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Memento of a really moving day in my life


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Back in the 1990s I was living in South Florida. I was privileged to become involved with the civilian search & rescue effort aimed at helping Cubans who were pouring out of Cuba and trying to cross the Straits of Florida in almost anything that came close to floating. One day in 1993 everything came together for us. We spotted a tiny rowboat early in the morning, and were able to direct the Coast Guard (for whom I have the utmost respect and admiration) to pick them up. We watched the pickup, and were actually able to fly down to Key West to be there when the cutter came in late that afternoon. After immigration was finished with them, they turned them loose (they literally just opened the gate and let them walk out onto the streets of Key West). At the time, the Cuban communities in Key West and Miami were running a reception center for them called Casa de Balseros. We went there and actually got to meet the folks we had spotted that morning. It turned out that this tiny wooden rowboat had held six people - two young couples, each with a little girl. The leader of the group was a young man named Rene Perez-Rodriguez. He was so grateful to us for having helped rescue them that he insisted on giving me literally everything he had at the time. That consisted of a Cuban 20 peso note that was still wet with sea water, and an East German made compass he carried. Many tears were shed all around that evening, especially when one of the little girls (who could have doubled for Little Orphan Annie) came and sat on my lap and hugged me. All these years I've wanted to somehow display the 20 peso note, and I finally figured out how. Years ago I bought a 1918 world atlas. It was falling apart, so I pulled out the maps I thought I might want someday, including one of Cuba. I took it and the bank note down to the local frame shop and had them mounted. Got it back this afternoon. Here's the result. I think it came out really nice. I'm going to get a couple of the photos framed and hang them with it as sort of a collage.

J

CubaMap.jpg

Edited by Jennings
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