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The United States Embassy in Cuba published a message this Monday in observance of Memorial Day, in which it paid tribute to the fallen U.S. military personnel, with a special mention of those who died in Cuba and are honored at the Colón Cemetery in Havana.
"On this Memorial Day, we honor the men and women in the military who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom and the values that unite us as a nation. Today, we remember their bravery, honor their legacy, and express our eternal gratitude, including those who passed away in Cuba and are recognized in the Colón cemetery," the diplomatic mission published on their official Facebook account under the slogan #NeverForget.
The connection between American soldiers and the Colón Cemetery dates back to the Spanish-Cuban-American War of 1898.
After the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana harbor on February 15 of that year— which cost the lives of 266 sailors and triggered the conflict— the bodies of the victims were buried in that same cemetery.
In December 1899, already under U.S. military occupation of the Island, the remains were exhumed and transferred to Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.
It is estimated that around 5,000 Americans died in Cuba during that war, and several of them passed through the Colón Cemetery before being moved to their final resting places.
This is not the first time that the Embassy has conducted such tributes on Cuban soil.
In November 2018, the diplomatic mission already paid tribute to American veterans at the Colón Cemetery on the occasion of Veterans Day.
Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, is specifically dedicated to the fallen military personnel, in contrast to Veterans Day—which is commemorated in November—and honors all who served in the armed forces.
In the current context of relations between Cuba and the United States, marked by the maximum pressure maintained by the Trump administration, such diplomatic gestures from the embassy in Havana take on a significance that transcends the ceremonial: they reaffirm the American presence and memory on the Island, and remind us that the history between both countries is also written with the blood of those who fought for freedom.
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