HAVANA, Cuba, Sept 12 (acn) With profound mourning, the leadership of the Cuban Government and Communist Party informed the Cuban people that Commander of the Revolution and Vice President of the Council of State Juan Almeida Bosque passed away at age 82 in Havana at 11:30pm on September 11, as a result of heart and respiratory failure.
The announcement was made via an official communiqué issued by the Political Bureau of the Cuban Communist Party’s Central Committee.Almeida was a construction worker from a humble Havana neighbourhood when he decided to join the fight against Dictator Fulgencio Batista, who took power after the 1952 coup d'état.
A year later, he actively participated in the assault on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, and was among those sent to jail. Ever since, he has always been on the front line along with the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.
Almeida quickly rose to become an important military figure among the revolutionary fighters. He was named chief of one of the three squadrons that were part of the Granma Yacht expedition from Mexico to Cuba, and was later appointed Commander of the Third Guerrilla Front.
After the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959, he continued to be a revolutionary leader, undertaking important government and political posts.
In addition to his political ideologies, Almeida was also known and beloved for his human and artistic sensitivity. He wrote more than 300 songs and a dozen of books on Cuban history.
More recently, Almeida was named president of the Association of Combatants of the Revolution. He concentrated his last energies on making this organization a solid and effective bastion of the country.
Because of his many and important merits, he received several decorations, and both national and international awards, including the title of Hero of the Republic of Cuba and the Order of Maximo Gomez.
In accordance with his will, the mortal remains of Juan Almeida Bosque will not be exposed. He will be buried with military honors at the Mausoleum of the Mario Muñoz Monroy Third Eastern Front of which he was a founder and sole leader. The Mausoleum, where the remains of the rest of the combatants of the Front are kept, is located in Santiago de Cuba.
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