This resolution pays tribute to the members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506) who participated in the Bay of Pigs operation, and it calls on the United States to support policies that promote respect for democratic principles, civil liberties, freedom, and justice in Cuba.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 278 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 278
Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs operation and
remembering the members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade
2506).
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 26, 2021
Mr. Diaz-Balart (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Mrs. Demings, Mr. C. Scott
Franklin of Florida, Mr. Gimenez, Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio, Mr. Hastings,
Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Mooney, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Posey, Ms.
Salazar, Mr. Sires, Mr. Steube, Mr. Waltz, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr.
Deutch, and Mr. Mast) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs operation and
remembering the members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade
2506).
Whereas April 17, 2021, marks the 60th anniversary of the first day of the Bay
of Pigs operation, an event held dear in the hearts of many who long for
the return of freedom, democracy, and justice to Cuba;
Whereas the dictatorship in Cuba that resulted from the January 1, 1959,
Communist takeover in Cuba has systematically denied the Cuban people
their most basic human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Whereas, from 1959 until his death in 2016, dictator Fidel Castro systematically
violated the human rights of the Cuban people, curtailed freedom of the
press, arbitrarily imprisoned and killed an untold number of members of
the political opposition in Cuba, and confiscated the properties of
citizens of Cuba and the United States;
Whereas the men and women participating in the Bay of Pigs operation assumed the
title of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506), which was named
after the serial number (2506) of Carlos Rodriguez Santana, a founding
member of the brigade who died during training exercises in September
1960;
Whereas Assault Brigade 2506 consisted of individuals, primarily Cuban exiles in
the United States, from diverse backgrounds, including doctors, nurses,
engineers, architects, priests, cooks, musicians, actors, business
owners, barbers, bankers, construction workers, office clerks, students,
pilots, and many other individuals representing different sectors in
Cuba;
Whereas, on April 17, 1961, approximately 1,400 individuals selflessly began
fighting to free the Cuban people from tyranny;
Whereas in the ensuing days, and in the course of a battle against the Cuban
military, which was superior in manpower and firepower, more than 100
men lost their lives;
Whereas the events of April 17 through April 20, 1961, ended with the capture
and imprisonment of 1,204 members or more than 75 percent of Assault
Brigade 2506;
Whereas a large number of the 1,204 captured members of Assault Brigade 2506
were imprisoned in deplorable conditions for close to 18 months,
subjected to harsh and inhumane treatment, and later sentenced without
due process to 30 years of imprisonment;
Whereas, in September 1961, the Cuban regime executed 5 members of Assault
Brigade 2506 who had been captured during the operation;
Whereas 67 members of Assault Brigade 2506 died in combat, including 4 American
pilots and 10 Cuban pilots and navigators, 10 members died while trying
to flee Cuba on a fishing boat that drifted in the Gulf of Mexico for
almost 15 days, 10 members died while being transported to prison by
their Cuban captors inside a sealed truck with limited oxygen, 9 members
were executed by firing squads, and 3 members died while in prison due
to lack of medical attention;
Whereas one of the most heinous acts relating to the operation was ordered by
then Captain Osmany Cienfuegos, who forced nearly 100 male prisoners
into a closed trailer in which they were transported for 8 hours with
limited oxygen;
Whereas the Cuban regime is a party to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which
require the humane treatment of prisoners of war;
Whereas, in March 1962, as the trial of the captured fighters approached, the
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
appealed to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, asking that the provisions of
Article 3 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of
Prisoners of War, done at Geneva, August 12, 1949, be fully applied, and
for permission to visit the prisoners, but all the requests went
unanswered;
Whereas the 1,113 members of Assault Brigade 2506 who finally returned to the
United States after the operation have made significant and valuable
contributions to the United States, while never forgetting their beloved
homeland;
Whereas, on December 29, 1962, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was presented
with the banner of Assault Brigade 2506 that had reached the shores of
Cuba during the operation, and the President pledged, ``I can assure you
that this flag will be returned to this brigade in a free Havana.'';
Whereas, on April 24, 1986, a joint resolution (Public Law 99-279; 100 Stat.
398) was approved ``Commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
Bay of Pigs invasion to liberate Cuba from Communist tyranny.'';
Whereas Cuba's authoritarian regime continues to arbitrarily detain thousands of
critics, activists, and opponents; and
Whereas the Cuban people continue to struggle and demand respect for democratic
values, civil liberties, freedom, and justice: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) remembers and pays tribute to the brave and courageous
members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506), both
living and deceased;
(2) calls on the Government of the United States to
continue to support policies that promote the respect for
democratic principles, civil liberties, freedom, and justice in
Cuba, in a manner consistent with the aspirations of the Cuban
people;
(3) recognizes that individual members of Assault Brigade
2506 later joined the United States Armed Forces and fought in
the Vietnam war; and
(4) recognizes that many veterans of the Bay of Pigs
operation settled across the United States to become productive
members of the society of the United States, including public
officials and industry leaders.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, Migration and International Economic Policy.
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