I was at my father-in-law's yesterday doing an emergency plumbing repair on a triplex rental. He is an elderly Cuban, a naturalized citizen, and one of the hardest-working people I know, though now he is retired and infirm.
The tenant is a guy from Cuba (this is in Miami, FL) whom I have seen before, walking around the property, caring for his immaculate Dodge Charger. He works in a local restaurant.
When I went-into the apartment to see the extent of repair I had to do, I had a surprising shock-he's about 4 &1/2' tall!
Now the guy I was used-to seeing was about 5'6"-5'7" so this was a bit of a shock. He had bilateral below-the-knee amputations.
He tried to swim from Havana to Guantanamo Bay, to the USA naval base there trying to reach freedom. Castro has heavily-mined the area's waters, and this poor fellow had his legs blown-off when one of the mines exploded.
A US 'Gitmo' soldier braved the mined waters, swimming-out to him, and pulled him to shore, and saved his life. Now, the amputee is in Miami, and has the best attitude you could hope-for, just a really-positive guy.
So, that is my contact with a really-brave man, someone who paid a great price to come out of Communist country. Miami is filled with people who have sacrificed greatly. I have met many of them, and often their sacrifices are heart-breaking and enduring. :worthy:
The tenant is a guy from Cuba (this is in Miami, FL) whom I have seen before, walking around the property, caring for his immaculate Dodge Charger. He works in a local restaurant.
When I went-into the apartment to see the extent of repair I had to do, I had a surprising shock-he's about 4 &1/2' tall!
Now the guy I was used-to seeing was about 5'6"-5'7" so this was a bit of a shock. He had bilateral below-the-knee amputations.
He tried to swim from Havana to Guantanamo Bay, to the USA naval base there trying to reach freedom. Castro has heavily-mined the area's waters, and this poor fellow had his legs blown-off when one of the mines exploded.
A US 'Gitmo' soldier braved the mined waters, swimming-out to him, and pulled him to shore, and saved his life. Now, the amputee is in Miami, and has the best attitude you could hope-for, just a really-positive guy.
So, that is my contact with a really-brave man, someone who paid a great price to come out of Communist country. Miami is filled with people who have sacrificed greatly. I have met many of them, and often their sacrifices are heart-breaking and enduring. :worthy:
