Almeida lives more than ever today

Take hours listening for television the homage from the whole country to the Commandant of the Revolution Juan Almeida Bosque. I think that to face the death was for him a duty as all those that he completed along his life; he didn't know, neither us, how much sadness he would bring us the news of his physical absence.

I had the privilege of knowing it: young black, worker, combative, that successively was boss of revolutionary cell, combatant of the Moncada, prison partner, platoon captain disembarking of the Granma, official of the Rebellious Army—paralyzed in it advance by a shot in the chest during the violent Combat of the Uvero—, Commandant of Column, going to create the Third Oriental Front, partner that shares the address of our forces in the last victorious battles that overthrew to the tyranny.

It was privileged witness of his exemplary behavior during more than half century of heroic and victorious resistance, in the fight against bandits, the counterblow of Girón, the Crisis of October, the internationalists missions and the resistance to the imperialistic blockade.

He listened with pleasure some of his songs, and especially that of lit emotion that before the call of the Homeland to "to conquer or to die" he said goodbye to human dreams. It ignored that he had written more than 300 of them, which added to his literary work, source of interesting reading and of historical facts. It defended principles of justice that will be defended in any time and in any time, while the human beings breathe on the earth.

Let us don't say that Almeida has died! Live more than ever today!

Fidel Castro Ruz
September 13 , 2009
3.12 p.m.