42 years ago, on October 25, 1983, the United States launched Operation 'Urgent Fury', a military offensive that brought an end to the revolutionary government of Maurice Bishop on the Caribbean island of Grenada.
That intervention, which lasted barely a week, not only marked a milestone in the Cold War but also recorded an unprecedented episode: it was the first and only time that Cuban troops directly fought against U.S. forces.
From independence to the socialist coup
Grenada had achieved its independence from the United Kingdom in 1974, governed by Eric Gairy, a populist politician who maintained power through repression and corruption.
On March 13, 1979, while Gairy was out of the country, a Marxist-Leninist group led by Maurice Bishop seized power through a bloodless coup.
Bishop established the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG), aligned with Cuba and the Soviet Union, adopting an openly anti-American discourse.
Under his leadership, Havana sent advisors, doctors, engineers, and military personnel, as well as weapons and logistical support. One of the flagship projects was the Point Salines International Airport, built with Cuban assistance, which Washington viewed as a potential Soviet military outpost 2,000 kilometers from Florida.
For four years, Bishop attempted to consolidate a socialist model in the Caribbean, but internal tensions led him to confront his deputy prime minister Bernard Coard, leader of the more radical wing of the PRG.
In October 1983, Bishop was overthrown, imprisoned, and ultimately executed, along with several of his ministers. The political chaos and the presence of hundreds of Cubans on the island were the catalyst that Ronald Reagan needed.
The invasion of Grenada and the end of the "new Cuba"
On October 25, 1983, more than 7,000 American soldiers landed in Grenada with the support of allied Caribbean forces. Within a few days, the local army was defeated and the Cuban resistance was left isolated.
Washington justified the invasion as a rescue operation for American citizens and "restoration of democratic order."
In reality, it was a direct geopolitical message to Fidel Castro and Moscow: the Caribbean remained the "backyard" of the United States.
Although Reagan proclaimed victory as a triumph over communism, the UN, the United Kingdom, and Canada condemned the invasion, deeming it a violation of international law.
Fidel Castro: Orders to die, not to surrender
On the Caribbean island, there were over 700 Cubans, including workers, technicians, and military personnel, most of whom were involved in the construction of the airport.
When the invasion began, Castro reacted with fury. From Havana, he issued a message via Radio Habana Cuba with a stern order: “Resist until the last man, without surrendering, without retreating!”
It was a suicide mission.
Without air support or numerical superiority, the Cubans fought for hours at Point Salines and the Calivigny barracks.
The confrontation was short, uneven, and bloody: 25 Cubans died, over 50 were injured, and about 600 were captured.
Colonel Tortoló: From Hero to Punishment
At the forefront of the Cuban defense was Colonel Pedro Tortoló Comas, military attaché in Grenada. After the defeat, Tortoló ordered the surrender to prevent further deaths.
Upon returning to Cuba, he was welcomed as a hero, but within days, Castro accused him of treason for not having sacrificed himself.
Tortoló was expelled from the Communist Party and sent to agricultural work, becoming the scapegoat for a defeat that Havana turned into an epic tale.
The episode revealed the nature of the regime: loyalty was measured in sacrifice, not in results.
The information manipulation of the Cuban regime
While the world learned about the details of the invasion, a propaganda narrative was established in Cuba.
The official media stated that the Cuban troops had heroically resisted, inflicted substantial losses on the U.S., and "carried out their internationalist duty."
No real figures were disclosed. The families of the fallen were forced to accept ambiguous official accounts and controlled funerals.
For weeks, Cuban news broadcasts repeated images of smiling young people in campaign uniforms, portrayed as symbols of "revolutionary honor."
But behind closed doors, the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) experienced one of their worst historical humiliations.
From Granada to Panama and from Noriega to Maduro
Six years later, in 1989, another U.S. deployment would once again shake the region.
The 'Just Cause Operation', ordered by George H. W. Bush, overthrew General Manuel Antonio Noriega in Panama, who was accused of drug trafficking.
The invasion mobilized 27,000 soldiers and reinforced the idea that Washington was willing to intervene militarily in its sphere of influence.
Four decades later, the U.S. naval deployment off the coast of Venezuela, under the command of President Donald Trump, brings those ghosts back to life.
With thousands of marines, destroyers, and aircraft carriers stationed in the Caribbean, Washington claims it is fighting drug trafficking, but analysts see a political message: Maduro could be the next Noriega, and Havana, once again, the thread connecting the crisis.
The Echo of Granada
The invasion of Grenada was brief, but its significance endures.
It was the only direct battle between Cuba and the United States, the most visible failure of Fidel Castro's military adventure, and the beginning of the end of the revolutionary dream of exporting his model to the Caribbean.
Forty-two years later, as U.S. destroyers patrol off the Venezuelan coast, history seems to be repeating itself:
Cuba remains on the board, and the Caribbean once again becomes the stage where the great powers clash.
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