November 12, 2005
Cuban Veterans
This post is a bit on the personal side, but I think all of us can appreciate it on this Veteran's Day weekend. I wanted to post this yesterday, but I didn't want to step on Val's broken thermos and his touching Veteran's Day tribute.
I've often heard and read remarks from some less-tolerant and ignorant people that Cuban-Americans are unappreciative and disrespectful of their adopted country. These remarks reached their peak during the Elian fiasco when Miami was a tangle of ethnic bad blood.
Every time I see or read these uninformed statements, I can't help but think of my father and many of his fellow veterans. You see, my father is a Vietnam Veteran who served his adopted country although he was born and spent his first 15 years in Cuba.
He's far from the only Cuban-born person to have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. In Miami, Veterans of Foreign Wars Jose Marti Post 10212 was founded by Cuban exiles who served in Vietnan and other wars.
I searched for a web site on the post, but couldn't find anything official. I did, however, find a speech which was read by the post's original founder, Dr. Manolo Reyes, back in 1991 at the post's 20th Anniversary dinner. Dr. Reyes' words were read in the House of Representatives by then-Representative Dante Fascell.
I'd now like to share the words from that speech with all of you - as they are a classic reminder of the admiration and respect that Cuban-Americans share toward this great country.
HON. DANTE B. FASCELL
in the House of Representatives
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1991
Mr. FASCELL. Mr. Speaker, several weeks ago the VFW Jose Marti Post of Miami, FL, observed and celebrated its 20th anniversary. The post is composed primarily of Cuban refugees who volunteered to serve in the United States armed services.
More than 500 people attended the anniversary dinner and Capt. W.C. McCamy, Commander of the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba, was a special guest.
The main speaker of the evening was the Post's original founder, Dr. Manolo Reyes--formerly a leading Cuban broadcaster, both in Cuba and, subsequently, in south Florida, and now an administrator at Mercy Hospital in Miami. I commend to our colleagues Dr. Reyes' moving remarks.
It is indeed a great privilege for me to address this gathering honoring the members of V.F.W. Jose Marti Post. This post is very close to my heart since I started to work on it's Foundation in mid 1970, 21 years ago. With a dream in my lips, I approached Joseph and Ann Grenesse who were already working in a VFW Post. With their support and help we began to make approaches and on May 16, 1971--20 years ago--this post was officially chartered.
I never dreamt that the Jose Marti V.F.W. Post was going to grow the way it has. You have to realize that even though we have been in this country for three decades, we represent an early immigration starting in the sixties. At the time when we came, we believed we were going to be here only for 6 months, a year at the most, because a communist regime not going to be able to survive 90 miles away from the United States.
When we came at the beginning of the sixties, the U.S. had to face for the first time in U.S. history that it would be a nation of first asylum. In previous years, the U.S. had the Hungarian exodus, but the Hungarians went to a second country where they were screened by U.S. authorities and then came to America.
In the case of the Cubans, more than 200,000 of them came in waves up until mid 1962, and they were considered parolees. One way or the other, Cubans of all ages came at that time, and when the Vietnam war began they were recruited by the U.S. On record, we have more than 10,000 Cuban youngsters that went to the jungles of Vietnam to defend freedom and democracy against communism.
Some of those Cuban youngsters are here today. Would you please stand up and be recognized?
They follow the Cuban tradition of joining forces with the United States when our friend of the north had an international crisis.
There were Cuban volunteers in the U.S. Armed Forces in World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and in the Middle East War. All of these started when American rough riders and Cuban freedom fighters under the direction of General Calixto Garcia, joined ranks to fight for the Cuban freedom in San Juan Hill, Oriente Province.
But in those initial wars and struggles we never had a VFW Post integrated by Cubans who went abroad to fight under the flag of the stars and stripes.
And now, we hope and pray that the next event of the VFW Post Jose Marti will be in a free Cuba. And you, Captain W.C. McCamy, as Commander of U.S. Guantanamo Naval Base, have a very special invitation for that occasion.
I've said many times that the best speeches are the shortest ones. To that effect, I am going to finish my speech making reference to the person who's name is carried by this post.
The V.F.W. Post carries the name of one of the most illustrious Cubans ever born: Jose Marti. Marti was not only recognized as a leader by the Cubans, but by all the nation he visited in her pilgrimage. And, I say pilgrimage because Jose Marti lived in exile more years than in his native country, Cuba. Just as we have done, Marti lived many years in the United States and his places of operation were New York, Tampa and Key West, Florida.
