Brigade 2506

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Brigade 2506 was the name given to a CIA-sponsored group made up of 1,511 Cuban exiles who fought in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The brigade's name was derived from the military ID issued to the first member of the brigade to die in military training.

The brigade trained in CIA training camps in South Florida, Panama, and Guatemala. When they landed in the Bay of Pigs, they engaged in combat against Cuban military. Outnumbered and suffering heavy losses, they were forced to retreat to the Zapata Swamp.

Stranded in the swampland, most of the members were eventually captured and imprisoned. A few of the members were able to escape by riding small, rigid boats back to America. Initially, the CIA denied having any connections with the brigade. However the United States later admitted a connection with the brigade and negotiated to pay a $53 million ransom for their return. All the brigade members would be released and deported back to the United States by December 1962. In the end, roughly 114 members of the brigade died.

Among the brigade members were: