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Marisa Zayas-Bazan Rodriguez | Miami Herald

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Freedom Flight Memories

Marisa Zayas-Bazan Rodriguez

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December 17, 2008 12:08 PM

My original name in Cuba was Maria Isabel Zayas-Bazan Loret de Mola. When I became an American Citizen I changed it to: Marisa Zayas-Bazan Rodriguez.I together with part of my family came in the Freedom Flight #100, on February 14, 1966. Our nucleus family consisted of 7 (seven) persons. They were:

1) Aida Loret de Mola de Zayas-Bazan (my mother, my father was Eddy Zayas-Bazan that stayed in Cuba because he was a political prisoner).2) Bertha Zayas-Bazan Loret de Mola (my sister)3) Maria Isabel Zayas-Bazan Loret de Mola (myself)4) Pablo Roberto Rodriguez Ponce (my husband)5) Maria Isabel Rodriguez Zayas-Bazan (my daughter) 5 years old6) Pablo Roberto Rodriguez Zayas-Bazan (my son) I year old7) Juana Ponce Duarte (my mother in Law)

We are all from Camagüey, Cuba. Our trip was very stressful because we were coming with my mother, who was very sick and we had the two small children. Because my father had been the Governor of Camagüey we experience a lot of persecution. They had no consideration for us. Previously of our trip, there were some “Spanish Dolls” available for sale. My husband was able to stand in line for about 5 hours to be able to get the “Spanish Doll” for my daughter. The milicianos in Camagüey took the doll away from my daughter. My daughter was devastated. When we were in the “Lagito”, as part of the whole trip, there was a group from Mario Sabates family whose daughter had brought two dolls and after they heard what happened to my daughter, their daughter gave one of the dolls to my daughter.

My two brothers were in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Eduardo Zayas-Bazan Loret de Mola was a frog man, who was wounded and stayed over a year in prison. Rogerio Zayas-Bazan Loret de Mola was one of the ones that were not allowed to disembark. If you are interested, I could elaborate more in our experience. Thank you very much for doing this.

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Marisa Zayas-Bazan Rodriguez

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Freedom Flight Memories

Ana María Florin

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January 06, 2009 11:06 AM

It was November 27, 1967 when my mother ( now 83 years old), my father (now deceased) and I came to the United states via the Freedom Flight. We planned to come earlier, but the Bay of Pigs invasion delayed our plans since all flights were put on halt. I remember speaking the little English I learned in school to ask for water when I was in the plane. I had a British accent , and was quickly corrected by the flight attendant . I was just a teenager , everything was o.k. as long as I was with my parents. We stayed at the Freedom Tower for a couple of days and received winter clothes and plane tickets to go to New York where we had relatives. I will never regret coming the the United States. I value enormously the sacrifice my parent made leaving behind their parents, their possessions, their lives.

Ana María Florin ( Pérez)

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January 06, 2009 11:11 AM

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