Ricardo Miguel Montero Duque (born July 4, 1925) is a Cuban exile who was a military battalion commander in the invading forces of

Brigade 2506 Brigade 2506 (Brigada Asalto 2506) was a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro. It carried out the abortive Bay of Pigs Invasion landings in Cuba on 17 A ...

during the

Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called ''Invasión de Playa Girón'' or ''Batalla de Playa Girón'' after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban exiles, covertly fina ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

in April 1961.

Biography

Montero Duque was born in

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, Cuba. In 1950, he graduated from the Military Academy of the Cuban Army with the rank of Second Lieutenant, eventually assuming the rank of Major. His military career can be traced to battles against the guerrilla forces of

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

. In 1956, Major Duque was instrumental in leading the Cuban Army during the regime of

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (; ; born Rubén Zaldívar, January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator ...

against Castro and his rebel forces in the mountains of the

Sierra Maestra The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view it a ...

Oriente Province Oriente (, "East") was the easternmost province of Cuba until 1976. The term "Oriente" is still used to refer to the eastern part of the country, which currently is divided into five different provinces. Fidel and Raúl Castro were born in a sm ...

. After the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in cou ...

of January 1, 1959, Duque was wanted by the revolutionary courts, accused of having committed

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

abuses against the civilian population during his service in Oriente. He fled Cuba, assisted by Pepe San Román. During the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, he commanded the Infantry Battalion No.5 of Brigade 2506. He was one of 1,189 members of Brigade 2506 captured by Cuban government forces. Duque was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The Cuban government agreed to release all but nine of them a year later, when the United States ransomed the prisoners for $53 million in food and medicine. Eight men remained, and later, the Cuban government released six more. One died and the second-to-last, Montero Duque (having spent 25 years in a

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

prison), was finally released. The last prisoner, Ramon Conte Hernandez, remained in prison until 1986. On June 8, 1986, he was released from prison in Cuba and reunited with his family in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

and later

Union City, New Jersey Union City is a city in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census the city had a total population of 68,589,El Cuba Libre'' and '' La Semana''. He has twice been elected to serve as President of the Union of Former Cuban Political Prisoners.Menendez, Robert. (2001-07-31). Congressional Record - Statement to the House of Representatives. http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/record/2001/2001_E01487.pdf Duque has been a real estate agent since 1987. He was married to Esther, his wife of fifty years, who died in 2007.

References and notes

Bibliography

* Johnson, Haynes. 1964. The Bay of Pigs: The Leaders' Story of Brigade 2506. W.W. Norton & Co Inc. New York. * Lynch, Grayston L. 1998. Decision for Disaster: Betrayal at the Bay of Pigs. Brassey's . Washington 1925 births Cuban soldiers Living people Cuban emigrants to the United States {{Cuba-mil-bio-stub