Diary of a Combatant Read online

  TORRES CHEDEBEAU, ANTONIO (ÑICO): Railroad worker and national labor leader of the July 26 Movement in Guantánamo. He joined the Second Front, and in May 1958 replaced David Salvador as leader of the workers’ section of the July 26 Movement, the National United Workers’ Front. He died in Havana on October 3, 1991.

  TORRES GONZÁLEZ, FÉLIX: Born in Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, on June 23, 1913. He joined the Popular Socialist Party (in 1934) and was secretary of the peasant movement in Yaguajay. He joined the Rebel Army on the northern front in Las Villas and attained the rank of commander.

  TORRES GUERRA, HIPÓLITO (POLO): A peasant collaborator with Column Four. His farm in La Mesa became Che’s headquarters at the end of 1957.

  VALDÉS MENÉNDEZ, RAMIRO (RAMIRITO): Born in Artemisa, Havana, on April 28, 1932. One of the assailants on the Moncada barracks, he was captured, tried and imprisoned. Exiled to Mexico, he became an expeditionary on the Granma. In March 1957 he was appointed by Raúl Castro as the leader of a squadron with the rank of lieutenant. He transferred to Column Four with the rank of captain and became a commander on March 28, 1958. He remained in Column Four until Che sent him to Las Minas del Frío. He was named second-in-command of Column Eight and subsequently became a commander of the revolution.

  VALLE JIMÉNEZ, SERGIO DEL (1927–2009): Member of the July 26 Movement and doctor in Columns One and Two.

  VALLEJO ORTIZ, RENÉ CIRILO: Born in Manzanillo, Oriente province, March 29, 1920. He established La Caridad clinic in Manzanillo where he tended to the combatants and militants of the July 26 Movement. He joined Column One and was the director of the rebel hospital of Pozo Azul. He died in Havana on August 13, 1969.

  VÁZQUEZ HIDALGO, RODOLFO: Combatant and member of Column Eight. He attained the rank of lieutenant.

  VEGA VERDECIA, ANSELMO (BOMBA OR EL BILLETERO) (1907–57): Born in Vicana Arriba, Niquero, Oriente province. An agricultural worker in Pilón, he participated in the workers’ struggles of the Orthodox Party. He joined the July 26 Movement and participated in the sabotage of the communications networks from Media Luna to Niquero in preparation for the landing of the Granma expedition. In April 1957 he joined Column One but died in the battle of El Uvero on May 28, 1957.

  VERDECIA MORENO, ÁNGEL: Combatant in Column One. He attained the rank of captain. He died in the battle of Altos de Meriño on July 13, 1958.

  VICIEDO PÉREZ, SEBASTIÁN (POMPILIO): A militant against Gerardo Machado, he was a member of Joven Cuba and fought in the Spanish Civil War. He was a member of the Orthodox Party, an underground activist in Sancti Spíritus and a member of Column Eight.

  VIRELLES ÍÑIGUEZ, FERNANDO: Expeditionary on the Corynthia. He joined the First Front of the Rebel Army and attained the rank of captain.

  WESTBROOK ROSALES, JOSÉ (JOE): Born in Havana on September 14, 1937, he was a member of the MNR (National Revolutionary Movement) led by García Bárcenas and was linked to the Civic Front of Martí Women. He was a founder of the Revolutionary Directorate. Along with José Antonio Echeverría he participated in discussions with Fidel in Mexico. He attacked the Radio Reloj radio station on March 13, 1957, and was assassinated at 7 Humboldt Street on April 20, 1957.

  ZAYAS OCHOA, LUIS ALFONSO: Born in Puerto Padre, Holguín, on September 29, 1936. He was a member of the first contingent of combatants sent by Frank País to the Sierra Maestra (los Marabuzaleros). He joined Column One and later Che’s Column Eight.

  1. This name was derived from the thorny bush marabú that grows in abundance near Manzanillo, where the group first assembled before ascending the Sierra Maestra.

  THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

  Notes on a Latin American Journey

  Ernesto Che Guevara

  The book of the movie of the same name by Walter Salles starring Gael García Bernal.

  The young Che Guevara’s lively and highly entertaining travel diary features exclusive, unpublished photos taken by the 23-year-old Ernesto on his journey across a continent, and a tender preface by Aleida Guevara, offering an insightful perspective on her father—the man and the icon.

  ISBN 978-1-876175-70-2 (paper) • ISBN 978-0-9870779-5-0 (e-book)

  LATIN AMERICA DIARIES

  The sequel to The Motorcycle Diaries

  Ernesto Che Guevara

  This is Ernesto Guevara’s journal of his second trip through Latin America, revealing the emergence of a revolutionary now called “Che.”

  After fleeing Guatemala during the 1954 US-inspired coup, he arrives in Mexico where he encounters a group of exiled Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro, and immediately agrees to join their struggle.

  ISBN 978-0-980429-27-5 (paper) • ISBN 978-0-9870779-7-4 (e-book)

  CONGO DIARY

  The Story of Che Guevara’s Year in Africa

  Ernesto Che Guevara

  Che Guevara’s disappearance from Cuba in 1965 aroused much speculation. In preparation for the fateful Bolivian mission, Che led a secret Cuban force to aid the liberation movement in the Belgian Congo (later known as Zaire) after Patrice Lumumba was assassinated there.

  Unpublished for decades because of its controversial content, this account of Che ’s “lost” year in Africa reflects his great literary gift, his characteristic insightfulness, his dry wit and brutal honesty.

  “Che Guevara’s feats in our continent were of such magnitude that no prison or censorship could hide them from us. His life is an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom. We will always honor his memory.” —Nelson Mandela

  ISBN 978-0-9804292-9-9 (paper)

  Also published in Spanish ISBN 978-1-920888-79-4

  THE BOLIVIAN DIARY

  The authorized edition

  Ernesto Che Guevara

  This is Che Guevara’s famous last diary, found in his backpack when he was captured by the Bolivian army in October 1967. It became an instant international bestseller after his death, catapulting Che to iconic status throughout the world.

  Newly revised by Che’s widow (Aleida March), and including a thoughtful preface by his eldest son Camilo, this is the definitive account of the attempt to spark a continent-wide revolution in Latin America.

  “Thanks to Che’s invariable habit of noting the main events of each day, we have rigorously exact, priceless, and detailed information on the heroic final months of his life in Bolivia.” —Fidel Castro

  ISBN 978-1-920888-24-4 (paper)

  Also in Spanish ISBN 978-1-920888-30-5

  GUERRILLA WARFARE

  A new, authorized and revised edition of a classic 1960s text on revolution

  Ernesto Che Guevara

  A bestselling Che classic for decades, this is Che Guevara’s own incisive analysis of the Cuban revolution—a text studied by his admirers and adversaries alike. Here he explains how a small, dedicated group grew in strength and with the support of the Cuban people was able to defeat a dictator’s army.

  This new edition, featuring a revised translation and a foreword by Che’s guerrilla compañero in Bolivia and Africa, Harry “Pombo” Villegas, offers an insight into a crucial period of Latin American history.

  “The Cuban revolution has acquired a continental and international transcendence, protected as it is by the unshakable determination of the people and the particular features that animate it.” —Che Guevara

  ISBN 978-1-920888-28-2 (paper)

  ISBN 978-1-921700-81-1 (e-book)

  Also published in Spanish ISBN 978-1-920888-30-5