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; 
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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-
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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; 
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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) remembers and pays tribute to the brave 
and courageous members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 
(Assault Brigade 2506), both living and deceased; 
(2) calls on the Government of the United 
States to continue to support policies that promote 
the respect for democratic principles, civil liberties, 
freedom, and justice in Cuba, in a manner consistent 
with the aspirations of the Cuban people; 
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(3) recognizes that individual members of As-
sault Brigade 2506 later joined the United States 
Armed Forces and fought in the Vietnam war; and 
(4) recognizes that many veterans of the Bay of 
Pigs operation settled across the United States to 
become productive members of the society of the 
United States, including public officials and industry 
leaders. 
Æ 
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