Bay of Pigs

On April 17th-20th of 1961 former Bautista government officials, various Cuban exiles, former plantation owners, and other traitors to the revolution landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba to overthrow the revolution.

They were trained on the beaches of Florida by the CIA for about a year before. The New York Times even wrote several news articles about the training exercises that they did. So much for a big surprise. The 200 strong mercenary army was to be a first wave of sorts followed by U.S. air support and then possibly the U.S. Marines.

Armed with rifles and a few heavy machine guns, the mercenaries failed spectacularly and were either killed or captured by the Cuban Army. No air support and no Marines to save the day. JFK decided not to get bogged down in a lost cause that the American people would find useless.

Fidel Castro gives a famous speech to a crowd of millions of Cubans after the failed invasion that goes down in history as one of the greatest rallying cries of the modern era.

“…and the maggots, the privileged, the parasites and the children of parasites, willing to fly that shameful flag of crime and treason! Know that they will not go into battle with teenagers! Know that they will be facing grown men filled with pride to protect their motherland!”

- Fidel Castro

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wANiluehSz8&pp=ygUYZmlkZWwgY2FzdHJvIGxvcyBndXNhbm9z&ra=m