Of all the stories from his life, we must always remember the one that places him, at age 22, at the Palace of Justice in Santiago de Cuba, with barely seconds to react. What was at stake was life—his own and that of his comrades.
Minutes earlier, on the rooftop, he had told the others to go down while he held the position. As the fighting subsided and those in charge of the main mission—the attack on the Moncada Barracks—were already withdrawing, he decided to go down as well.
But when the elevator doors opened in the lobby, the worst possible scenario unfolded before his eyes: the five young men were being held by six armed soldiers.
Taking advantage of the surprise caused by his untimely arrival, he reacted, lunged at the guard commander, snatched his weapon, and shouted, “On the ground!” In this way, they disarmed their captors and left the building.
It was July 26th, 1953, and Raúl Castro Ruz was already displaying many of the qualities that would ensure his place forever in the history of Cuba, and in the respect and affection of his people, for whom merely hearing his name is enough to evoke thoughts of courage, loyalty, and efficiency…
On the eve of his 95th birthday, it seems that Raúl has already fulfilled his duty to the homeland: for the young man of the demonstrations at the University was also the man of the Presidio, exile, the Granma yatch, Cinco Palmas, the Second Front, and the entire Revolution to this day; and above all—and this is why Cuba reveres him even more—the loyal brother, who never ceased to see in Fidel the leader, the one who had to be cared for and respected.
It seems he has already fulfilled his duty, because there is the defensive and humanitarian work he built at the head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, because he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the island while remaining a loving family man alongside Vilma, because when the time came, he took the helm of the country with boldness and without compromise.
But Raúl, though he has more than given his all to the cause of a free and sovereign Cuba, remains ready to fight for today. The godfather of Temita—the daughter of José Luis Tasende—the Army General, leads by the example of dignity. With Raúl, we go.
There is his name, speaking of duty rigorously fulfilled, of courage, of unity, of discipline; and also of that essence of what it means to be Cuban, which makes us incomprehensible to our enemies. There are his life and his work. Raúl is Raúl!
