Lessons learned from fighting communism in Cuba
For those of us born in the United States, the freedoms granted by our constitution are often taken for granted. But for those whose families have lived under dictatorships, freedom is something precious and to be protected.
Denise Pacinek is one such person. A part-time Michigan resident with her husband for years, she has a lineage of fighting for freedom: her parents lived in Cuba during the rise of Fidel Castro, and her father was part of the resistance against Castro. Her parents told her stories during her childhood that sound like a script for a high-drama action movie. For instance, her maternal grandfather, a Cuban customs agent, was warned by friends that he was next on the list to be jailed by Fidel’s corrupt government. Within days of the warning, Cuban revolutionaries confiscated her grandfather’s car, and put him in jail when he protested, because all property belonged to the government, as well as employment (he lost his job) under the communist regime.
Upon his release, he fled to Florida, to prepare for his family to join him. Meanwhile, her maternal grandmother worked feverishly to get visas, and months later, in the middle of the night she ferried Denise’s mother and two brothers, along with other members of his family out of an increasingly unstable Cuba to safety in Florida.
Denise’s father, a second degree black belt in martial arts, had actively worked as a teenager against the rise of dictatorship in Cuba under Castro. The self-discipline he gained during his martial arts training stood him in good stead when he was picked up by Fidel Castro’s police and interrogated. This is frighteningly reminiscent of recent interrogations by the FBI of conservative citizens in our own country.
Denise notes that Castro’s rise to political power was based upon his false promises of change from the corrupt practices of Batista. “He tricked the people, because Batista was a dictator, but not a communist like Castro,” she states. “Castro’s promises to allow free elections and the return to a democratic system was a lie.” This is an ominous echo of recent failed promises by leadership in our nation regarding “democracy” and “election integrity.” Unfortunately, the people believed Castro and he rose to power in Cuba.
After police interrogation, Denise’s father escaped Cuba with six other freedom activists on a raft. Only two of them – one was her father- survived the days without food and water on the open sea. After several days, they were finally rescued far from shore by the Red Cross. He found sanctuary in Florida and sought political asylum in the US at the age of 18.
A year later, while working, he heard about a covert operation that the military and CIA were creating to overturn Castro in Cuba. He, his brothers and 1500 other former Cuban nationals joined a brigade dedicated to restoring free government to Cuba. Brigade 2506 (“Assault Brigade 2506”) was named after brigade member Carlos Santana, who was assigned serial number 2506. Santana unfortunately died during a training exercise accident. Her father underwent training and then was shipped to the Bay of Pigs with the Brigade. “This bay is named after the pig fish, which is numerous there,” says Denise.
[To learn about why Eisenhower developed the Bay of Pigs mission, please see this link]
When Kennedy became President, he wanted complete deniability of US government interference in Cuba, which led to decisions that eventually doomed this operation. The location of the mission was changed from Trinidad (easily accessible by air and land) to the Bay of Pigs (where the coral-laden waters and swampy marshes were much less accessible, making it nearly impossible for Cubans who wanted to join the revolt to get to the US landing site). During mid-mission, Kennedy cancelled support, including critical air support.
In spite of the overwhelming odds, Denise states, “Brigade 2506 had some successes as some paratroopers hit their targets, and held their positions.” But this courageous fight to restore freedom to Cuba came at a high cost: “The brigade members had to get to shore in spite of shark-ridden waters. And once there, many had to stay in the jungle, scouring for roots and edible foods, with some attempting to make it back to the original landing site. Eventually, 75% of the Brigade, including my father, ended up in Cuban prisons.”
These political prisoners were eventually released after the US negotiated with Castro and exchanged $53 million in food and medicine for their release.
When asked about lessons we can learn today from her parents’ experiences during the start of a communist takeover, Denise says, “My parents taught me that propaganda is a very powerful tool – they heard it everywhere growing up – and that the only way to not fall into that pit is to be an independent thinker.”
