I remember that when my plane landed in Miami on Dec. 11, 1972, there were television cameras at the airport because our flight was the first one after they had been suspended them for awhile. I got off the plane with my then husband and my daughter, Grettel, who was carrying her doll so that attracted the photographers. On my flight there were many elderly people. I think we were the youngest passengers. I remember I was taken to the Freedom Tower were a Cuban lady, I still recall she was so proper and well-dressed, filled out all my paperwork. My husband was separated form me for hours because he had worked at the port of Cardenas in Cuba and the government here thought he knew about the comings and goings of Russian ships there. We stayed in Miami for several days until we relocated to Las Vegas, where my husband had relatives.

Maria Pacheco