On September 11, 2009, Commander of the Revolution Juan Almeida Bosque, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba and vice president of the Council of State, died; born in a poor neighborhood of Havana on February 17, 1927, he was able to study only up to the eighth grade, because due to the family situation he was forced to leave school and start working as a bricklayer.
From the first moments of meeting Fidel Castro he established a honest friendship with him and soon he communicated his revolutionary concerns, which coincided with an intimate conviction that Almeida possessed; joining the fight after the coup d’état of 1952, he participated in the assault to the Moncada Barracks, was a prisoner in the then Isle of Pines, went into exile in Mexico and returned some time later as one of the platoon leaders of the Granma expedition.
In the Alegría de Píos combat, his legendary cry of «Nobody surrenders here, damn!» ratified the conviction of those who were part of the Rebel Army to fight to the death; Almeida showed his dignity and courage in the attack to the Uvero barracks and for his singular bravery he was chosen by Commander Fidel Castro to found and lead the Third Eastern Front Mario Muñoz Monroy.
With high responsibilities after the revolutionary triumph of 1959, Almeida was always in the front line next to Fidel and is one of the most beloved revolutionaries of the people for his sensitivity and Cubanism; his legacy exceeds his contribution to the revolutionary struggle, as he was also a writer and composer of some 300 songs such as La Lupe, Dame un traguito, A Santiago, Qué le pasa a esa mujer and many others.
Juan Almeida founded the Siboney Studios in Santiago de Cuba and as a writer he left to posterity several books of significant testimonial value among which are Contra el Agua y el Viento, winner of the Casa de las Américas award, and his trilogy Presidio, Exilio y Desembarco, La Sierra Maestra y Más Allá, La Aurora de los Héroes and ¡Atención! Recuento!
Juan Almeida Bosque was president of the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution, a task he assumed with particular love and dedication, devoting his last energies to ensure that the organization was a solid and effective bulwark of the Homeland.
