Moscow, June 14. RIA Novosti. (Interview taken by Ricardo Zedano)
Jesus Parra Barreros, one of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's comrades-in-arms, gave an exclusive interview to RIA Novosti on the iconic revolutionary's 80th birthday.
Question: On the eve of Che Guevara's 80th birthday, could you describe one of the funniest and one of the saddest episodes from his life?
Answer: Well, I don't remember a lot of funny episodes, but I know many tales of the war. I had the honor to be Che's military adjutant, a kind of a secretary.
I can tell you one tragic-comic story. During the famous offensive, when we were moving from the east to the center of the Island in Las Villas, in the Escambray Mountains, we were caught in a government army trap in a place called "four comrades." Che said that if we met the enemy, we should run to the south. The funny thing was that many captains were not educated enough to orient themselves. They were peasants from Sierra Maestra, and simply fled in all directions. Che ordered me to tell them to flee to the south.
During a shoot-out I ran across two captains, Ángel Frías and Joel Iglesias, and told them what Che suggested. They said that they were illiterate, and did not know where the south was. I explained them that since we were moving from the east to the west, to Las Villas, the east was behind us, the west in front of us, and the south to the left, and that this was where we should be going. They replied that they had circled too much, and lost their orientation. It was difficult for them to find the south.
I returned to Che and told him the problem. Che asked me to help them. I was not very knowledgeable myself, but was more educated than them. Che advised me to orient them using the Pole Star. I went back and told them to look for it. They looked at me in bewilderment, and said: "Have you looked at the skies? We don't see any Pole Star." It dawned on me that the skies were overcast and the Pole Star was not visible. You can imagine, it was a comic moment because we did not know where to flee.
As for a sad episode from Che's life, I can tell you the following story. It happened when we were fighting in Santa Clara. There was a soldier by the name of Roberto Rodriguez, whom we called "el Vaquerito", or a Little Shepherd. He was very tiny, but very courageous. He used to exaggerate everything, and told us fantastic stories, and... we appreciated him for that. When we entered Santa Clara, Che ordered him to seize a police station with his 30-strong detachment. He suggested setting up a commando squad but Che said: "What you want to do is suicide." From then on, his detachment came to be called the Suicide Unit. During the fight for the police station, the Little Shepherd was killed by a shot to the head. On learning of his death, we rushed to the city's hospital where his corpse was. Che came with us. He said that considering the Little Shepherd's valiance, resolve, and courage, features which he had displayed in every battle, because he really was ready to sacrifice his life, it was possible to say that "by killing him they killed a hundred people."
I think this was one of the moments when Che displayed emotion, which is quite normal for real men, great warriors. There are people who say that at that very moment he wept. Knowing Che, I doubt that, but he became very human and sentimental in such sad moments.
Q.: Why do you think he still lives in the hearts of Latin Americans?
A.: I'll express my personal opinion. Che was the incarnation of revolutionary and moral integrity. He was an example of boldness and resolve during fighting, and in everyday life. Che always shared everything he had, and respected the opinion of his soldiers, his mates. He was not one of those leaders who only order others to do something; he was the first to do everything himself. This was the best example for all of us, and we followed it without a murmur. Che personified a revolutionary fighter whom many tried to copy. He was a man of great inner culture and advanced ideas.
It would not be a mistake to say that Che was a man of those times, a man who seemed to have traversed the roads of the future and come back. It seemed that he had looked into the future, and returned to us with the knowledge of the country's political and cultural development, its industrialization, and all aspects of its economy, politics and social system.
This is why Che still exerts influence on Latin America and the rest of the world, even after his death.
Q.: What advice would you give to the younger generation, which is losing the values of older people, such as honor and honesty?
A.: I'd advise them to read more about outstanding people. Latin Americans should concentrate on their heroes, Europeans on their own, and so on and so forth.
