Friday marks the 21st anniversary of the Brothers to the Rescue aircraft shootdown. On Feb. 24, 1996, pilots and American citizens Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, Jr., and Mario de la Pena, and one American resident, Pablo Morales, were flying over international waters on a humanitarian mission when their plane was shot down by order of the Cuban government under the Castro regime.
At the time, Cuba claimed that the flight was violating Cuban airspace; all four pilots were killed.
Earlier today, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehitnen made a statement regarding the incident of more than two decades ago.
"On the 21st anniversary of this shameful and criminal act, we remember the innocent lives of Carlos, Armando, Mario, and Pablo who were murdered by the despotic Castro regime".
Rep. Ros-Lehiten continued to detail the handling of the events both leading up to and following the incident by the previous administrations.
Shamefully, the previous administration released Cuban spy Gerardo Hernandez, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and whose actions helped lead to the shootdown. The Obama administration’s appeasement of the Castro brothers, flying in the face of any common decency, by midwifing the artificial insemination of Hernandez’s wife and facilitating the transport of his sperm to a third country is abhorrent. Hernandez and the other Cuban spies should never have been pardoned for their heinous crimes against members of the South Florida community. Our nation must stand up for these murdered Americans and ensure that justice prevails so these victims’ families may have the final peace they so deeply deserve.
The Representative believes that, no matter what time has passed, our nation must continue to stand up for the murdered Americans to ensure justice.
Several memorial services are taking place today, marking the 21st anniversary of the original incident.