BAY OF PIGS SURVIVORS FEEL TWICE BETRAYED
Little Havana, Miami, Florida (JFK+50) Fifty-two years ago today, April 23, 1963, Premier Fidel Castro, communist dictator of Cuba, freed the last group of prisoners taken captive by his army at the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961.
Of the more than 1300 Cuban refugee freedom fighters who took part in the invasion, less than 900 are still living. 120 died in the invasion while the remainder became POWS.
Although most of them were released in December 1962 and the rest 52 years ago today, they felt betrayed and now with the recent agreement to normalize relations between Communist Cuba and the United States, they feel betrayed again.
Julio Gonzalez-Rebull said...
"The brigade's members have been betrayed twice, once in April 1961, and now in December 2014."
Julio and many other former POWS meet frequently at the Bay of Pigs Museum here in Miami. The museum, which opened 28 years ago, displays the large Brigade 2506 flag that was presented to President John F. Kennedy in Miami in December 1962.
Julio recalls the day as one of renewed hope as the President, off script, said..."This flag will be returned to this Brigade in a free Havana."
Unfortunately, that was never to be.
Julio was one of those invited to an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs in 2011. He was saddened that some of the members of the United States Congress "didn't even know about April 17, 1961."
SOURCE
"Bay of Pigs Survivors on US-Cuba Thaw: 'Two American presidents betrayed us,'" by Richard Luscombe, The Guardian-US Edition, December 23, 2014, www.theguardian.com/
Flag of Brigade 2506
SOVIET COSMONAUT PLUNGES TO DEATH WHEN PARACHUTE FAILS TO DEPLOY
Moscow (JFK+50) Forty-eight years ago today, April 23, 1967, Soviet Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov lost his life as the parachute which was to bring him safely back to earth failed to deploy.
Komarov, who made his 1st space journey in 1964, had completed 24 hours and 16 orbits aboard Soyuz I when he experienced problems on re-entry to the earth's atmosphere.
He made two additional orbits, re-entered successfully, but his previous issues had caused the parachute to jam. At 23,000 feet the chute failed to deploy and the spacecraft plunged to the earth.
Mr. Komarov was cremated and his ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall.
Soviet Comonaut
RFK ASSASSIN SENTENCED TO DEATH PENALTY
Los Angeles, California (JFK+50) Forty-six years ago today, April 23, 1969, Sirhan Sirhan, who shot Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York on June 5, 1968, was given the death penalty.
Senator Kennedy, formerly Attorney General for President John F. Kennedy, ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1968.
After winning the California Primary on June 4, RFK had just completed a short victory speech in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel here in Los Angeles when he was shot.
In 1972, California abolished the death penalty and Sirhan's sentence was changed to life imprisonment. Sirhan continues to serve his sentence today.
Sirhan Sirhan
Little Havana, Miami, Florida (JFK+50) Fifty-two years ago today, April 23, 1963, Premier Fidel Castro, communist dictator of Cuba, freed the last group of prisoners taken captive by his army at the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961.
Of the more than 1300 Cuban refugee freedom fighters who took part in the invasion, less than 900 are still living. 120 died in the invasion while the remainder became POWS.
Although most of them were released in December 1962 and the rest 52 years ago today, they felt betrayed and now with the recent agreement to normalize relations between Communist Cuba and the United States, they feel betrayed again.
Julio Gonzalez-Rebull said...
"The brigade's members have been betrayed twice, once in April 1961, and now in December 2014."
Julio and many other former POWS meet frequently at the Bay of Pigs Museum here in Miami. The museum, which opened 28 years ago, displays the large Brigade 2506 flag that was presented to President John F. Kennedy in Miami in December 1962.
Julio recalls the day as one of renewed hope as the President, off script, said..."This flag will be returned to this Brigade in a free Havana."
Unfortunately, that was never to be.
Julio was one of those invited to an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs in 2011. He was saddened that some of the members of the United States Congress "didn't even know about April 17, 1961."
SOURCE
"Bay of Pigs Survivors on US-Cuba Thaw: 'Two American presidents betrayed us,'" by Richard Luscombe, The Guardian-US Edition, December 23, 2014, www.theguardian.com/
Flag of Brigade 2506
Photo by MrPenguin20 (2015)
Moscow (JFK+50) Forty-eight years ago today, April 23, 1967, Soviet Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov lost his life as the parachute which was to bring him safely back to earth failed to deploy.
Komarov, who made his 1st space journey in 1964, had completed 24 hours and 16 orbits aboard Soyuz I when he experienced problems on re-entry to the earth's atmosphere.
He made two additional orbits, re-entered successfully, but his previous issues had caused the parachute to jam. At 23,000 feet the chute failed to deploy and the spacecraft plunged to the earth.
Mr. Komarov was cremated and his ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall.
Soviet Comonaut
Vladimir Komarov
Los Angeles, California (JFK+50) Forty-six years ago today, April 23, 1969, Sirhan Sirhan, who shot Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York on June 5, 1968, was given the death penalty.
Senator Kennedy, formerly Attorney General for President John F. Kennedy, ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1968.
After winning the California Primary on June 4, RFK had just completed a short victory speech in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel here in Los Angeles when he was shot.
In 1972, California abolished the death penalty and Sirhan's sentence was changed to life imprisonment. Sirhan continues to serve his sentence today.
Sirhan Sirhan
