“They were vicious against us,” stated Lieutenant Colonel Abel Guerra Perera, a survivor of the U.S. military aggression against Venezuela on January 3rd. Where 32 Cubans lost their lives, amidst the haze of memories of bombs and rubble.
Amid the tears and deep sorrow of the people of Holguin, who paid posthumous tribute this Friday to those who fell in combat in the neighboring country. The officer recalled the moments of anguish experienced during the bombing of Fort Tiuna in Caracas. Also the site where many of his comrades perished.
The explosions and the collapses woke them in the early morning; they were unarmed to defend themselves. The enemy force acted with ferocity, using all the weaponry at its disposal to attack disproportionately, he recounted. The Apache helicopters, ordered to destroy the facilities, positioned themselves so close. Barely a hundred meters away and only ten or fifteen meters high, that they could see them, recounted Wilfredo Frómeta Tamayo, a civilian with the defense forces.
Also the dust made it difficult for them to breathe, and debris rained down mercilessly on the Cuban personnel. Comprised of military personnel and several civilian workers from the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) who were on a mission. Some managed to take cover, hoping to survive, while for others, prayers were in vain. Under the principle of never abandoning a comrade, as soon as the attack ceased, they began rescue operations. On the first day, they managed to assist eight men, and the following day, three more, although the final toll was the painful loss of several members of the group.
For Frómeta Tamayo, who served as a driver, in that desolate scene, saturated with thick smoke and the pungent smell of gunpowder. So the most difficult thing was identifying the bodies of those close to him, Not only because of the difficulty of distinguishing them among the ruins. But also because of the shock that made them long for everyone to have survived.
Even survival becomes a burden when good men, worthy and courageous revolutionaries. Perished upholding the legacy inherited from the heroes of Cuban history. Whose sacrifice will be remembered in every future endeavor of the Revolution, expressed Lieutenant Colonel Gregorio Romero Osorio, also a victim of the military actions.
Despite the magnitude of the crime, the morale of those who remain intact, as does their will to confront any future threat. Because they owe it to those who fell, to the history of struggle for sovereignty, and to the Cuban people who refuse to renounce their independence, added Guerra Perera. As if caressing warm and vibrant loved ones, mourners bid farewell to the remains of these heroes whose absence has become eternal. A tear in the heart of a nation that feels the loss of precious sons, a pain that echoes today in every corner of the island.
In the early morning of January 3rd, U.S. military forces carried out an operation against the sovereignty of neighboring Venezuela. Resulting in the kidnapping of its constitutional president, Nicolás Maduro, and the murder of 32 Cubans.
With information from CNA
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