IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 278 Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs operation and remembering the members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506). IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 26, 2021 Mr. DIAZ-BALART (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida, Mr. GIMENEZ, Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio, Mr. HAS- TINGS, Ms. MALLIOTAKIS, Mr. MOONEY, Mrs. MURPHY of Florida, Mr. POSEY, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. SIRES, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. WALTZ, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. DEUTCH, and Mr. MAST) submitted the fol- lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Af- fairs RESOLUTION Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs operation and remembering the members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506). Whereas April 17, 2021, marks the 60th anniversary of the first day of the Bay of Pigs operation, an event held dear in the hearts of many who long for the return of freedom, democracy, and justice to Cuba; Whereas the dictatorship in Cuba that resulted from the Jan- uary 1, 1959, Communist takeover in Cuba has system- atically denied the Cuban people their most basic human rights and fundamental freedoms; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:50 Mar 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR278.IH HR278 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 278 IH Whereas, from 1959 until his death in 2016, dictator Fidel Castro systematically violated the human rights of the Cuban people, curtailed freedom of the press, arbitrarily imprisoned and killed an untold number of members of the political opposition in Cuba, and confiscated the prop- erties of citizens of Cuba and the United States; Whereas the men and women participating in the Bay of Pigs operation assumed the title of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506), which was named after the serial number (2506) of Carlos Rodriguez Santana, a founding member of the brigade who died during training exercises in September 1960; Whereas Assault Brigade 2506 consisted of individuals, pri- marily Cuban exiles in the United States, from diverse backgrounds, including doctors, nurses, engineers, archi- tects, priests, cooks, musicians, actors, business owners, barbers, bankers, construction workers, office clerks, stu- dents, pilots, and many other individuals representing different sectors in Cuba; Whereas, on April 17, 1961, approximately 1,400 individuals selflessly began fighting to free the Cuban people from tyranny; Whereas in the ensuing days, and in the course of a battle against the Cuban military, which was superior in man- power and firepower, more than 100 men lost their lives; Whereas the events of April 17 through April 20, 1961, ended with the capture and imprisonment of 1,204 mem- bers or more than 75 percent of Assault Brigade 2506; Whereas a large number of the 1,204 captured members of Assault Brigade 2506 were imprisoned in deplorable con- ditions for close to 18 months, subjected to harsh and in- VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:50 Mar 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR278.IH HR278 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 278 IH humane treatment, and later sentenced without due proc- ess to 30 years of imprisonment; Whereas, in September 1961, the Cuban regime executed 5 members of Assault Brigade 2506 who had been cap- tured during the operation; Whereas 67 members of Assault Brigade 2506 died in com- bat, including 4 American pilots and 10 Cuban pilots and navigators, 10 members died while trying to flee Cuba on a fishing boat that drifted in the Gulf of Mexico for al- most 15 days, 10 members died while being transported to prison by their Cuban captors inside a sealed truck with limited oxygen, 9 members were executed by firing squads, and 3 members died while in prison due to lack of medical attention; Whereas one of the most heinous acts relating to the oper- ation was ordered by then Captain Osmany Cienfuegos, who forced nearly 100 male prisoners into a closed trailer in which they were transported for 8 hours with limited oxygen; Whereas the Cuban regime is a party to the Geneva Conven- tions of 1949, which require the humane treatment of prisoners of war; Whereas, in March 1962, as the trial of the captured fighters approached, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appealed to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, asking that the provisions of Article 3 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Pris- oners of War, done at Geneva, August 12, 1949, be fully applied, and for permission to visit the prisoners, but all the requests went unanswered; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:50 Mar 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR278.IH HR278 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 278 IH Whereas the 1,113 members of Assault Brigade 2506 who fi- nally returned to the United States after the operation have made significant and valuable contributions to the United States, while never forgetting their beloved home- land; Whereas, on December 29, 1962, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was presented with the banner of Assault Bri- gade 2506 that had reached the shores of Cuba during the operation, 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 (Public Law 99–279; 100 Stat. 398) was approved ‘‘Commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion to liberate Cuba from Communist tyranny.’’; Whereas Cuba’s authoritarian regime continues to arbitrarily detain thousands of critics, activists, and opponents; and Whereas the Cuban people continue to struggle and demand respect for democratic values, civil liberties, freedom, and justice: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) remembers and pays tribute to the brave 2 and courageous members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 3 (Assault Brigade 2506), both living and deceased; 4 (2) calls on the Government of the United 5 States to continue to support policies that promote 6 the respect for democratic principles, civil liberties, 7 freedom, and justice in Cuba, in a manner consistent 8 with the aspirations of the Cuban people; 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:50 Mar 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR278.IH HR278 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 278 IH (3) recognizes that individual members of As- 1 sault Brigade 2506 later joined the United States 2 Armed Forces and fought in the Vietnam war; and 3 (4) recognizes that many veterans of the Bay of 4 Pigs operation settled across the United States to 5 become productive members of the society of the 6 United States, including public officials and industry 7 leaders. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:50 Mar 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR278.IH HR278 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS