Vinson: Hatred is a Strong Motivator: Fidel Castro a.k.a. the "Guerilla Prince"

By MIKE VINSON

Love him or loathe him, Fidel Castro was a global celebrity, his scraggly beard, rugged looks, military green fatigues, huge cigars, and fiery speeches making him instantly recognizable the world over. One might say Castro's profile was the "poster boy" for the fight-to-the-end revolutionary.

Though not the focal point of this column, it is wise that we do a timeline of a few historically significant events as they relate to Castro, to ensure readers understand the man admirers called the "Guerilla Prince."

*January 1, 1959: Along with fellow revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevera (an Argentine-born physician) and a small army of peasant, guerilla soldiers from the thickly-forested Sierra Maestra Mountains (located in Cuba), Fidel Castro, an attorney, seized power over Cuba. Former dictator Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba.

*April 17, 1961: The CIA-backed "Bay of Pigs" invasion, meant to overthrow Castro, was a disastrous failure for the United States.

*October 16-28, 1962: The "Cuban Missile Crisis" was a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union concerning Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba. It forced U.S. President John F. Kennedy/JFK to hold court with Soviet/Russian President Nikita Khrushchev. Ultimately, Khrushchev removed all missile sites from Cuba. Many political historians consider this JFK's finest moment as U.S. president. Televised worldwide, the Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the Cold War between the United States and Russia came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war.

*April 15 - October 31, 1980: Known as the "Mariel Boatlift," the Cuban government declared anyone who desired to leave Cuba could do so. Approximately 125,000 Cubans left the island, and many ended up on U.S. soil. American media and government accused Castro of political chicanery, claiming he emptied his prisons and mental hospitals and intentionally infested the U.S. with social misfits.
*February 19, 2008: Due to age and failing health, Fidel Castro handed over the reins of power to younger brother Raul Castro, who remains the leader of Cuba.
*November 25, 2016: Fidel Castro died at the age of 90, having ruled Cuba for approximately five decades.
Still, many fascinating, fit-for-the-big-screen stories/theories continue to circulate about the Guerilla Prince: