The words of the wife of Luis Manuel Jardines Castro, one of the Cuban military personnel who died in Caracas on January 3rd, have been amplified by the official press as part of the heroic narrative that the regime is trying to build around the deaths of the 32 personnel sent to Venezuela.
"I know he didn't die at the best of times, but he did so with pride, with courage," the woman said in front of the cameras, as she defended her husband's mission as an act of loyalty to the Revolution.
"If he were here among us, he would say: 'if I have to do it again, I'll do it again,' because those were his ideals," he assured.
Jardines Castro was a soldier in the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and worked as a driver. He would have turned 60 years old on January 30.
His widow added that her husband had been on a mission in Venezuela for a year and that he was "very happy" and eager to continue working there. "You would communicate with him, and he always had that joy and pride in the work he was doing."
His widow insisted that he arrived there of his own free will, "willing to do whatever he had to do," and there was never any complaint.
"He fulfilled his duty, as was his responsibility," he emphasized.
He also stated that despite the tough moment, "the whole family is proud of him," a message that aligns perfectly with the official narrative, which needs to portray the fallen as convinced, happy, and grateful to have been part of that mission.
However, beyond the emotional tone of the testimony and the real pain, there is an element that the official discourse chooses not to emphasize: those soldiers did not die defending Cuba or its people, but rather protecting a foreign regime, that of Nicolás Maduro, during an operation that ultimately led to their capture.
In the interview, the journalist asked her how she perceived the reaction of the Cuban people to the tributes. The woman replied that she noticed in the people "almost the same pain that we, the family members, have" and that many were waiting "until the last minute to come and pay their respects."
The coverage by state media has placed special emphasis on the fact that the people attended the tributes voluntarily. Time and again, the idea of spontaneous crowds, endless lines, and genuine popular support is reiterated.
But that emphasis is not coincidental: it comes at a time when the government is facing its worst credibility crisis in decades, with a country plagued by blackouts, shortages of food and medicine, inflation, and profound social unrest.
In that context, the regime needs to showcase images of support and unity.
And not only that: it also requires that the relatives of the deceased speak in that same tone. The emotional phrases and expressions of gratitude to the people serve as pieces of a political stage set designed to counter the accumulated anger of society.
Meanwhile, the reality that remains in the background is that Cuba sent men to die far from home to uphold a dictator, not to defend a national cause or a humanitarian emergency.
The narrative crafted by the official media clashes with the reality that most Cubans today live in extreme precariousness, without stable basic services and without a real voice in the decisions that affect them.
The contrast between the genuine pain of a widow and the political exploitation of that pain is evident. The woman speaks from her personal loss; the regime speaks from its need for propaganda.
Thus, the widow's statement - "He didn’t die at the best moment, but he did so with pride, with courage" - is caught between two planes: the human one, legitimate, of a woman defending the memory of her husband; and the propagandistic one, where that death becomes just another piece in the discourse of power.
What the testimony of the wounded colonel reveals
The state narrative speaks of "homeland," but the facts confirm that Cuban soldiers were deployed in Caracas as part of the security apparatus of the Venezuelan political power.
On Thursday, a Cuban colonel injured in the same military operation, Pedro Yadín Domínguez, appeared on state television and stated bluntly that he was in Caracas "on a mission" when the American attack occurred.
According to his account, the group of Cuban military personnel was engaged in supporting presidential security, with very few weapons, when they were caught off guard by a massive air operation. He stated that the attack included planes, bombs, drones, and helicopters, and that at least 11 comrades died at that location.
The colonel's account makes it clear something that the government typically manages with extreme caution: there were Cuban officials directly involved in protecting the Venezuelan political power.
His words confirm that the Cuban presence in Venezuela was not symbolic or limited to advisory roles, but operational, tied to the security of Maduro's regime.
And they also confirm that the human cost of that alliance is not limited to speeches, but translates into deaths, injuries, and broken families.
While television insists on the epic, the testimony of the wounded colonel reveals the real dimension of Cuba's military commitment to chavismo and how decisions made outside the Island continue to claim Cuban lives.
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