[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5761-5762]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 140--COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BAY OF 
  PIGS OPERATION AND COMMENDING THE MEMBERS OF BRIGADA DE ASALTO 2506 
                         (ASSAULT BRIGADE 2506)

  Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Nelson of 
Florida, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Lieberman) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 140

       Whereas April 17, 2011, marks the 50th anniversary of the 
     Bay of Pigs operation, an event held in the hearts of all who 
     long for the return of freedom to Cuba;
       Whereas the Communist Government imposed in Cuba since 
     January 1959 has systematically denied the most basic human 
     freedoms to the Cuban people;
       Whereas on April 17, 1961, men and women from the United 
     States and from Cuba selflessly volunteered to help the Cuban 
     people free themselves from communist tyranny;
       Whereas during the next few days and in the course of a 
     battle against a military force superior in manpower and 
     firepower, nearly 100 men lost their lives, including 4 
     pilots from the United States;
       Whereas, in September 1961, the Cuban Government executed 5 
     soldiers that had been captured alive;
       Whereas the greater part of the remaining assaulting forces 
     were captured, imprisoned in deplorable conditions for close 
     to 18 months, sentenced without due process to 30 years of 
     imprisonment, and finally returned to the United States by 
     the Cuban Government;
       Whereas the Cuban soldiers who returned from the operation 
     have made valuable contributions to the United States, while 
     never forgetting their beloved native country;
       Whereas on December 29, 1962, President John Fitzgerald 
     Kennedy was presented with the Brigade 2506 banner that had 
     reached Cuban shores during the invasion 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 was passed 
     (Public Law 99-279) ``Commemorating the twenty-fifth 
     anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion to liberate Cuba from 
     Communist tyranny''; and
       Whereas the Cuban people continue to struggle and demand 
     respect for their civil liberties: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes and pays tribute to the brave service of all 
     members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506), 
     both living and deceased; and
       (2) calls on the United States to continue policies that 
     promote respect for the fundamental principles of freedom, 
     democracy, and human rights in Cuba, in a manner consistent 
     with the aspirations of the people of Cuba.

  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, on April 17, 1961, 1,500 individuals from 
the United States and Cuba valiantly volunteered in the Bay of Pigs 
mission to liberate Cuba from Fidel Castro's grip. They were a diverse 
group from all backgrounds of Cuban society, all united by the ideal 
that freedom is a God-given, inalienable right.
  Having lost their country a couple of years earlier, these brave men 
took up arms on the beaches of Playa Giron. Over the course of 4 days 
and facing daunting odds against a better-armed and trained Cuban 
military, nearly 100 members of the Brigada de Asalto 2506, Assault 
Brigade 2506, lost their lives, including 4 American pilots. Five 
others were captured and executed. The majority were captured and 
imprisoned for many months and years in inhumane conditions.
  Many of the captured men were fortunate to be eventually released and 
exiled to the United States, where they restarted their lives, raised 
families and made it their life's ambition to give their children the 
opportunities they would not have.
  I am proud to join my colleagues in the U.S. Senate in paying tribute 
to the survivors of that mission--several of whom made the journey to 
Washington this week--and honoring the memories of the deceased.
  As the son of Cuban exiles, I am proud to represent an entire 
community of people who lost everything to an accident of history, but 
came to cherish the freedoms they found in America. The story of the 
Brigade 2506 veterans, in particular, is worthy of special recognition.
  To some, the Bay of Pigs battle is just one episode in the long 
annals of the cold war. But to those involved, the mission was a 
defining moment in their lives that, for others, illuminated the 
righteousness of the cause to free Cuba. It is a heartbreaking story of 
men who fought so valiantly for their beloved homeland's freedom, only 
to come up short. But it is also an inspiring story--one that says as 
much about their resilience as it does about America.
  Having endured a traumatic life experience 50 years ago at the Bay of 
Pigs, many of them came back to the U.S. with nothing--not a penny and 
often without any English skills. They went to work and embraced 
America's blessings, but they never forgot their beloved homeland.
  Some made it their life's work to promote the cause of a free Cuba. 
Others went to work on other endeavors to provide for their families, 
but dedicated countless hours as faithful volunteers of the cause. In 
doing so, they served as teachers to an entire community. Today in 
Miami, for example, a Brigade 2506 monument and museum now exist as 
much to commemorate these heroes as it does to educate others.
  Like so many Cuban exiles, their stories taught us that human rights 
and liberty are not conditional on where someone is born, but are 
instead the birthrights of every single one of God's children. They 
taught us why the Cuban condition, like everywhere else in the world 
where human rights are trampled, is inhumane an unnatural. They 
instilled in us a deep sense of why the Cuban government, and others 
like it, is fundamentally defective and illegitimate, as it is 
sustained by violence against its people and operates without the 
consent of the governed.
  Over the past 50 years, these lessons have given us moral clarity 
about the rights of man and reminded us of our responsibility to defend 
the persecuted among us.
  Far from being forgotten, their example has inspired others to carry 
on their work. Their legacy lives on among those of us who have 
followed in their footsteps by making their cause of a free Cuba our 
cause.
  Today, the torch they lit 50 years ago on a Cuban beach, is now 
carried not only by their children and grandchildren, but also by a new 
and growing generation of Cubans on the island. Every day, thousands of 
courageous patriots are demanding their freedoms

[[Page 5762]]

and steadily chipping away at the farce of the Castro regime. Together, 
we are all united by the moral responsibility to highlight the Cuban 
regime's continued abuses, to apply change-inducing pressure, and to 
support the Cuban people's right to freely shape their destinies.
  Courageous and principled leaders like these give us hope that a free 
Cuba is an inevitable destiny. They also give us hope that soon we will 
be able to achieve President John F. Kennedy's December 1962 promise to 
surviving Bay of Pigs veterans that their battle flag ``will be 
returned to this brigade in a free Havana.''

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