Erneido Andres Oliva Gonzalez was a Cuban-American who was the deputy commander of Brigade 2506 land forces in the abortive Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in April 1961.
16 Facts About Erneido Oliva
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In late 1959 after the Castro revolution overthrew General Batista, the Cuban army was "purged", but Erneido Oliva was appointed General Inspector at the INRA.
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Erneido Oliva left the army early in August 1960 and flew to Miami.
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Erneido Oliva was appointed deputy commander of Brigade 2506, the assault brigade of Cuban exiles, that landed at the Bay of Pigs on April 17,1961, under the command of Jose San Roman.
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San Roman landed at Playa Giron and Erneido Oliva, commanding a brigade task force, established a beachhead at Playa Larga about 20 miles east of Giron.
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Erneido Oliva was captured by Cuban militia on April 23,1961, and sentenced to 30 years in prison during a mass treason trial.
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Erneido Oliva was released from prison and flown to Miami on December 24,1962, after the US Government paid a ransom of $500,000 for each of the three leaders of the Brigade.
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On December 29,1962, Oliva was on stage next to the US President, John F Kennedy, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, during the 'welcome back' ceremony for ransomed Brigade 2506 veterans and he addressed the veterans.
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In March 1963 Erneido Oliva was commissioned in the US Army as a second lieutenant and was appointed by President Kennedy to represent Cuban-American personnel serving throughout the US armed forces.
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Erneido Oliva underwent infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and artillery training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
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Erneido Oliva participated in the US intervention of the Dominican Republic where he served over a year.
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Erneido Oliva earned a master's degree in International Affairs from the American University, Washington, DC and attended the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at Harvard University.
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Since retirement on January 1,1993, Erneido Oliva has remained active in the anti-Castro effort, though largely steering clear of exile politics.
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Erneido Oliva was later appointed by President George W Bush to serve as a member of the Board of Governors of the United States Organizations, Incorporated for a three-year term.
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Erneido Oliva lived with his wife, Graciela Ana Portela Avila, in the Washington Metropolitan Area.
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Erneido Oliva died on January 30,2020, aged 87, in Baltimore, Maryland.