Díaz-Canel pays tribute to Commander Juan Almeida Bosque

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 16 (ACN) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez attended a tribute gala held in honor of Commander of the Revolution Juan Almeida Bosque on the 95th anniversary of his birth.

Also present at the Universal Hall of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) were Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the National Assembly of People's Power; Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and other government officials, as well as high-ranking officers of the FAR and the Ministry of the Interior.

The ceremony included the screening of an audiovisual material on the life and work of the outstanding revolutionary and statements by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz in recognition of the beloved combatant’s devotion and determination, as well as presentations of various bands, troupes and soloists who sang songs of Almeida’s authorship.

The late Commander’s war cry in the battle of Alegría de Pío—the Rebel Army’s baptism of fire—when he shouted, “No one will surrender here!” was also recalled.

Born in Havana on February 17, 1927, Juan Almeida Bosque reached the rank of Commander thanks to his role in actions of critical importance for the revolutionary victory, such as the attack on the Moncada Barracks (Santiago de Cuba, 1953), the landing of the yacht Granma (1956) and the guerrilla war in the Sierra Maestra mountains, where he led the Rebel Army’s Third Front.

After the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, he took on many responsibilities as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba since its foundation in 1965, vice president of the Council of State and president of the Association of Combatants.
In addition to his revolutionary work, his wrote more than 300 songs and nine books.