When the U.S. was okay with Cuba shooting down civilian American planes

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We remember today the 28th anniversary of the murder of four men of the group “Brothers to the rescue.” The men were Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Pena, and Armando Alejendre, Jr. We remember the four men and their families.

Back in the mid-1990s, a group of Cuban Americans in Miami decided to patrol international waters looking for Cubans escaping in rafts. It was a noble mission and completely legal because they were departing from Miami and flying over international waters. This is what happened that terrible day:

On February 24, 1996, two Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot out of the sky over Cuba. Four people died. Cuban emigres and Americans alike were furious about the attack. The United Nations denounced the Cuban government. The press followed the event closely, calling the attack an act of war.

The Congress reacted by tightening the embargo. President Clinton said this:

“This Act is a justified response to the Cuban government’s unjustified, unlawful attack on two unarmed U.S. civilian aircraft that left three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident dead… It is a clear statement of our determination to respond to attacks on U.S. nationals and of our continued commitment to stand by the Cuban people in their peaceful struggle for freedom.”

The tough approach toward Cuba was continued during the Bush years, but everything changed when the Obama administration decided to try a different approach in 2014. They reestablished diplomatic relations, did not demand a thing in return and a U.S. flag flew over a building in Havana again.

We remind you that President Obama shook hands with Raul Castro, the man who arguably ordered a Cuban MIG to shoot down their plane.

Shoot U.S. citizens and get away with it? Well, Raul Castro can tell you all about it.

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1 thought on “When the U.S. was okay with Cuba shooting down civilian American planes”

  1. Well, Vil Clinton was POTUS then, which didn’t help any, but let’s just say the lives lost did not especially matter, same as the lives lost on the tugboat 13 de Marzo. The matter, as we know, is very selective.

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