-a-bitch would have a heart attack if he saw or heard my name)."
So we will do everything within our means to ensure Sanson comes back to our booth and drafts/sends his message to the cowardly barbudo. And we will deliver it. And maybe, just maybe that son-of-a-bitch in Havana will have another fall...
--Julio C. Zangroniz
Posted by Val Prieto at May 21, 2005 03:14 PM
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Comments
Excelent post Val, as always. Your writing always inspires!
Not trying to split hairs here but, the P51 actually saved the American bomber crews from destruction by German fighters. The Spitfire, and its pilots, were responsible for saving England.
I am a hopeless student of history.
Posted by: VLAD at May 21, 2005 03:44 PM
Val, you just rock. My prayers are that one day very soon your post on Castro being dead will occur and the breeze of freedom will blow through Cuba.
Posted by: Rightwingsparkle at May 21, 2005 06:48 PM
He'd have to be about 80, Val, if he flew P-51s in WWII, a minor point, but it shows good physical condition even at that age. Things are getting more and more exciting among the Cubans, and therefore, very encouraging.
Posted by: howarde at May 22, 2005 09:59 PM
