SECOND FRONT, Santiago de Cuba—From the very path opened atop Mícara hills by the column of Commander Raúl Castro Ruz, who 68 years ago, on Fidel's orders, founded the Second Front Frank País, palm trees wave their fronds as a symbol of that guerrilla nucleus, formed by seasoned combatants.
Organized into columns and companies, and with the creation of the Rebel Air Force, the Front gave no quarter to the enemy in the 12,000 square kilometers it controlled, in the territory of what are now the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, and Holguín. There, in nine months and 22 days of campaigning, it carried out more than 250 combat actions, captured 31 barracks, and liberated cities and towns.
In the midst of the war, Commander Raúl, only 27 years old, established the departments of Justice, Rebel Health, Public Works, Treasury, Education, Propaganda, and Inspection, as well as the Agrarian and Labor bureaus. He also organized 20 hospitals and medical posts, and some 400 schools, among other benefits for the mountain population.
"Now we are like a small revolutionary state within another," Raúl said of that experience, which Fidel described as "a model of organization, administration, and order."
The participation of the women who joined the guerrilla group in risky missions will never be forgotten, among whom the heroines of the Sierra and the plains, Vilma Espín Guillois, and Asela de los Santos Tamayo, became symbols.
The triumph of the Revolution extended the transformation of the intricate region, and its municipal capital, which bears the name of Segundo Frente (Second Front), boasts extensive socioeconomic infrastructure and modern buildings.
At the mausoleum built there, at the foot of the Mícara hills, Cuba frequently gathers to commemorate the heroic deeds that took place there, contributing to the victory of the Revolution, and where there is a constant reverence for the heroes and martyrs who gave their lives.
