Raul Castro, Antonio Nunez Jimenez, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Juan Almeida Bosque and Ramiro Valdes in 1959 shortly after the Cuban Revolution
The great Cuban revolutionary, poet and songwriter, Juan Almeida Bosque was born February 17, 1927.
Almeida met Fidel Castro in 1952 at the University of Havana, where both were studying law. He participated in the famous attack on the Moncada Barracks 1953, after which he was imprisoned alongside Castro and later exiled to Mexico. He returned to Cuba with the Castro brothers, Che Guevara and 78 other revolutionaries on the Granma in 1956 to launch the revolutionary armed struggle and was one of just 12 who survived the initial landing. Almeida is often credited with shouting "No one here gives up!" to Guevara, which became a slogan of the Revolution.
During the guerrilla war he was promoted to Commander of the Mario Muñoz Column of the Third Front. After the Revolution he rose to be a general in the army and held prominent positions in the government and Communist Party.
In addition to his political and military career, Almeida was also a composer and poet, with a prolific body of work that includes over 300 musical pieces and 12 books.
He died on September 11, 2009, but his legacy continues to be remembered in Cuba.
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