Following Bay of Pigs, Valley man sought freedom in U.S.
Apr. 18—WINFIELD — The Bay of Pigs was a major turning point in Cuban-born Pedro Valdes' life.
Three months after the failed American invasion on April 17, 1961, the then 16-year-old Valdes left his mother, brother, grandmother and his country and moved to the United States for "freedom."
"My father was already in the States, working as a janitor in New York City, but I was really not planning" to leave Cuba, the Winfield businessman said. "I was a high school student and very involved with the Catholic church."
Valdes said he and his family hoped the U.S. attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro — who was closely allied to the Soviet Union — by sending 1,400 CIA-trained Cuban exiles to invade the island located about 90 miles off the coast of Florida would be a success.
"It was frightening. There was a lot of praying and sitting around," recalled Valdes. "The conversation was that it would be the end of the regime."
The invasion didn't go as planned, said Bucknell University history professor Jennifer Thomson.
"It was a disaster," she said, attributing the failed invasion to then-U.S. President John Kennedy's unwillingness to support the 1,400 Cubans who were outnumbered by Castro's supporters and defeated in a few days. "He abandoned them."
What followed, Thomson said, was decades of failed attempts by the U.S. to assassinate Castro and end his communist regime. Castro remained in power until 2008 when he relinquished the presidency to his brother, Raul Castro.
While Valdes still feels pained and "disappointed" by the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the U.S. decision to not show more force, Thomson said for many Cubans who support communism and Castro, the U.S. failure is seen as a triumph.
Historically, the Bay of Pigs is not significant for the U.S., she said, but it was part of the Kennedy administration's use of counterinsurgency military strategies — also used in Vietnam — rather than a show of full military force.
Personally for Valdes, the event had an important impact on his life.
"It was excruciating," he said. "Cubans are very gregarious and love each other a lot. (But during this period) neighbors turned against neighbors. I didn't know if I was going to be jailed for not supporting Castro."
On July 16, 1961, Valdes made the difficult decision to leave his family, friends and homeland.
"I wanted to be free," he said. His mother followed him to the U.S. five years later and his brother left Cuba in 1971.
Valdes is now an American citizen and has returned to Cuba several times.
"I see the decay in everything," he said of the decline in the country's infrastructure under communism.
"Cuba will always live in my heart and prayers," said Valdes who has embraced his adopted country. "I can say I'm an American by choice. I'm very proud and happy."
