The issue of a possible U.S. military intervention in Cuba has been in the air ever since Cuban leader Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel recently told NBC News in an interview in Havana that he refuses to leave power<\/a>, despite the deep crisis the country is facing.<\/p>\n A poll commissioned by the Miami Herald of 800 Cubans and Cuban Americans in South Florida found that 79% support a military intervention in Cuba, including 36% who would back an action to overthrow the government and 38% who would support an intervention to address the humanitarian crisis on the island.<\/p>\n Zayas Baz\u00e1n, who had a long career as a university professor, supports the strategy of the Trump administration and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to keep channels of communication open with representatives of the Castro family, who are still the real power on the island.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Secret talks: Rubio team meets with Castro grandson on sidelines of Caribbean conference<\/a><\/p>\n At the same time, he said the congressional Helms-Burton Act should continue to be enforced; since 1996 it has codified the U.S. embargo on Cuba and prohibits lifting it until free elections are held on the island.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want the Castros to have any influence, no matter if they leave with all the money,\u201d he said about the requirements for a possible lifting of the U.S. embargo on the island. \u201cPolitical prisoners must be released and there must be proof that the country is moving toward a market economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Preserving the legacy<\/p>\n The new museum, built with state, county and City of Miami funds, traces the history and legacy of Brigade 2506<\/a> with interactive exhibits and enlarged photographs on the walls that show the scale of the military effort the young men undertook.<\/p>\n The average age of the brigade members \u2014 about 1,500 participated in the assault \u2014 was between 26 and 28, and they came from all levels of Cuban society. There were students, teachers, fishermen, lawyers and other professionals.<\/p>\n Some were barely 18, like Humberto Cortina, a surviving brigade member who also advocates exhausting all possible channels of communication and pressure on the Cuban regime before resorting to a military intervention.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Brigade is a military organization; the goal is to liberate Cuba by all means, but we are smart enough to understand the mechanism the United States uses for these things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Cortina, 84, is confident that the Cuban regime will end during the Trump administration. He also noted that Trump has said he will not focus on Cuba until the war with Iran is over<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United States is betting on talks first in Cuba,\u201d Cortina said. \u201cWhen you reach an impasse, that doesn\u2019t mean invading. You can send one or two messages to the government, remove one or two generals, and that gives people time to think.\u201d<\/p>\n A large percentage of those who answered the Herald\u2019s poll, conducted April 6-10<\/a> said they supported a military intervention, but many of them later told the Herald they agree that every effort should be made to avoid a bloodbath.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not necessary to send troops or marines. Cuba is a country on its knees right now,\u201d Cortina said, adding that \u201cthe biggest obstacle is Ra\u00fal Castro and a coterie of 10 generals close to power who could be offered safe passage out because they have been incapable of governing.\u201d<\/p>\n Cortina was shot several times during action at Central Covadonga in the province of Cienfuegos \u2013 wounds that still make it difficult for him to walk. He is also among the 180 members of the Brigade who, after serving time in prison on the island, joined the U.S. Army. Returning to civilian life, he built a political career in South Florida and in 1982 was one of the first Cuban Americans to be elected to the Florida House of Representatives.<\/p>\n During the Bay of Pigs invasion, the brigade members withstood bombardments by Fidel Castro\u2019s forces and the lack of promised support from the administration of President John F. Kennedy, which decided to limit U.S. participation to avoid greater conflict with Castro\u2019s government.<\/p>\n They also faced a public trial broadcast throughout the island, and maintained a dignified stance when Castro met with them in prison and told them he had good news: They would not be executed. The bad news was: They would serve 30-year sentences, Zayas Baz\u00e1n said.<\/p>\n At the time, Castro said he would demand $64 million in exchange for their release. Kennedy agreed to the exchange, supplying Cuba with medicines and medical supplies valued at $53 million, which helped free the first group of 60 wounded brigade members, including Cortina and Zayas Baz\u00e1n. The rest were released beginning Dec. 23, 1962.<\/p>\n The final round?<\/p>\n Rafael Montalvo, who will serve as president of the Brigade until Zayas Baz\u00e1n takes over, says the long fight for Cuba\u2019s freedom continues today.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first round was 65 years ago and we came out defeated, but we also came out very informed and very determined,\u201d Montalvo said. \u201cWe made a promise to never abandon the cause of Cuba, and we haven\u2019t. Over the years we\u2019ve continued fighting, sometimes in ways we couldn\u2019t before. And it has cost us.\u201d<\/p>\n Montalvo was 18 when he landed with 11 comrades at Playa Larga, a small fishing village 10 miles from the Bay of Pigs. It was a moonless night, and each man carried military gear weighing some 100 pounds; yet, they felt a surge of excitement, for they were sure they were about to liberate Cuba.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could sense the shoreline, but we couldn\u2019t see it,\u201d said Montalvo. \u201cWe were already under attack, and tracer rounds were whizzing overhead. It was frightening, but it also sent our adrenaline soaring. The taking of Playa Larga was an intensely emotional experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, in the final chapter of their quest for Cuba\u2019s freedom, Montalvo acknowledges that it has become easier for brigade members to look back on the hardships they endured\u2014something they have done in numerous interviews with the Brigade\u2019s historian, Professor Victor Triay.<\/p>\n That research was used to compile the information that the public can find, organized chronologically on display screens, when visiting the new museum. The first room features a giant screen projecting videos and photos of pre-Castro Cuba. Next are images and information regarding the Brigade\u2019s training in Central America, the landings in Cuba, the major battles, and subsequently the capture of the brigadistas, their trial, their imprisonment and their eventual release.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were very well trained; the mortars we had were excellent,\u201d recalls Montalvo, but the Castro forces held a numerical advantage. \u201cThey sent wave after wave of men and tanks at us, and no one backed down\u2014even though everyone was scared to death, no one showed it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Prepared to give our lives\u2019<\/p>\n Ricardo S\u00e1nchez, an 85-year-old banker from Miami, was among the first members of the Brigade to be captured. He says the only thing that allows people to recognize him as a Brigade member these days is his appearance in the very first photograph to surface of the captured men.<\/p>\n It was published in May 1961 in Life magazine. S\u00e1nchez stands in the front row alongside his commander, the late Julio Alonso, who led the paratrooper battalion. Thanks to that photograph, S\u00e1nchez\u2019s mother was able to learn that he had survived.<\/p>\n When asked to summarize the Brigade\u2019s legacy, S\u00e1nchez says they never bowed their heads before the Castro regime.<\/p>\n \u201cWe went there prepared to give our lives…. and that is the contribution we can offer to the future,\u201d said S\u00e1nchez, who is set to join the veteran association\u2019s board of directors on April 19.<\/p>\n Regarding Cuba\u2019s future, S\u00e1nchez noted that he was speaking solely on his own behalf, and said any solution must involve the Cuban people \u2014 particularly the opposition and dissidents residing on the island.<\/p>\n He would like to see Cubans in the U.S. \u201cto be a significant factor. Until now, the discussion has focused solely on a solution between the government of Cuba and the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The brigade veteran would like to see Cuban exiles and organizations consulted, including Brigade 2606 itself.<\/p>\n He drew parallels to the historical events surrounding the Bay of Pigs invasion, when Cuban exiles established what they hoped would become a civilian government in a free Cuba, presided over by Jos\u00e9 Mir\u00f3 Cardona, an exile who had served as a minister during the early days of the Castro regime.<\/p>\n At the time, Manuel Artime served as the civilian head of Brigade 2506. The other leaders, Jos\u00e9 \u201cPepe\u201d San Rom\u00e1n and Erneido Oliva, have since passed away.<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez said Cuban Americans are relying \u201ctoo heavily on the fact that a Cuban by heritage\u201d \u2014 Rubio \u2014 is in charge of the State Department. Ultimately, he said, Rubio will need to answer \u201cto the position he holds,\u201d and not necessarily to his Cuban roots.<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez said that where many Cuban exiles find common ground is in the desire to see the regime come to an end as soon as possible.<\/p>\n A historic photo<\/p>\n Today, only 200 Bay of Pigs veterans remain, and all are over the age of 80. The museum walls depict them as young men in the midst of action. The photographs have been enlarged and digitized through the work of visual artist Consuelo Casta\u00f1eda, who has worked closely with the museum\u2019s curator, Carmen Valdivia.<\/p>\n Among the images is the historic photograph capturing the Bay of Pigs veterans presenting the Brigade\u2019s flag to President Kennedy at Miami\u2019s Orange Bowl on Dec. 29, 1962. It spans an entire wall, allowing visitors to position themselves within the scene\u2014to step in and figuratively take their place among the brigadistas.