University Press of Florida
Bay of Pigs: An Oral History of Brigade 2506
Key Metrics
- Victor Andres Triay
- University Press of Florida
- Hardcover
- 9780813020907
- 9.18 X 6.2 X 0.87 inches
- 1.07 pounds
- History > Caribbean & West Indies - Cuba
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
From the interviews:
My [pregnant] wife once asked me, 'How is it possible you are not thinking of your child?' I told her, 'It is precisely because of that child and the two others I have here that I am going. I plan to return to my fatherland, and I don't want a Communist homeland.'-- Jorge Marquet
One of the sad things that has happened over this period in the history of Cuba is that historians have not given credit to the idealism of those who turned against the revolution. We were really full of good will and wanted to make Cuba better.--Eduardo Zayas-Baz�n
[A] feeling of duty to defend our faith was what motivated my husband . . . . What made me give my blessing to his activities were my own feelings of duty.-- Myrna Pardo Mill�n (widowed by the invasion)
This is the story of the Bay of Pigs invasion, told for the first time in the words of the idealistic participants who came together in April 1961 to overthrow Fidel Castro's dictatorship. Most of the approximately 1,500 men of Brigade 2506 were captured by Castro's forces in Cuban swamps and jailed until December 1962. About 114 died.
Combining oral history and traditional narrative form, Victor Triay tells us who individual members of the brigade were and what they fought for. As one veteran, only eighteen at the time of the invasion, recalls, It was my turn to do something for Cuba. Probably the purest thing I have ever done in my life was to make the decision to go. Triay describes the volunteers' recruitment, training, combat experience, and the wretched months of their imprisonment. He also presents the women they left behind, including three who were widowed by the invasion.
Among the nearly 2 million people in the U.S. Cuban community today, the freedom fighters who made up Brigade 2506 have always been accorded the highest level of respect. Bay of Pigs tells the personal stories of the invasion in an account that restores the human dimension to a pivotal moment in the history of the Cold War.
Author Bio
That is the simple mission of Victor Triay, PhD, professor of history at Middlesex Community College—where he puts history in (dramatic) perspective for the many students who enter his classroom. Victor began his long and distinguished career at Miami-Dade Community College in Florida, where he earned an associate degree in psychology—so it’s fitting he chose to build his career from within the community college environment.
He has developed a high-energy, motivated teaching style that aims to make students “walk out of the classroom feeling smarter than when they walked in.” He takes each subject seriously, but understands the need for theater and intrigue when delivering content that can sometimes be heavy. This helped earn him a reputation as a challenging but engaging instructor.
While Victor’s teaching focuses on United States History, Western Civilization, and World History, he has earned a broader reputation as an expert in Cuban history.
Victor has traveled extensively throughout Western Europe. He studied Spanish Literature and Spanish Art History in Salamanca, Spain, and Italian Language and Italian Art History in Radda-in-Chianti, Italy.
In the summers of 2016 and 2017, he served as the principal investigator for an oral history project centered on members of Brigade 2506 (the invasion force at the Bay of Pigs invasion), whose objective it was to overthrow the dictatorship of Fidel Castro. He completed this task as a visiting scholar with the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.
Victor is a member of several associations including Operation Pedro Pan Group, Inc., based in Miami (for which he serves as trustee and a member of its historic committee); the Cuban National Heritage; and the National Association of Cuban American Educators.
At Middlesex Community College, Victor contributes on many levels, having served on countless committees and task force teams that help shape the culture and academic quality at the college. He has worked on MxCC’s accreditation efforts, helped developed honors programs, and served as a mentor in the Minority Fellow program. He has been a tireless lecturer and presenter, representing the school at countless events and meetings throughout the country.
Victor earned a doctorate and master’s degree (both in history) from Florida State University, Tallahassee, and his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Florida in Gainesville. Prior to joining MxCC, he taught at the Miami Carol City Senior High School and Aucilla Christian Academy, both in Florida.
Source: Middlesex Community College
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