Gallego Fernández: An unconditional soldier of the Revolution

The Second Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) Central Committee, José Ramón Machado Ventura, described José Ramón Fernández Álvarez as an audacious revolutionary, during a ceremony held before the Veterans’ Pantheon at Colon Cemetery in Havana, where the deceased leader’s remains will be safeguarded until they are transported to the Frank País Second Eastern Front Mausoleum.

"Fernandez is, without the slightest exaggeration, one of those exceptional beings. His sense of duty and ethical conscience were an infallible compass in each of his actions," Machado Venturasaid before President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez; First Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa; Comandantes de la Revolución Ramiro Valdés Menéndez and Guillermo García Frías; and Esteban Lazo, National Assembly President; along with other members of the Political Bureau, mass organizations, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR).

Among his personal characteristics, Machado Ventura highlighted the Gallego’s firmness in rejecting greed, selfishness, and competition among those who sought to ascend in a military environment under Batista’s corrupt government and dictatorship, recalling that he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the tasks of the Revolution, given the confidence inspired by Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro Ruz and the social project to be built after 1959."With tenacity, discipline, intelligence, effort, and results, he avoided the many obstacles he faced again and again, given his firm decision not to accept unprincipled proposals and to be guided only by his conscience," Machado Ventura emphasized, speaking before those paying tribute to Fernándezat the cemetery, among them many FAR cadets and students from military academies.

Also present was Asela de los Santos, his eternal companion and colleague in leadership tasks, along with high performance athletes and sports legends, family and friends. Floral wreaths were sent by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, PCC first secretary, various institutions, and the diplomatic missions of sister countries, while many of the decorated Hero of the Republic’s medals and distinctions were displayed.

Machado Ventura concluded his comments with a quote from a book that will be published soon containing Fernandez’s main experiences, and stated, "Thanks for the example you leave us! All who knew you and our entire people will remember and admire you forever, dear compañero Fernández. "