Bay of Pigs: Veterans’ Defiance, Young Cubans’ Doubts, and Rising Tensions

At a scrubby patch of sand on Cuba's Bay of Pigs, 90-year-old Orestes Chamizo points to the precise spot where a U.S.-backed brigade of Cuban exiles landed on April 17, 1961. Chamizo remembers how the invaders were routed and how he chased survivors into the nearby Zapata Swamp. He warns that recent hostile rhetoric from Washington could provoke renewed confrontation.

Voices From the Bay

"The mercenaries came in right there," Chamizo says. "I'm 90 years old, but if I have to pick up a gun again, I'll do it without fear. The last invasion failed ... and the next one will too."

Deysys Fleitas, 20, makes ornamental rugs on a sewing machine at her home during a blackout as Cuba celebrates the 65th anniversary of its victory at the Bay of Pigs amid a U.S. oil blockade and threats from the Trump administration, in Palpite, Cienaga de Zapata, Cuba April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez

Reuters spoke with more than two dozen residents in and around the Bay of Pigs, a place that remains a symbol of national pride after Fidel Castro's forces defeated the exile brigade — one of the revolution's most celebrated moments. Their accounts reveal a deep divide between older veterans and many young Cubans struggling with daily hardship.

Young People and Daily Hardship

"Young people here don't have the same spirit they used to," says Miguel Piloto Garcia, a 22-year-old barber, speaking from his porch a few miles from the 1961 landing site. "We want to improve our lives, but right now there's no future for us."

Jesus Alonso, 87, a Bay of Pigs veteran, shows a photo of himself in military uniform while sitting on the porch of his home as Cuba marks the 65th anniversary of its victory over the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion, amid a U.S. oil blockade and threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, in Palpite, Cienaga de Zapata, Cuba April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez

The Zapata Swamp region endures prolonged blackouts — residents report up to 22 hours without power — limited transport and spotty communications. Thirty-year-old fisherman and crab hunter Yudel Ramos says he worries more about finding charcoal and firewood than about geopolitics. "If the time came to give my life for Cuba, I would, but sometimes I don't know what to think," he told Reuters.

Military Training And Official Rhetoric

Cuba's constitution mandates military training beginning at age 18; service generally lasts one to two years and includes firearms instruction as part of the government's "War of All the People" defense doctrine. President Miguel Díaz-Canel has framed national defense in terms of broad popular participation, saying each Cuban "has a mission, a purpose, a place to defend."

Miguel Cova, 72, poses for a photo while making charcoal as Cuba marks the 65th anniversary of its victory over the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion, amid a U.S. oil blockade and threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, in Palpite, Cienaga de Zapata, Cuba April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez

In recent months the government has made its drills more visible, broadcasting weekly exercises it calls "National Defense Days." These televised exercises show militias and armed forces training in urban and rural environments, demonstrating rifles, armored vehicles, drones and grenades. At the same time, Cuba's military posture remains largely opaque to outside observers, with little public accounting of readiness, budgets or weapon inventories.

Meanwhile, tensions in the region and repeated hostile statements from some U.S. officials, including former President Donald Trump — who in March said he might "take" the island — have heightened fears and rhetoric on both sides. Cuban leaders say they do not seek conflict but warn they would defend the country, including by irregular or popular resistance if necessary.

Miguel Bonachea, 90, a witness to the events at the Bay of Pigs, poses for a picture at home as Cuba marks the 65th anniversary of its victory over the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion, amid a U.S. oil blockade and threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, in Palpite, Cienaga de Zapata, Cuba April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez

Demographic Shifts And Emigration

Emigration has depleted the ranks of young people who might otherwise be available for military service. According to Cuba's ONEI statistics agency, the country recorded a population decline of more than 1.4 million people between 2020 and 2024 — more than 10% of the population — with many of those leaving in the 18–30 age group.

For veterans such as 87-year-old Jesús Bernardino Alonso, the changes are poignant. Alonso, one of the few Bay of Pigs fighters still living in Palpite, recalls how his town mobilized in 1961. "It's true times have changed, and young people today ... some don't share the same ideals," he said. "But there are still many of us who defend this, even though we know we are facing a superpower."

A girls pets a chicken as Cuba marks the 65th anniversary of its victory over the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion, amid a U.S. oil blockade and threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, in Palpite, Cienaga de Zapata, Cuba April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez

Context: The Bay of Pigs remains a potent symbol of Cuban resistance and of the island's complicated relationship with the United States. While older veterans emphasize historical defiance, many younger Cubans are preoccupied with survival, economic opportunity and emigration.

(Reporting by Ayose Naranjo; edited.)