Saturday, October 7, 2023

Viva Che Fifty-Three Years Later

Like every other human born on this planet, Che Guevera began his life as a child. His bloodline was partially Irish and his last name was Lynch. His father laster stated that the blood of Irish rebels ran in his son's veins.

His youth devoted to education and according to Wikipedia the CIA considered the Argentinean a deep intellectual for a Latino.

Three separate tours of Latin America in 1948, 1950, and 1951 radicalized the young medical student and he vowed to fight oppression. The 1954 CIA-led coup d'etat against the Arbenz government in Guatemala convinced Che that only armed resistance could combat the power of the dictators and the USA. He fled with his name of a death list.

Mexico was a safe haven for revolutionaries.

He married and traveled without fear.

Che also met up with his old Cuban comrades.

Fidel Castro led the anti-Batista 26th of July Movement.

Their 1956 invasion of Cuba was a disaster. Most of the rebels were captured after landing and either killed or executed. The rest escaped into the mountains.

The Revolution didn't die.

Che and Fidel were a good team.

Fidel was a pitcher.

Che was not a sportsman.

He was a gun-carrying revolutionary.

Same as Fidel.

Dedicated to freedom.

On January 1, 1959 the bearded ones triumphed over the Batista regime and the dictator fled the island with over $300,000,000 from his corruption scams.

Over the next decade Cuba became of beacon of Marxist resistance against the Yankee empire. Che wanted to spread the revolution to other shores. He failed miserably in Africa and set his sights on Bolivia, the poorest nation in South America.

La Paz the capitol was 12,000 feet above sea level.

Only the Quechans lived higher than inhabitants of sky-hgh city.

Life was hell for the workers and poor.

Life was hand to mouth.

Children rarely lived past 10.

In November of 1966 Che said good-bye to his second wife and children.

His first loves had always been the people and 'la luta'.

His eleven months in Bolivia were a bigger failure than the Congo. The peasants informed on their 'saviour' and on the morning of October 8 the world's leadng revolutionary was captured by the Bolivian Army in the Yuro Ravine close to Sucre.

Twice wounded in a gun battle against overwhelming forces, he threw down his shattered weapon and declared,"Do not shoot! I am Che Guevara and I am worth more to you alive than dead."

The Bolivian Army had no respect for 'banditos'.

Che was taken to a small impoverished village, La Higuera, where Gary Prado, the Bolivian captain in command of the army company, ordered his execution.

When asked if he was thinking about his immortality, Che replied, ""No, I'm thinking about the immortality of the revolution."

In the late morning of October 9, 1967 a drunk sergeant shot the guerrilla leader three times.

Thus creating a legend.

And some think a saint.

October 9, 1967.

Fifty years ago.

La Revolucion siempre.

No comments: