Oct, 2024.- Luciano Héctor Álvarez Soto, tank driver and combatant, defends the Cuban Revolution from the Camagüey municipality of Nuevitas, and recalls with great pride comforting moments of his meeting with Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.
Recalling the farewell to leave for the war in Syria in 1973, he said: "Fidel spoke to us about the future with wisdom and that ability he had to transmit his feelings to others."
In less than 20 minutes he returned and invited us to a great banquet.
"The people were encouraged, you can imagine, we had respect for Fidel and, after a while, Raul told us: 'the Commander has to retire, he wants to say goodbye one by one and, you have very hard hands for being tank drivers so, do not go to squeeze his hand, he has a very thin hand and does not like to be squeezed'.
I watched as he shook hands with each of my comrades and said something in secret. When it was my turn, we shook hands and he said to me very softly: 'Never feel alone, the Cuban Revolution is with you'".
According to Luciano Héctor Álvarez, Fidel was always aware of everything that happened during the mission so, at its end they were promoted and had another meeting with the commander in the courtyard of the military school.
"I think it was one of the happiest days of the Commander in Chief, he was different, he was constantly laughing, he went from table to table, my comrades offered him a drink, he drank a little and then he talked; he always asked about the wives, about the children, but the man who was his bodyguard often pointed to his watch and made hand gestures to him. There was someone who said to him:
-Commander, the boys want to take a picture with you.
-Ah, let's go then,' Fidel answered.
There were many snapshots and in different compositions.
"The escort always made the same gesture indicating the time, that he was going over time, and Fidel said no, until they parked five jeeps in front of him, the one in the center was the one with the top, I deduce that it was the one he had to get on, and boom! The doors opened, he ran out and got into the jeep, standing in the back, laughing his head off, a big laugh, and waving goodbye; I still keep that image in my mind".
Luciano Héctor Álvarez Soto holds the military rank of Major, is in the reserve as head of the military group, and is currently working as an health and safety specialist at the Base Business Unit of the Puerto Nuevitas, where he feels useful to the Cuban Revolution.
