Bay of Pigs @ 50

[mickeyd]

Seems like a lot longer ago than 50 years to me. Bad decisions made in the feds never seem to go away do they?

http://latino.foxnews.com/slideshow/latino/2011/04/14/failed-invasion-bay-pigs-50-years-ago/

AP
Anti-Castro activist Santiago Alvarez, 22, center with sun glasses, and his crew prepare in Nicaragua to participate in the 1961 CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion. This April 17 marks the 50th anniversary of the failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.

The surviving veterans of the Bay of Pig invasion, which occurred 50 years ago, are grandparents now, whiter-haired and slower-moving. But every year, as April 17 draws close, the always-present memories of that ill-fated invasion of Cuba -- bodies that dropped around them-- grow sharper, more haunting.
So do the emotions that coursed through them then: the eagerness to answer the U.S. government’s call for recruits for an operation to oust Fidel Castro, the surreal realization during the mission that everything was going horribly wrong, the dread realization that promised military support wasn’t coming, the slaughter of the Brigade 2506 fighters – and, for those who did not die then and there – the capture and jailing by Castro’s forces.
“To see yourself on the shores of your native land surrounded by enemies, to be a sitting duck, I’ll never forget it,” said Eliecer Grave de Peralta, 76. “I’ll never forget the betrayal by Kennedy.”

http://latino.foxnews.com/slideshow/latino/2011/04/14/failed-invasion-bay-pigs-50-years-ago/

The 50th Anniversary of the Bay of Pigs: Veterans Still Harbor Pain and Bitterness - Fox News Latino

 

[Purron]

My dad was there. This turned out so very wrong. Even so, he served our country and did what appeared to be the right thing at that time in our history.

You can’t even begin to imagine the things he did for the USA over his long career while frequently putting himself in harm’s way. I've never been that brave. Dad was an amazing American and patriot and I couldn't love and admire him more. RIP dad.

 

[calmloki]

Libya & Gadaffi? Castro & Cuba?