<\/p>\n Valdivia reflected on how different the history of Cuba might have been had the Brigade members triumphed. She came to Miami as part of Pedro Pan, the Catholic Church operation that brought thousands of unaccompanied Cuban children to the U.S., and noted that she would not have had to emigrate to the United States alone at the age of 12.<\/p>\n As she spoke, Carlos Luis stood in front of the museum\u2019s most striking wall, where photos of the brigade members who died at the Bay of Pigs are displayed. Luis, and insurance executive and president of the new museum, has the mission of raising the funds needed for the new site\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n Luis remembers his father, Ren\u00e9 Luis, who was the mortar chief at the Bay of Pigs. \u201cThe veterans still have fire in their blood,\u201d he said. \u201cIf my father were alive, he would take up his weapon now.\u201d His father died in 2024.<\/p>\n The wall is illuminated at night, and the hall at the end of the museum can be left in the dark to make the faces stand out even more.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a space built with the future in mind,\u201d said Dr. Yuleisy Mena, the museum\u2019s executive director. \u201cTo educate and to prevent what happened in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n Mena outlined plans to host students to teach them about the evils of communism. \u201cSometimes there is a lot of discussion about Nazism, but not enough about communism.\u201d<\/p>\n For S\u00e1nchez the memories hold a personal tone. He always remembers a Brigade comrade, Fernando Casanova, who died during the assault. He had arrived for training two weeks before the invasion, S\u00e1nchez said, \u201cand hardly knew how to handle a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n Humberto Cortina said he would like the brigadistas to be remembered in a simple way: as people who fought for their country.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see Cubans on the island free again, so that they have the ability to develop themselves to the best of their potential,\u201d he said. \u201cI hope to be here when that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n The Museo de la Brigada 2506 de Bah\u00eda de Cochinos is located at 1821 SW 9th Street. (305) 649-4719.<\/p>\n Cuban Americans in South Florida overwhelmingly support U.S. military intervention in Cuba, a Miami Herald poll shows. Bendixen & Amandi International and the Tarrance Group. <\/p>\n
![\"Humberto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_ENH_BAHIADECOCHINOS-Local0028JAI.JPG\" "\\"MIA_ENH_BAHIADECOCHINOS-Local0028JAI.JPG\\"")
Humberto Martinez, Humberto Cortina and Johnny Lopez de la Cruz in the original Brigade 2506 Museum and Library in Little Havana on April 9, 2021. Jose A. Iglesias jiglesias@elnuevoherald.com <\/p>\n Eduardo Zayas-Bazan holds the tin cup and tin plate he used while in captivity in Cuba. He is a member of the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association, Brigade 2506 Al Diaz Al Diaz \/ The Miami Herald <\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_07MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\" "\\"MIA_07MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\\"")
The curator of the new Bay of Pigs Brigade 2506 Museum, Carmen Valdivia, shares a photo of a Bay of Pigs veteran praying at Mercy Hospital, which is part of the exhibit, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Miami, Florida. The new 11,000-square-foot Bay of Pigs Brigade 2506 Museum in Little Havana, Miami, is opening on April 18, and features interactive exhibits honoring the Cuban exiles who fought in the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"Rafael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_14MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\" "\\"MIA_14MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\\"")
Rafael Montalvo, president of the Bay of Pigs Veteran Association, left, and Carlos Luis, museum president, tour the new Bay of Pigs Bridage 2506 Museum as it prepared for opening on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"Bay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_03MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\" "\\"MIA_03MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\\"")
Bay of Pigs veteran Santiago Jont, 88, takes a first look at the exhibits inside the new 11,000-square-foot Bay of Pigs Brigade 2506 Museum in Little Havana on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_09MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\" "\\"MIA_09MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\\"")
The large memorial portraits of Bay of Pigs Brigade 2506 member are part of the new museum dedicated to the 1961 invasion. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_06MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\" "\\"MIA_06MUSEUMOFBRIGADE.JPG\\"")
The curator of the new Bay of Pigs Brigade 2506 Museum, Carmen Valdivia, sorts through photographs and other material to prepare for the site\u2019s opening. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n