Denise has taken as her personal motto words penned by Jose Martín, a famous Cuban poet, philosopher and national hero who wrote about Cuba’s original struggle for liberation from Spain. She says, “He wrote that ‘the first duty of a man is to think for himself’. We are all in trouble from all sides, regardless of party, if we don’t start thinking for ourselves, and questioning things”.
When asked what dangers she believes the U.S. faces, Denise responds, “We risk losing our constitutional rights; our God-given constitutional rights and freedom.”
Denise says she sees signs that socialism “which always leads eventually to communism, historically,” has been gaining a foothold in the United States in recent years through our media.
“I see it in the propaganda machine that’s being shoved down the throats of Americans. Also, they have allowed big tech to take control of the mass communications in our country (Twitter and what Elon Musk is exposing is a prime example). I see it when the media is making up fabrications, and then covering up their lies, or when they are driving the narrative that socialism is effective when time and time again history has proven that it is the gateway to communism. We need to return our country to being constitutionalist, because that brings freedom for all. We don’t have to all agree; but I draw the line when they smother our constitutional rights.”
When I asked Denise why so many in the US seem unaware of this danger, she immediately responded, “Propaganda. The first thing you see when you land in Cuba is propaganda. The billboards, and the way that children from preschool age on must wear red to represent solidarity with communism. It is all propaganda, with the end result being communism. The average citizen here in the USA does not do their own due diligence to understand or decipher what is going on. Why are people rushing to our borders from communist countries, if communism works so well?”
Denise has family in Cuba, and has visited there many times, where she has viewed the propaganda in action. “Even the museums there are vehicles for propaganda. Or you will see a billboard that says ‘Fight the Revolution’ but on the same street, the people and animals are starving. The people themselves understand it is propaganda; they don’t believe it.”
When asked what can be done to fight the encroachment of communism, Denise shares what she believes is a fundamental barrier to its spread.
“In many communist countries around the world, including Cuba and China, the people are starting to rise up, but they have no guns to fight with. I believe that the second amendment is the number one thing holding back communism in the US. In Cuba, they don’t have any second amendment rights to bear arms. You can scream, beat on pots and pans, but when the government soldiers come with a gun, there’s nothing you can do. The people in Cuba and many other countries overseas would rise up and fight against communism, but they have no guns or other weapons.”
Denise shares this is why she worked at the grassroots level for seven candidates who support gun rights in Michigan during the last primary. She currently is a team member working to help form the “Save the Guns PAC” that will fund candidates who will protect second amendment rights for those living in Michigan. She says, “This is exactly why our founding fathers created the second amendment: to fight tyranny.”
Denise shared some important resources that she believes are helping to educate people about the dangers of socialism and communism. “Turning Point USA, founded by Charlie Kirk has excellent information for youth and universities, and is working at educating churches about these issues. Prager U is doing a good job with their playlists and topical podcasts, on how to push back.” Mark Levin also has excellent information regarding our rights under the Constitution. She also suggests visiting the site http://www.bayofpigsbrigade2506.com for further information.
I also learned from Denise that there are others of Cuban descent and whose parents escaped communism, who are working for our rights as US citizens: “Senator Ted Cruz’s father, Raphael Cruz, is a pastor in Texas who fled Cuba after being tortured and imprisoned by the communists and built a new life in the United States. There’s also Senator Marco Rubio who is of Cuban descent in Florida.”
When asked about final thoughts, Denise says,
“When I hear that people are disgruntled, the bigger picture is that the power lies in ‘we the people’ and also, we the people are the majority. The power is in numbers; we have the power of numbers… Everyone has a part to do, in their local elections, in their churches, in their counties. Do your part, whether you are a writer, a poll watcher, fund someone, or be the ‘boots on the ground’. There are so many things that people can do that can still be done”.
Excellent advice indeed from an individual who learned first-hand from her family how precious freedom is, and the costs involved in keeping it.