He was born in 1853 while his country was in slavery. He lived during slavery and died, in 1895 while Cuba was still in slavery. But, when his blood was spilled in the battle of Dos Rios in Oriente Province, he planted the seed of freedom in Cuba forever.
It has been said by scholars and intellectuals that history repeats itself.
In the last century, Cuba had two wars of Independence to be free from Spain, The first one lasted 10 years from 1868 to 1878, and the second from 1895 to 1898. In both wars Cuba had Cuban exiles representing the freedom fight patriots who were in the island struggling for freedom.
On February 24, 1895, the second Cuban war of Independence was started in Oriente Province with the cry of Baire. Several weeks later, the great Cuban leaders, General A. Maceo, General Maximo Gomez and Jose Marti met in a farm called `La Mejorana' near Playitas where they landed. All of this was happening in Oriente Province. In La Mejorana they formed the Cuban Government of the Republic of Cuba in arms.
If history repeats itself, I hope and pray that very soon the Cuban leaders in exile will land in Cuba, in Oriente Province, to join our Cuban brothers and sisters and establish a Cuban Government of the Republic of Cuba in arms at the Guantanamo Naval Base.
Posted by Robert M at November 12, 2005 10:44 AM
Comments
Thanks for sharing with us that post about Cuban Veterans of American Wars. Cuban exiles have been accused of many things, but one of the most vile and vicious accusations is the one that we are unappreciative of our adoptive nation. Make no mistake about it, all of these canards have their origin in Cuba. It's part of Castro's Goebbelian strategy to neutralize us, so that no one will listen to us when we combat him. He wants to depict us as such extremists that no one in his right mind will ever take us seriously. That is why we constantly hear invectives like "Miami Mafia" "extremists" "right-wingers", "racists" and now unpatriotic". Through Prensa Latina, GRANMA and Cuban embassies around the world, these racist and slanderous accusations are filtered out. For instance, the New York Times will simply publish Castro's press releases and in that way give Castro a free platform from where he inevitably badmouths us.
[Like I always say, Castro doesn't have to sell GRANMA in the USA, he has the NYT's at his service basically publishing what is already written in GRANMA]
Fidel Castro plays the American public like an accordian. During the Elian crisis, he played the Americans [of course with the help of the Clinton administration] to his heart's content.. Remember how the American people were initially in favor of keeping Elian in the USA? And then Reno spoke to officials in the Cuban government [who reached some sort of agreement with the Clinton Administration] and they spindoctored the entire Elian thing completely out of reality. Ironically, that's when the real anti-American elements in the USA, the Joan Brown Campbell's, the National Council of Churches, the Maxine Water's and the Bill Clinton's started depicting us as anti-American. We were, according to the accusation, taking the law into our own hands, etc... They do the same with the embargo. They say that we have hijacked American foreign policy. Their version of the story is that we are these "foreigners" who are only interested in Cuba and not in the USA; the implication being that trading with Cuba [which is as you and I know, is a bankrupt dictatorship] would be good for the United States, but that we are so UNPATRIOTIC that we just don't care.
It's actually all so warped and sick that it gives one a headache to even think about it!
Posted by: Ray at November 12, 2005 03:24 PM
America was designed by the Founding Fathers especially for people like the Cubans who have come over here, whether by plane, ship or on rafts or inner tubes, and become true to the spirit of this Country.
I'd rather live in Florida in the midst of a thousand Cubans than in Berkeley or San Francisco close to those who betray and disparage their heritage in every manner possible.
Posted by: Howarde at November 13, 2005 03:23 AM
The energy and enthusiasm and deep understanding by Americans of Cuban extraction for this country is a beautiful part of what is great about America. The care for the cause of liberty and freedom, as well as the ways in which Cuban Americans have found to serve this nation has enriched us all. The flame of freedom which so many Cuban Americans have worked so hard to keep so bright will someday bring that light back to Cuba itself.
Posted by: ebnelson at November 13, 2005 08:09 AM
Hi Val!
I've been lucky enough to serve with Marines of all shapes, sizes, and cultural backgrounds. I'd like to wish the Vets in your neck of the woods a hearty "Gracias!" for stepping up to the plate when the time came to do so, and thanks for watching my back, when we stood the line together, it was an honor to stand beside you...
It is our diversity that gives us strength...
Siempre Fiel!
(Thanks for giving me that, Val, "Semper Fidelis - Siempre Fiel - Always Faithful", good to iffirm that the idea transcends any language barriers, and is shared by good men and women...)
Posted by: Sgt. B. at November 14, 2005 12:59 PM
Now if I could just learn how to spell...
Cheers!
Posted by: Sgt. B. at November 14, 2005 01:00 PM