Erneido Oliva
Encyclopedia
Erneido Andres Oliva Gonzalez (Born 20 June 1932 in Aguacate, Cuba) is a Cuban-American who was the deputy commander of Brigade 2506
land forces in the abortive Bay of Pigs Invasion
of Cuba in April 1961.
In 1954 Oliva was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Cuban Army after graduating from the Cuban Military Academy. From 1955 to 1958 he was a Military Academy artillery instructor. From 1958 to 1959 he was a student and instructor at the US Army Caribbean School in Panama
. In late 1959 the Cuban army was "purged", and he then left Cuba
. In May 1960 he was one of a group of ten former Cuban officers in Miami planning a campaign against the Castro
regime. They were all graduates of Cuba's military academy, the Cadet School. On 2 June 1960, Oliva and nine fellow recruits were transported by Central Intelligence Agency
agents to Useppa Island
off Fort Myers, Florida
, for physical and psychological assessments. On 22 June 1960 Oliva and 27 others were taken by land and air to Fort Gulick
in Panama for paramilitary training. On 22 August 1960 he flew via CIA C-54 aircraft to San Jose, Guatemala.
He was appointed deputy commander of Brigade 2506
, the assault brigade of Cuban exile
s, under Pepe San Roman, and went ashore at Playa Larga during the Bay of Pigs Invasion
on 17 April 1961. After the Brigade had ceased fighting on 19 April 1961, Oliva and his men of the 2nd and 6th battalions scattered into the woods and swamps near Girón. He was captured by Cuban militia on 23 April 1961. He was finally released from prison and flown to Miami on 24 December 1962. On 29 December 1962, Oliva was on stage next to the US President, John F. Kennedy
, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, during the 'welcome back' ceremony for ransomed Brigade 2506 veterans and he addressed the veterans. He became involved in the Cuban Project
(Operation Mongoose), a White House
-organized counterrevolutionary unit led by Manuel Artime
based in Costa Rica
and Nicaragua
that staged commando raids on Cuban shore installations. In 1963 he was commissioned in the US Army and was appointed to represent Cuban-American personnel in the US armed forces. He underwent artillery training at Fort Sill
, Oklahoma, and in January 1964 developed a political relationship with US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy
. In August 1984, Oliva was promoted to Brigadier General
in the US Army Reserve. In July 1987, US President Ronald Reagan
, appointed him to the position of Deputy Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard. In December 1992, he was promoted to Major General
in the US Army Reserve. Since retirement on 1 January 1993, he has remained active in the anti-Castro effort, though largely steering clear of exile politics. In 1996, he founded the private Cuban-American Military Council (CAMCO), to promote cooperation between all Cuban military veterans, whether Brigade 2506, the US Army or the Cuban army under Batista
or Castro. Oliva has been a member of all four. In January 2008, Oliva was among those to endorse John McCain
's candidacy for the office of US President. He lives with his wife, Graciela Ana Portela Avila, in Fort Washington
, Maryland
. They have two grown children.
Brigade 2506
Brigade 2506 was the name given to a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro...
land forces in the abortive Bay of Pigs Invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
of Cuba in April 1961.
In 1954 Oliva was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Cuban Army after graduating from the Cuban Military Academy. From 1955 to 1958 he was a Military Academy artillery instructor. From 1958 to 1959 he was a student and instructor at the US Army Caribbean School in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. In late 1959 the Cuban army was "purged", and he then left Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. In May 1960 he was one of a group of ten former Cuban officers in Miami planning a campaign against the Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
regime. They were all graduates of Cuba's military academy, the Cadet School. On 2 June 1960, Oliva and nine fellow recruits were transported by Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
agents to Useppa Island
Useppa Island
Useppa Island is a barrier island located in Lee County, Florida. It has been known for luxury resorts since the late 19th century, and it is currently the home of the private Useppa Island Club. On May 21, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, due to its...
off Fort Myers, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, for physical and psychological assessments. On 22 June 1960 Oliva and 27 others were taken by land and air to Fort Gulick
Fort Gulick
Fort Gulick was a U.S. Army base in the former Panama Canal Zone located on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal near Fort Davis, on Gatun Lake.-History:It was perhaps best known as the location of the School of the Americas...
in Panama for paramilitary training. On 22 August 1960 he flew via CIA C-54 aircraft to San Jose, Guatemala.
He was appointed deputy commander of Brigade 2506
Brigade 2506
Brigade 2506 was the name given to a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro...
, the assault brigade of Cuban exile
Cuban exile
The term "Cuban exile" refers to the many Cubans who have sought alternative political or economic conditions outside the island, dating back to the Ten Years' War and the struggle for Cuban independence during the 19th century...
s, under Pepe San Roman, and went ashore at Playa Larga during the Bay of Pigs Invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
on 17 April 1961. After the Brigade had ceased fighting on 19 April 1961, Oliva and his men of the 2nd and 6th battalions scattered into the woods and swamps near Girón. He was captured by Cuban militia on 23 April 1961. He was finally released from prison and flown to Miami on 24 December 1962. On 29 December 1962, Oliva was on stage next to the US President, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, during the 'welcome back' ceremony for ransomed Brigade 2506 veterans and he addressed the veterans. He became involved in the Cuban Project
Cuban Project
The Cuban Project was a program of Central Intelligence Agency covert operations developed during the early years of the administration of President of the United States John F. Kennedy...
(Operation Mongoose), a White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
-organized counterrevolutionary unit led by Manuel Artime
Manuel Artime
Manuel Francisco Artime Buesa, M.D. was a Cuban-American who former took part to the rebel army of Fidel Castro, later was the political leader of Brigade 2506 land forces in the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in April 1961.-Biography:Manuel Artime was the nephew of popular Cuban poet José...
based in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
that staged commando raids on Cuban shore installations. In 1963 he was commissioned in the US Army and was appointed to represent Cuban-American personnel in the US armed forces. He underwent artillery training at Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
, Oklahoma, and in January 1964 developed a political relationship with US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
. In August 1984, Oliva was promoted to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
in the US Army Reserve. In July 1987, US President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, appointed him to the position of Deputy Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard. In December 1992, he was promoted to Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in the US Army Reserve. Since retirement on 1 January 1993, he has remained active in the anti-Castro effort, though largely steering clear of exile politics. In 1996, he founded the private Cuban-American Military Council (CAMCO), to promote cooperation between all Cuban military veterans, whether Brigade 2506, the US Army or the Cuban army under Batista
Batista
Batista is a Spanish or Portuguese languages surname , literally meaning "baptist"...
or Castro. Oliva has been a member of all four. In January 2008, Oliva was among those to endorse John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
's candidacy for the office of US President. He lives with his wife, Graciela Ana Portela Avila, in Fort Washington
Fort Washington
Fort Washington may refer to:In the United States:* In California:** Fort Washington, California, census-designated place* In Maryland:** Fort Washington, Maryland, census-designated place...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. They have two grown children.