Thirty-four years ago, in the early hours of the 9th of January 1992, four young Cubans lost their lives in an ambush that occurred at the Tarará Nautical Base, east of Havana, when an armed group attempted to steal a vessel to flee towards the United States, recalled the profile of the PNR (National Revolutionary Police) on social media, Héroes de Azul (Heroes in Blue).

The attack, executed by seven individuals with bladed and firearms, caused the immediate death of border guard Orosmán Dueñas Santana, aged 20; of custodian Rafael Guevara, aged 30; and of National Revolutionary Police (PNR) Sergeant Yuri Gómez Reinoso, aged 19.

A fourth young man, PNR Sergeant Rolando Pérez Quintosa, was seriously injured with four gunshot wounds to the abdomen, after coming to the aid of his comrades upon hearing the first shots.

Pérez Quintosa was transferred to the Naval Hospital, where he remained for 37 days under specialised medical care. Complications arising from his wounds demanded a vital medication that Cuba could not acquire due to the restrictions of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States.

On the 16th of February 1992 he died as a consequence of a generalised infection, a fact that evidenced the direct impact of the United States policy of hostility against the island on the medical care of its citizens.

At the funeral honours, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz expressed that Rolando’s story represented that of Cuban youth and of the Revolution, highlighting his example as a symbol of resistance.

The four young men, identified as Orosmán, Rafael, Yuri and Rolando, became references for new generations, as they embodied the defence of sovereignty in the face of external aggression.

Thirty-four years after those events, their memory remains as a legacy of firmness and dignity, recalling that Cuban youth continues to be a protagonist in the defence of the homeland.