HONORING A HERO

Dear Friends of Liberty:

Last Friday, April 17, we remembered the 48th Anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, an almost forgotten chapter in American history. My city of New Orleans holds a very special place in the hearts of those veterans who participated in the invasion. New Orleans is the only burial place for Bay of Pigs veterans who died as a direct result of battle. The story of these veterans begins as they escaped during the last moments of battle and avoided capture by the Communist troops. Sad to say, they were abandoned, not only during the invasion but even at this last minute, when some are trying to escape, our own ships have orders to leave them behind and were totally ignored. Some of these men perished in the boat and were buried at sea and those who survived were rescued by a freighter near the Mississippi River and brought here to New Orleans.

Every year, in the Garden of Memories, a group of Cubans in the New Orleans area come together to remember and honor these veterans. Every year there are less of us. I hope that in the future there will always be someone there on that day to remember these brave and almost forgotten warriors.

Many of the surviving Bay of Pigs veterans are also veterans of the United States Armed Forces. I am including the story of one of them who was a real hero during World War II, his name is Manuel Pérez García.

I have known many of these veterans over the years, however, I want to specially mention my friend Miguel Uría who was instrumental in the remembrance ceremonies here in New Orleans. Miguel is now living in Miami, Florida and was not able to be with us. Thank you Miguel for your efforts and for being there always on behalf of freedom. May God bless you and all the members of Brigade 2506

As an American veteran of the Vietnam War I can relate to the frustration of these men and their feelings after being abandoned by our own government. But the fight for freedom continues and as the Brigade Commander, José (Pepe) Pérez San Roman declared in the last moments: "We will never abandon our homeland." and I may add, "We will never abandon our new American home."

Jorge A. Maspóns

HONORING A HERO
By Jose Juara Silverio

In a radio appearance with Dr. Luis Fernández Caubi in his program, the newspaper reporter asked me who was the outstanding member of Brigade 2506 according to his Conrades-in-arms.

I told Dr. Fernández that many men had distinguished themselves in the Brigade and that therefore it would be very difficult to choose among the various corps that maid up the Brigade but that without a doubt, among the members of the paratrooper’s battalion, the outstanding member was Manuel Pérez García and at that point I proceeded to describe for him the following account:

Pérez García was born on July 23, 1909 in the Cuban province of Camagüey and although still very young he enlisted in the Cuban National Army.

After several years of service he was honorably discharged and he immigrated to the United States where he offered himself as a volunteer for the U.S.Army immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The story written by this native "camagüeyano" during MacArthur’s campaign in the Pacific is truly an epic. In three years of war, fighting against the Japanese, Perez Garcia earned many awards and decorations including, among them, three Purple Hearts, three Silver Stars and three Bronze Stars, all awarded for his courageous actions in battle.[1] Among his deeds, in the Philippine Campaign, against the Japanese forces of General Yamashita, nicknamed "the Tiger of Malaya."[2] Pérez García captured General Yamashita himself and took the flag hoisted over his headquarters as a war trophy.

After Audie Murphy (who fought in the European theater) Pérez García was the infantry soldier who slew the most enemies, achieving the surprising total of 83 Japanese soldier killed in combat. The 82nd Airborne Division him a trophy in recognition of this feat. At the end of the Second World War and after serving three additional years, Pérez García once again retired to civilian life

The North Korean communists were about to deliver him a severe blow with the death of his son, Sergeant Jorge Pérez Crespo during the Korean conflict. Once again, Pérez García volunteered himself for duty in the U.S. Army. However, this time he was officially rejected by President Harry S. Truman himself who wrote him an affectionate letter on June 9, 1952 in which the President explained that he was rejected for service due to being beyond the age allow by law to anyone who desires to enlist. The President also said: "You have gone far beyond the call of duty with the United States, just as your military record shows."

And once again the communists, this time the Cuban communists, pushed him to volunteer again to fight in a new war against a dictatorship and a totalitarian regime enlisting as a member of Brigade 2506. Pérez García arrives in Guatemala to train as a buck private to fight for freedom and joins the paratrooper battalion voluntarily where I had the honor to meet him.

He was 51 years old and always first in training among those of us lads who were hardly 18. He was gray-haired yet he was the best among th best in the rough training we were subjected to. Discipline was his religion which he practice and demanded from everyone. He reprimanded me once for one of those pranks that we sometimes thought of to do to brake the boredom of tedious training. I remember that for me it was as if my grandfather Jose was reprimanding me, with severity but in a constructive way.

During the battle for Girón Beach,[3] those who fought with the same group tell me that, Manuel not only demonstrated courage and experience but also "that natural soldier’s instinct" who makes correct and instantaneous decisions and exercises command in the midst of battle without hesitation.

After so many years, it is another "camagüeyano" and fellow brigade member, Jose "Gene" Miranda y Agramonte who informs me that Perez Garcia has donated part of his decorations and documents to BRIGADE 2506 Museum in Miami, Florida. Among the awards and medals are the letter from President Truman, the trophy for the Japanese killed in combat, General Yamashita’s flag and many more.

Through this article I want to honor my friend, the hero Manuel Pérez García and invite the readers to visit the Brigade Museum and gaze at this exhibition of Cuban-American history.

Jose Juara Silverio

Translated from the Spanish and notes added by Jorge A. Maspóns
[1] Manuel Pérez García was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor
[2] General Tomoyuki Yamashita, (1885-1946), was executed by hanging for war crimes, February 23, 1946
[3] Girón Beach (Playa Girón) is known by many people as the Bay of Pigs

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