European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 22, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                We m fools or fighters anti Castro militants a train for cuban invasion by will Lester the associated press half hour West of Miami the gleaming City that is a Monument to the Success of cuban exiles Humberto Perez spends another sweaty sunday in the Everglades drilling the troops swatting flies and keeping a Promise made three decades ago. Quot Many people in the Bay of pigs invasion died thinking the blood they lost in Cuba was an investment in a free Cuba Quot said the 51 year old Perez wearing camouflage fatigues and a Black Beret. A Quot i made a Promise while in cuban prison one Day i get out and will continue the fight for  Perez is military chief of Alpha 66, one of several cuban exile groups that train recruits at Camps in the Everglades each weekend still waiting for an opening to topple Fidel Castro. Cuba s growing economic troubles and the increased flow of refugees from the troubled country have aroused passions in Miami and the  Castro is becoming Ripe for the fall. The result is an increase in the number of new recruits and a steady growth of paramilitary activity say Many in the cuban exile Community. Quot the exile Community is in such a frenzy that Many will follow anyone who will take a dramatic step Quot says col. Luis Barcena a Bay of pigs Veteran who served in the . Army and is a member of uni dad an umbrella cuban political  see All the people coming on rafts they see the economic conditions on  the paramilitary groups have been on the scene in Miami since Castro seized Power. Their methods produce a Range of reactions from ridicule to open admiration by. Many cuban americans. When Alpha 66 paraded several vehicles through Miami s Little Havana recently cuban flags unfurled from windows and women wept Perez says. But some of the military training and raids conducted by Alpha 66, the oldest and Best known of the groups have dissolved into coast guard rescues of disabled motorboats or encounters with bewildered Park rangers. As a group of Alpha 66 members drove to the Everglades on a recent sunday a Young Man in the Tollbooth talked politely with them then shouted in a mocking tone As they drove away Quot Alpha 66, git outta Here Quot. Leaders of More moderate cuban groups a there Are dozens a Are careful not to be openly critical of Alpha 66. But they murmur about using Quot More modern methods Quot such As International pressure and the cuban embargo to oust Castro. Others grumble that the groups propagate themselves to avoid working for a living. Jaime Ruchlicki a cuban american professor of International studies at the University of Miami describes Alpha 66 As Quot an Over the Hill kind of  Quot i Don t think they pose any kind of threat to the cuban government Quot he says Perez does t bristle at such swipes. Quot it does t bother me Quot Perez says. Quot Here the cuban Community they Don t always believe what you do. If you kill Castro bring Castro s head they will say is that the real Castro Quot twice earlier this year paramilitary groups have called news conferences to boast of their Quot raids Quot on the cuban coast. One group known As Pund claimed it had infiltrated a cuban military base and Alpha 66 announced it had fired shots from a Motorboat at a luxury hotel on Cuba s Northern coast and that it plans similar incursions targeting Cuba s tourism Industry this summer. The offshore raids Are viewed by some As quixotic. Others suspect the raids Are All Public relations stunts to keep Money coming in from thousands of supporters around the country. Quot they were 20 Miles offshore and fired a few .50-calibers,&Quot says Barcena of uni dad. Quot if that s a raid then i m  and the prospects of touching off an armed rebellion inside Cuba Are declining says Miami attorney Ellis Rubin who represents several of the  the thousands who Are now attempting to leave by rubber tubes Are people who would be called upon to help an invasion Force Quot Rubin says. Quot there Aren t too Many people  in the 1960s and 1970s anti Castro zealots carried out Waves of bombings and assassinations in Miami that killed or maimed people considered soft on Castro and communism. But those attacks were carried out by political terrorist groups such As the now inactive Omega 7, not the paramilitary groups that focus their attention on overthrowing Castro. The terrorist activity slowed in the 1980s As the cuban Community matured and gained political clout in Miami Florida and the United states. These Days the paramilitary groups focus their efforts. On infiltrating Cuba to recruit supporters and conducting