Raúl highlighted the actions of José Ramón Machado Ventura against Batista’s tyranny; and as doctor and guerrilla; one of the founders of the Communist Party of Cuba. Foto: Estudio Revolución
Raúl recalled Comandante Ramiro Valdés Menéndez’s feats, including that of having participated, alongside Che, in the invasion of the West, as second in command of the Ciro Redondo Column No. 8. Foto: Estudio Revolución
Regarding Comandante Guillermo García Frías, Raúl noted the merit of having been the first campesino to join the Rebel Army. Foto: Estudio Revolución
The path of the Revolution is full of good men and women. Many whose names are inscribed in history; others who remain anonymous.
The individual traits of each stand out. But that is probably the least important aspect, because it is these men and women as a whole, that which unites and transcends them, that is of the most consequence; born of their generosity, of their limitless defense of the same cause, of their will to live and die with a clean conscience.
Any pause along this path in order to honor them is, at the least, well-deserved. Beyond eras or wars; the merit of starting everything or continuing it; the ability to succeed and then continue, along paths no less difficult, until the here and now.
But when that recognition is made to coincide with February 24, a date marking a new beginning and continuity, back in 1895; when Havana’s Capitolio building is chosen as host, in whose crypt lie the remains of an unknown Mambí, as a tribute to that founding generation; this honor is all the more symbolic.
And such an honor was what Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Party and President of the Councils of State and of Ministers, pinned to the chests of José Ramón Machado Ventura, Second Party Secretary, and the Comandantes of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez and Guillermo García Frías, on decorating them, February 24, with the honorary title of Heroes of Labor of the Republic of Cuba.
According to Raúl, this was a fitting recognition of a lifetime of work dedicated to the Revolution; to the efforts of “three Mambises of our times,” whose loyalty to Cuba and to Fidel, commitment to work, modesty and humility, have made them worthy of Cubans’ respect.
What better date and place, he noted, to pay tribute to those who already treasure the honorable title of Heroes of the Republic of Cuba, another reflection of their revolutionary efforts.
In a brief summary, as could only be the case when dealing with so many years of dedication, the Army General reviewed key events to understand the merit of these men, and the place that, by dint of struggle and hard work, they have earned in the history of their country.
Because memories must be made of these modest men, capable of the extraordinary.
Thus Raúl spoke of the Second Secretary of the Party and a Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers, José Ramón Machado Ventura. He recalled the young medical student who began his activities against Batista’s tyranny; the doctor and guerrilla; one of the founders of the Communist Party of Cuba, in 1975.
He also recalled the efforts of Comandante Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, member of the Political Bureau and a vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers. He praised, among all his exploits, that of having participated, alongside Che, in the invasion of the West, as second in command of the Ciro Redondo Column No. 8.
Regarding Comandante Guillermo García Frías, Raúl did not overlook his foresight or the fact that he personally led Fidel and other combatants to Cinco Palmas, or the merit of having been the first campesino to join the Rebel Army and to be promoted within its ranks.
As Raúl rightly stated, there are many anecdotes that could be shared about each of them: that of the bullet lodged in Ramiro Valdés’ foot during the Moncada assault, where it remained until he found and removed it with his own knife one day in the Sierra Maestra; or that of the good fortune of Guillermo García, who knew how to move around “safely” in the hills.
And I also think of the faces of those poor people, abandoned to their fate and suffering scarcities, who had never seen a doctor, and who were cared for in the network of field hospitals and clinics developed by Machado Ventura, to provide services not only to combatants, but to the wider population.
On the chests of these three men, Cuba placed a new decoration; the greatest recognition, however, does not come with titles or medals. It consists of safeguarding, from each and every space, the perfectible work to which they have devoted their lives. It is about continuing their efforts, rooted in their very essence.
