No Longer a Hero

The Cuban troops and civilians who were on Grenada during the U.S.-led invasion last October were expected to follow faithfully the words of their national anthem: "To die for your country is to live." Twenty-four Cuban civilians died defending an airfield they were building at Point Salines. But the commanding officer of Cuban troops on the island, Lieut. Colonel Pedro Tortolo, and 42 of his men managed to escape to the safety of the Soviet embassy.

The next month, Tortolo and his men returned to a hero's welcome in Cuba. Tortolo was embraced by Cuban Leader Fidel Castro, who proclaimed that his officer had acted courageously. Many Cubans, however, began to ask how Tortolo and his men managed to make it to the Soviet embassy. It was not long before the story came out: Tortolo and his fellow heroes, instead of fighting to the last with the civilians, had taken a cross-country route not controlled by the invading forces.

For a country that prides itself on military prowess, the episode has become a national embarrassment. Tortolo was court-martialed for cowardice and demoted along with some of the 42 men who had also taken the easy way out.