A Cuban exiled grandfather touched thousands of people on Instagram by publishing an emotional testimony last Wednesday, May 20, in which he recounts his life: from seven years as a political prisoner in Cuba to achieving what he himself calls "the American Dream" in the United States.
Roberto Coronel Hernández recorded the video in an interview format with a family member and published it on the 124th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Cuba, a date celebrated by the exile community as Independence Day, which the Castro regime removed from the official calendar after 1959.
"Today, May 20, marks 46 years since I left Cuba. But it has been 36 years since I arrived in the United States, because I spent 10 years in Venezuela," the man recounts at the beginning of the video.
Colonel Hernández explains that he was imprisoned by Fidel Castro's regime for seven years, accused of "counterrevolution."
"I was a political prisoner who spent seven years in prison," he states, detailing that his sentence was due to aiding the rebels of Escambray and having a brother who fought in that guerrilla. "I had a brother fighting in the Escambray named Héctor Coronel," he says.
The Escambray Rebellion was an armed insurgency against Castro's government that was mainly active between 1960 and 1966 in the central mountains of Cuba, led by farmers, former soldiers, and opponents of the regime.
The government referred to it as a "struggle against bandits" and responded with military operations, imprisonments, and executions. Those who supported the insurgents, like Colonel Hernández himself, were also hunted down.
After serving his sentence, the man left Cuba in 1980 and spent a decade in Venezuela before arriving in the United States. "In order to get here, Marc Canosa helped us with a family visa. I am very grateful to him," he notes. "Since the moment I arrived in this country, I have been a free man."
In the video, Colonel Hernández proudly describes his achievements in exile: "I have my own house. I have a car for myself and one for my wife. I have a motorcycle." But beyond material possessions, he emphasizes that he is helping to raise his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and he hopes to leave them a legacy of hard work and patriotism.
"I am going to leave something great in this country, people who are hardworking, fighters, and patriots like me," he affirms.
The central message of his testimony transcends the economic aspect. When his relative asks him what he was unable to achieve in Cuba, Coronel Hernández answers without hesitation: "The complete freedom of a human being."
The video was released on a day of great significance for the Cuban community in exile.
On May 20th, expectations for change were reignited among Cubans, and figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued messages to the Cuban people highlighting that date as a symbol of freedom.
Colonel Hernández's testimony concludes with a statement that encapsulates decades of exile, sacrifice, and gratitude: "Although I am not from this country, I was not born here, I am infinitely grateful for what I have. And I am willing, as I live now, to give anything for it, even my own life."
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