Mourning ceremonies were held across Cuba for the historic revolutionary commander.

On Tuesday, Army Gen. Raul Castro Ruz and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel led the first honor guard for Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdes Menendez, who died on Sunday at the age of 94.

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The main funeral honors took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces in Havana, where the ashes of the guerrilla fighter who took part in the Moncada Barracks attack, the Granma yacht expedition, and the fighting in the Sierra Maestra are lying in state.

The posthumous tribute, held within the framework of the official mourning decreed from the morning until midnight Tuesday, included the participation of Corps Army Generals Alvaro Lopez and Lazaro Alvarez, ministers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Interior, respectively.

Displayed in the hall were the ashes of the guerrilla leader, his Hero of Cuba and Hero of Labor decorations, and the Cuban flag that presided over the transfer from Bolivia of the remains of Ernesto Che Guevara and his companions in 1997. The tribute was held simultaneously in all provincial capitals across Cuba, where large numbers of people gathered.

At the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba, combatants who participated in the 1953 insurgent events paid tribute to Valdes Menendez, who was among the guerrillas who entered that emblematic military installation of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship.

At the Mausoleum to the Martyrs in Artemisa, the birthplace of Commander Valdes Menendez, university students began the ceremonies, while in Ciego de Avila the provincial government received tributes from citizens.

In the city of Santa Clara, the solemn ceremony was held at the Museum of Decorative Arts in the presence of combatants and local authorities, who recalled Valdes Menendez’s role as second-in-command of Column 8 Ciro Redondo and strategist of the Battle of Santa Clara.

At the conclusion of the ceremony in Havana, Raul Castro and Miguel Diaz-Canel placed white roses before Valdes Menendez’s urn and expressed their condolences to his wife, children and other relatives.

Floral wreaths were presented on behalf of the army general, the Cuban president, the ACRC and the people of Cuba, recognizing the service record of the combatant who directed state security and dismantled assassination plots organized against Fidel Castro.

During the final years of his public career, Valdes Menendez led efforts to confront the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw high-impact economic and social programs linked to the electric power sector.

Valdes Menendez’s final wish was to rest alongside his former comrades-in-arms from the east-to-west invasion. For that reason, his remains will be transferred to Villa Clara, where they will be buried on June 25 at the Mausoleum of the Las Villas Front, located at the Ernesto Che Guevara Sculptural Complex.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: Cuban Presidency – Cuba Debate

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