Government Officials, Veterans Mark Bay Of Pigs 60th Anniversary In South Florida
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - On Saturday, government officials and veterans commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Cuban exiles opposed to Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution landed at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 with the goal of overthrowing Castro from power.
The exiles had been covertly financed and directed by the U.S. government.
On Saturday, local government officials and veterans of the assault were gathered in Little Havana to mark the anniversary.
The event held at the Bay of Pigs monument in Little Havana was attended by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and other city leaders.
Veterans of the invasion were also in attendance. They all came together in a solemn act to remember fallen comrades all those years ago.
They were there to honor those who sacrificed their lives for freedom.
Over 100 of the 1,200 Cuban exiles who landed ashore were killed and more than 1,000 were captured.
Earlier today, in Fort Lauderdale, another event was held to remember the occasion.
Florida US Senator Marco Rubio and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the spirit of the veterans who lost their lives forever lives on.
"Every time, as you remember them in the conversations you've had with them, you realize, their battleground was in Cuba. The cost was really freedom," said Rubio.
"Members of the brigade took a stand. A stand against oppression. A stand against destitution. A stand against a morally bankrupt ideology, and a stand for freedom," said DeSantis. "We have people who are willing to try 90 miles of shark-infested waters to be able to get here because they seek freedom. That's the spirit of the brigade. We have fights in our country right now for freedom, when we are fighting against political censorship, that is the spirit of the brigade."