Rolando Alemán León, 55 years old, originally from Cruces, Cienfuegos, passed away on Sunday, September 6, just as he had lived his entire life: working.
She left her home to begin her shift at Miami airport and did not return; she became one of the five Cuban victims of the Amazon plane crash that shocked the émigré community.
What makes his story unique among the Cubans who died in the accident is what he left behind on the Island: for years he was the mailman of Cruces, the man who, under sun and rain, whether on a bicycle or on foot, with the bag over his shoulder, would traverse every neighborhood delivering not only letters and telegrams but also a greeting and a smile at every door.
This is how Belkis Castellanos López recalled it in a Facebook post: «The postman that everyone knew, who never left a house unvisited, who was part of the family in every neighborhood in Cruces.»
"Rolando was one of those Cubans who leave a mark wherever they go: first delivering mail in his town, then cleaning airplanes so that others could fly. Always working, always serving," he added.
In Miami, Rolando had only just started in January 2026 cleaning aircraft so that others could fly, one of those invisible tasks without which air traffic doesn't function. Janette Suárez, president of Professional Ocean Service, summed it up precisely: "When you sit in the airplane, you don't realize the work they do. They have lives. They are people: parents, grandparents, uncles."
Her sister Vivian Alemán, who spoke from Cruces with journalist Alexis Boentes, revealed a detail that encapsulates the cruelty of the moment: Rolando was about to finish his shift when the accident occurred.
"He was 10 minutes away from leaving. They were practically about to leave work when it happened," said Vivian, who also shared that her brother always wore a medal of his deceased mother, whom he adored. "He had a medal on his chest that belonged to his mom, whom he loved dearly, but we haven't been able to find out if it was recovered with the bodies," she added.
Behind Rolando also remained a shared life project. His partner, Yameli Mora, was waiting alongside him for the move to a house they had both purchased in the Tampa area, a dream that the accident cut short forever. "We have no words to explain such pain," Mora stated.
In this regard, Belkis Castellanos added: "Today, her partner is still trying to come to terms with what happened. She is still waiting, with the greatest pain, for that man who went out to earn a living with dignity and did not return."
He also requested that his memory be honored: "Let him be remembered not only for how he died, but for how he lived: as a good son of Cruces, as a beloved postman, as a hardworking and supportive man."
A neighbor described him as a very kind person who would help him by taking him to his medical appointments, according to Telemundo 51.
On his social media, Rolando had written a phrase that resonates with a different strength today: "May the will of God always lead me to where I need to be."
The tragic incident
On Sunday, September 6, a Boeing 767-300 freighter operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon Air veered off the runway upon landing in Miami, arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The aircraft crossed a perimeter road of the airport and crashed into a white Ford Econoline van in which seven employees of Professional Ocean Service Corp., a contractor for aircraft cleaning and maintenance services, were traveling.
Five workers died and two were injured. The Miami-Dade sheriff, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, officially identified the victims: Rolando Alemán León (55 years old), Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo (53), Julio C. Pineda (75), Carlos Acosta Fajardo (53), and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo (47).
The two injured individuals remain hospitalized and are: Ridoel Averhoff Díaz (32) reported in critical condition and Roosevelt Sebastián Perdomo Torres (36) in stable condition.
All the deceased were Cuban and worked for the same contracting company, as reported by 14yMedio.
Both pilots of the aircraft survived and were discharged; they are: Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, 37 years old, and Joseph Carol, 55.
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