We are freedom loving, Cuban patriots from all walks of life. A blend of farmers, lawyers, barbers, doctors, the occasional actor, a calculated engineer, a reassuring priest – a variety of the populace that make up a functional, respectful, civilized society. We are the Assault Brigade 2506 - we are FREEDOM FIGHTERS. Today we remain 537 of the original 1,414 brave hearts whose story, against all odds, is nothing short of spectacular.
The Assault Brigade 2506 takes root from a resolute, collaborative effort put forth in 1959 by a determined U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to rid the region of the Soviet-Communist foothold embraced by Fidel Castro’s Cuba.
The effort was originally coded Operation Pluto, later renamed Operation Zapata and is infamously known as the Bay of Pigs. The CIA was bestowed one of its most ambitious, dramatic, covert missions that was to change modern history forever. And so it did...
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Originally crafted as a small expeditionary force, we grew into a determined, full fledged, highly skilled, formidable Assault Brigade. We trained tirelessly under rigorous conditions with elite U.S. Special Forces by ways of Useppa Island - FL, Guatemala, Panama, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua. The average age of the Brigadiers was 24. The eldest, a 54 year old highly decorated WWII U.S Army Cuban-born paratrooper and the youngest, a passionate 15 year old student who forged his papers to join the cause.
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We firmly committed to our mission on January 1960 and gallantly unwavered on the battlefield through April 1961. Incoming President John F. Kennedy through a series of political, tactical and operational lapses rendered the mission ineffectual and ultimately expended us, as well as several fearless pilots of his own U.S. Alabama Air National Guard. This, we will never forget.
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We call ourselves brothers and indeed we are. The principles that led us to fight against tyranny and oppression and seeking liberty for Cuba are embedded in us and may our legacy remain such.
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Our devotion, courage and selflessness resonate to this day. An alliance born of common cause, cast in spirit, which should have been, never was - but will be.
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Assault Brigade 2506