Carlos's Diary

Fulgencio Batista
1901-1973

1940
My dear. You left. Without any warnings or telling me. I have read your letter. You left for us. I am worried about you. You took nothing but your cloth and three coins. One thing that comforts me is that you are following the president. Your back was wide enough for us to live but now it is gone. It is an honor to serve a man who works for the country but not his family. If I am right, you have moved into the city. What am I supposed to do with my child? We had barely enough food to keep us both alive. 

I miss you so much. Half a year had passed, but you still never came. My son didn’t have any name for a year. I was waiting for you. His name is Carlos. The meaning if “full-grown man”. He will be strong and mighty. A child who can help with this empty father. He will grow with your story. 

1941
I am not sure about the situation in the city, but my town is developed. Our field is brining profit, there is a hospital had a school. Now, I don’t expect you to come.

Fulgencio Batista
1901-1973

1940
My dear. You left. Without any warnings or telling me. I have read your letter. You left for us. I am worried about you. You took nothing but your cloth and three coins. One thing that comforts me is that you are following the president. Your back was wide enough for us to live but now it is gone. It is an honor to serve a man who works for the country but not his family. If I am right, you have moved into the city. What am I supposed to do with my child? We had barely enough food to keep us both alive. 

I miss you so much. Half a year had passed, but you still never came. My son didn’t have any name for a year. I was waiting for you. His name is Carlos. The meaning if “full-grown man”. He will be strong and mighty. A child who can help with this empty father. He will grow with your story. 

1941
I am not sure about the situation in the city, but my town is developed. Our field is brining profit, there is a hospital had a school. Now, I don’t expect you to come.

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1952
Dear father
It is my 13th birthday. I got this diary from my mother. You were a great man but just come back.
This is Carlos. First, I want to thank you for your help. Mother is always blaming you. How you left us. I think differently. You have helped us. One day I was sick, my mother didn’t know what to do. However, I could go to hospital and get cured. I also went to school. Friends and education. This is all done by Fulgencio Batista. I think he is a great leader. I have read about him fighting the rebels. If it wasn’t for him, my mother and I would have starved. I also think you helped fight the war. 

Later, if I get old, I will fallow you. Help you fight and beat the rebels. See you in the city. I want to see your smile on the face, not the heavy loaded back with regret.

1950
It was the day I joined the army. I haven’t met my father yet. But slowly, I could reach for him. After a week had passed, these people were nice to me. They all had a family. The man who sits on the right side always talks about his life. The good moments. This talk never stops. Once he told me about a man escaping to Mexico City. “You’ve gotta watch out kid, there is a superstition. He took a gun and a wool woven hat. He will return and get all of us.” “Hard to believe but that is true.

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His name is Pérez” The man who is on the left to me would say “now, young man, leave, leave this place at once. You shouldn’t be addled in this place. Your everything is stolen.” He shouts to all the new solders. 

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His name is Pérez” The man who is on the left to me would say “now, young man, leave, leave this place at once. You shouldn’t be addled in this place. Your everything is stolen.” He shouts to all the new solders. 

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Now it has been a month before I can find you. I will fallow you.

Oh, father. You haven said goodbye. Why didn’t you tell us? I would have never known without help from your friend. He told me all about you. He told me you always worked. Night and day. Chores during the day and standing on guard. You gave us money every day to my house. And even a gift every birthday. But I never received one. Then I remembered the voice of the crazy man. “Your everything is stolen” my dad’s everything was stolen.

And then, I did the exact same as the man with the hat did.

1956 – December 2

83 of us gathered in Mexico to go back to Cuba. To save the country. Our ship Gran Ma was our hope. When we land, I would be a rebel against Batista. The one who I trusted. This the chance I get close to my father. But then a gunshot. “What’s happeni...” and then another. Soon, there were lights on us. Bullets getting us one by one. I was lucky to survive this chaos. We had no choice but to escape. Like a deer getting chased by a group of Aura birds. We were forced to blend into the Sierra Mastro mountains. 

Later, after a deep nap, I was awakened only to realize it was the next day. With a warm smile on his face, a deep voice that sang to me. I was given a wool woven hat. “Happy birthday son.”

Rebels attacking in major areas

Ship "Gran Ma"

Later, after a deep nap, I was awakened only to realize it was the next day. With a warm smile on his face, a deep voice that sang to me. I was given a wool woven hat. “Happy birthday son.”

Rebels attacking in major areas

Ship "Gran Ma"

1957
With the support of Ernesto Che Guevara, we grow. Every time, new members came to our team. Fidel Castro provided food, supplies, and home. It almost seemed perfect until I thought about my mother. I was always running away. Not fighting. Sixty members died on the ship. It is because I didn't have the power to protect them. Now Castro is waging guerrilla warfare. We will fight.

We were running out of supplies until one of us decided to get some. He said, "We don't need to hide. We should stand!" with those words, we planned an attack. The places were oil facilities, government buildings, and radio stations. With this act, we could get quickly targeted by the government. After days and nights, we received letters telling our troops were defeated. Castro's prize money only grows bigger. Now, not just Batista, the US was coming from Havana.

1958
Batista is earning more power and only getting worse. I can't just sit and see. I decided to fight. First, we only attacked vital areas such as Oriente and Las Villas. After then, we started to move out.

I saw blood throughout Cuba. Every town or village we go to fight; it was the same as gambling. New firearms and tech is show every time. I saw most of the weapons in the military. But these were new. Our Mambi AMR was falling behind. 

1959

Finally, Batista was overthrown by us. He once looked nice. He was caring for and supporting us all. But still, the dark side wasn't revealed. Controlling power on his own, broad-spectrum between the rich and poor, he needed to be changed. The consequences could have turned to us. These years will be written in history—those dark pastes. Cleaning and replacing it for our future is what we do.

I saw blood throughout Cuba. Every town or village we go to fight; it was the same as gambling. New firearms and tech is show every time. I saw most of the weapons in the military. But these were new. Our Mambi AMR was falling behind. 

1959

Finally, Batista was overthrown by us. He once looked nice. He was caring for and supporting us all. But still, the dark side wasn't revealed. Controlling power on his own, broad-spectrum between the rich and poor, he needed to be changed. The consequences could have turned to us. These years will be written in history—those dark pastes. Cleaning and replacing it for our future is what we do.

Fidel Castro and his army riding a tank for victory.

Citation

Armario, Christine. “Castro's Ashes Retrace Route of the Cuban Revolution.” CP24, CP24, 29 Nov. 2016, www.cp24.com/world/castro-s-ashes-retrace-route-of-the-cuban-revolution-1.3181489.

“Fulgencio Batista.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Mar. 2019, simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgencio_Batista.

Sullivan, Kevin, and J.Y. Smith. “Fidel Castro, Revolutionary Leader Who Remade Cuba as a Socialist State, Dies at 90.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 26 Nov. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/world/fidel-castro-cuban-dictator-dies-at-90/2016/11/26/f37bf3bc-b399-11e6-be1c-8cec35b1ad25_story.html.

“Cold War Timeline (Caileb Travier).” Timetoast, 1 Jan. 1970, www.timetoast.com/timelines/cold-war-timeline-167bd9c1-b5bf-4d1e-bbab-afc992aec226.