Erneido Oliva
| Erneido Oliva | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 20, 1932 Aguacate, Havana Province, Cuba |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
United States Army District of Columbia National Guard Cuban Constitutional Army Cuban Revolutionary Army Assault Brigade 2506 |
| Years of service | 1951–1993 |
| Rank | Major General (DCNG) (1992) Brigadier General of the Line (USA) (1984) MP Brigade Commanding Officer (1982) |
| Unit | District of Columbia Army National Guard (Deputy Commanding General) 82nd Airborne Division Assault Brigade 2506 –Bay of Pigs Invasion (Second in Command) |
| Battles/wars |
Bay of Pigs Invasion Dominican Republic Intervention |
| Awards | Legion Of Merit Medal (1OL) Army Meritorious Service Medal (4OL) Army Commendation Medal (1OL) Army Achievement Medal (1OL) Army National Guard Achievement Medal (4OL) National Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Humanitarian Service Medal Armed Forces Reserve Medal DCNG Distinguished Service Medal (1OL) Combat Infantry Badge Senior Parachute Badge |
Erneido Andres Oliva Gonzalez (Born 20 June 1932 in Aguacate, Havana Province, Cuba) is 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.
In 1954 Oliva was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Cuban Army after graduating from the Cuban Military Academy, "the Cadet School." After graduating with honors from the Artillery Academy in 1955 he was appointed professor of Artillery in the Cadet School until 1958. From 1958 to 1959 he was a student, also graduating with honors, and an instructor at the US Army Caribbean School in the Canal Zone, Panama. In late 1959 after the Castro revolution overthrew General Batista, the Cuban army was "purged", but Oliva was appointed General Inspector at the INRA. In May 1960 he was one of a group of former Cuban officers planning a campaign against the Castro regime. They were all graduates of Cuba's military academy. He left the army early in August 1960 and flew to Miami. On August 29, 1960, Oliva and about 40 young Cuban exiles, recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency were transported via CIA C-54 aircraft to San José, Guatemala to perform guerrilla training that later became conventional.
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 (Pepe) San Roman. San Roman landed at Playa Giron and Oliva, commanding a brigade task force, established a beachhead at Playa Larga about 20 miles east of Giron. After the Brigade had ceased fighting on April 19, 1961, due to lack of air support promised by the Kennedy administration, Oliva organized all the Brigade's men that were withdrawing to Playa Giron and, with men of the 2nd and 6th battalions, tried to reach the Escambray mountains. However, Castro's air attacks forced the Brigadistas to scatter into the woods and swamps near Girón. He was captured by Cuban militia on April 23, 1961. He was finally released from prison and flown to Miami on December 24, 1962 after the U.S. Government paid a ransom of $500,000 for each of the three leaders of the Brigade.
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Wikipedia