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
...
during the
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called or after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in April 1961 by the United States of America and the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front ...
of
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
in April 1961.
Biography
Montero Duque was born in
Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...
, 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 politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
. 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 played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power as part of the 1933 Revolt of t ...
against Castro and his rebel forces in the mountains and forests 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 i ...
in
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.
The origins of Oriente lie in the 1607 di ...
. After the
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
of January 1, 1959, Duque was wanted by the revolutionary courts, accused of having committed
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
abuses against the civilian population during his service in Oriente. He fled Cuba, assisted by
Pepe San Román
José Alfredo Pérez San Román (1930 – 10 September 1989), better known as Pepe San Román, was a Cuban military officer and the commander of Brigade 2506 ground troops in the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in April 1961.
He enlisted in the Cu ...
.
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 for murders committed before Castro's takeover. 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 (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Ramon Conte Hernandez, was released later that year.
On June 8, 1986, Duque was released from prison in Cuba and reunited with his family in
Miami, Florida
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
and later
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a City (New Jersey), city in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in Ne ...
. He has served as Director and Editor of the newspapers '' 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.