III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 116 

Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs operation and 

remembering the members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506). 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 16, 2021 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself and Mr. MENENDEZ) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

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 Communist dictatorship in Cuba that resulted 

from the January 1, 1959, revolution in Cuba has systematically denied the Cuban people their most basic 

human rights and fundamental freedoms; 

Whereas, from 1959 until his death in 2016, dictator Fidel 

Castro, who promised to implement a revolution against 

tyranny, systematically violated the human rights of the 

Cuban people, curtailed freedom of the press, arbitrarily 


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•SRES 116 IS 

imprisoned and killed an untold number of members of 

the political opposition in Cuba, and confiscated the properties 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, primarily Cuban exiles in the United States, from diverse 

backgrounds, including doctors, nurses, engineers, architects, priests, cooks, musicians, actors, business owners, 

barbers, bankers, construction workers, office clerks, students, pilots, and many other individuals representing 

different sectors in Cuba; 

Whereas, on April 17, 1961, approximately 1,400 individuals 

selflessly volunteered 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 manpower 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 members 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 conditions for close to 18 months, subjected to harsh and inhumane treatment, and later sentenced without due process to 30 years of imprisonment; 


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Whereas, in September 1961, the Cuban regime executed 5 

members of Assault Brigade 2506 who had been captured during the operation; 

Whereas 67 members of Assault Brigade 2506 died in combat, 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 almost 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 operation 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 Conventions 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 Prisoners of War, done at Geneva August 12, 1949, be fully 

applied, and for permission to visit the prisoners, but all 

the requests went unanswered; 

Whereas the 1,113 members of Assault Brigade 2506 who finally returned to the United States after the operation 

have made significant and valuable contributions to the 


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United States, while never forgetting their beloved homeland; 

Whereas, on December 29, 1962, President John Fitzgerald 

Kennedy was presented with the banner of Assault Brigade 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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) remembers and pays tribute to the brave 

3 and courageous members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 

4 (Assault Brigade 2506), both living and deceased; 

5 (2) calls on the Government of the United 

6 States to continue to support policies that promote 

7 the respect for democratic principles, civil liberties, 

8 freedom, and justice in Cuba, in a manner consistent 

9 with the aspirations of the Cuban people; 


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1 (3) recognizes that individual members of As2 sault Brigade 2506 later joined the United States 

3 Armed Forces and fought in the Vietnam war; and 

4 (4) recognizes that many veterans of the Bay of 

5 Pigs operation settled across the United States to 

6 become productive members of the society of the 

7 United States, including public officials and industry 

8 leaders. 

Æ 


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