raids on Cuba s coast for propaganda value. At Alpha 66 s training Camp nestled Between the ten year old Eric Otero left relaxes after Roll Call at Alpha 66 s Camp. He and his parents Are cuban nationals who train at the facility every sunday. Farmland of Southern Dade county and the Everglades about 40 men in camouflage uniforms go through military strategy arms training communications calisthenic and target practice. Teams of younger recruits pretend to capture a dilapidated shed As the rest of the Crew sits in the hot Sun listening to lectures. Women and children sit patiently in the Shade by a Motley pile of aging rifles As the men finish their half Day Drill under the red White and Blue cuban Flag. The Flag is raised and lowered ceremoniously each sunday. Through it All a department store mannequin sits atop the communications Tower in full uniform Arm raised in a constant mock greeting. Perez declines to give the number of people Active in Alpha 66, the largest and most Public of the militant groups saying it is a secret. The other groups Are even More secretive about their membership. The numbers of cubans participating in the drills is a handful compared with the More than 500,000 cubans living in Dade county. But Perez insists Many cubans would Volunteer to help when the time is right. Federal agents Monitor exile activities for violations of the Federal neutrality act but Perez says Alpha 66 is careful not to Cross the line Quot we Are inside of the Law most of the time he says. Quot but we cannot let the president of the United states and the state department Tell us How to fight for our  Clinton administration has warned the groups not. To take direct action against Cuba. The Fri s Paul Miller says Little publicly about the groups but acknowledges certain activities Are being investigated for possible a ovations of the neutrality act. The paramilitary groups say they won t give up. Recert visits to Cuba by exile militants such As 60-year-old Frady Fidel Castro is accompanied by two bodyguards As he makes an official appearance earlier this year. Laguna now a member of commandos f4, support their belief the end is near. Quot Castro is very attached to Power Quot says Laguna who made Contact with friends in the military and students. Quot but because of the economic situation in Cuba he won t last through this  the founders of Alpha 66 believe Castro s downfall will be a Reward for their patience and persistence. Quot i did t expect it to Goon this Long Quot says Andres Nazario Sargen 72, an Alpha 66 founding member. Quot but time has worked for us. Our main purpose has been to infiltrate Cuba to recruit people. We Are like David against  but uni dad s Barcena a career military Man believes this is Wishful thinking. And he says the groups Don t try to assassinate the Well protected and Mobile Castro because it would be a suicide Mission. Quot everybody wants to go to his funeral Quot Barcena says Quot and they want to be Able to see  Humberto Perez right military chief of Alpha 66, discusses strategy with Andres Nazario one of the group s founding members while commandos conduct a practice raid at Alpha s training Field. Below two trainees prepare to raise the cuban Flag at the beginning of military drills in Florida s Everglades. Rebels at a glance Here Are thumbnail sketches of some of the Best known cuban exile paramilitary groups a Alpha 66 the oldest and Best known of the cuban exile paramilitary organizations. Alpha 66 was formed in october 1961 to carry on the goals of members of the failed Bay of pigs invasion. Alpha 66 s leaders say the group is currently carrying out coastal raids and. Infiltrations of Cuba. A commandos l inactive for years after its formation in 1962, the group began plotting new operations Between 1988 and 1990 under the leadership of Tony Cuesta. The group s Best known missions occurred in 1991 and 1992, including a raid in which three members were captured and one was executed. A brigade 2506 formed by veterans of the failed Bay of pigs operation the group says it is preparing its. Members to help when it is needed rather than carrying out raids. A Pund the group was founded in 1989 a its name is an acronym for Partido de uni dad Nacional democratic a and runs a paramilitary Camp in the Western Everglades. In recent years the Camp has been one of the most Active with hundreds training daily. A commandos f4 this new group was formed in May to support a rebel group in Cuba of the same name. The focus is More military than the others and it plans to mount As Many infiltrations and raids As possible on Cuba. R a the associated press 16 the stars and stripes monday August 22,1994 the stars and stripes