History Lesson

1961, the United States has a new president. John F Kenndy.

President Kenndy inherited a plan for the invasion of Cuba at a place called the Bay Of Pigs. The CIA had recruited Cuban refuges from the U.S. and other central America countries and trained them for an invasion, giving then supplies and even some aircraft. The plan was that this force of free Cubans would land and setup a Free Cuban government. They would set up a radio and ask the people of Cuba to rally to them in the over throw of Castro and his government.

A big part of this plan was that once the free Cubans and set up their radio they would asked for help from the United States to help in their fight to free their country from the communist. The United States would recognize this new goverment as the new goverment of Cuba. At that point we would fly air support from carriers and provide gun fire from ships of the U.S Navy that were just over the horizon. There was also embarked Marines on ships able to hit the beach if needed.

I was on board one of those ships. The picture above is us, at that time. When the people of Cuba did not rally to the Free Cuban government President Kennedy chose not to give the order to launch the air strikes and for us not to close on the coast to give gun fire support. The invasion forces were left on the beach without support, supplies or hope. They were captured by the Castro forces and put in prisons.

The outcome of the failure of the Bay Of Pigs Invasion was seen, by the USSR as a sign of weakness. They believe that while we had the weapons to in pose a victory we did not have the will to do so. They came away believing that President Kennedy was a weak president and that they could push him around with out fear. It is one of the root causes of the later, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

After some thought, I wonder if they (The USSR) were right. I look back at Vietnam and now Iraq. We have the weapons, the forces but do we have the will? Or will the masses say, enough let them fight it out among their self. Will doing that lead to a strong Arab Union that armed with nukes can then control the region and leave the free countries of the world at a disadvantage? Will we then have to pay a higher cost at a later day? Not in dollars but in the blood of our youth.

In 1962, we showed we could impose our will. We forced the USSR to remove her nukes from Cuba. The world was worried that an atomic war was at hand. In fact, fingers were on the buttons but when push came to shove, we had the might, right, and will to do what is right.

Stepping off my soap box.