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Juan Alberto CastellanosMember of the 26th of July Movement, participant in the Cuban Revolution
Date of Birth: 16.05.1933
Country:  Cuba |
Content:
- Cuban Revolutionary and Military Advisor
- Guerrilla Warfare in Argentina and Imprisonment
- Post-Imprisonment and Military Service
Cuban Revolutionary and Military Advisor
Early Life and Involvement in the Cuban RevolutionIn 1958, at the age of 22, Roberto Rodriguez Castellares joined the Movimiento 26 de Julio (26th of July Movement), a leftist revolutionary organization opposing the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba. Castellares fought alongside Che Guevara's "suicide squad" (Pelotón Suicida) and later served as Guevara's personal bodyguard and chauffeur throughout the military campaign.
Guerrilla Warfare in Argentina and Imprisonment
In 1962, Che Guevara began organizing the Ejército Guerrillero del Pueblo (People's Guerrilla Army) in Argentina. Castellares was sent to Argentina under an alias with the mission to establish a guerrilla movement. He was arrested and imprisoned in the Villa Las Rosas prison in Salta for four years (1964-1968) during which time Guevara had passed away.
Post-Imprisonment and Military Service
Upon release from prison, Castellares returned to Cuba. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he served as a military advisor in Nicaragua. He also fought in the Angolan Civil War (1978-1979). Notably, Castellares achieved the rank of colonel in the Cuban armed forces.
