Erneido Oliva

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Erneido Oliva is a Cuban-American who was a Deputy-Commander of Assault Brigade 2506 during the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

He later became a Major General serving the U.S. Army Reserve before his retirement in 1993.General Oliva is currently the Chairman of the Cuban-American Military Council (CAMCO) ref. htpp:www.camcocuba.org |title=Pentagon calls Cuban forces weak |accessdate=2007-04-26 |format= |work=cubanet.org }}</ref>

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General Erneido A. Oliva’s biography.

General Oliva began his professional military career in 1954, when he graduated from the Cuban Military Academy. After his graduation, he was appointed as an Artillery Professor at the Cuban Military Academy. In 1958-59, as an Honor Graduate of the School of Americas, he was appointed as an instructor of tactics and weapons of the U.S. School in the Canal Zone, Panama. In 1960, he resigned his commission in the Cuban Revolutionary Army and made his way through the United States to the Republic of Guatemala, to assist in the organization of the Cuban exile forces being trained to fight against communist Cuba.

During the Bay of Pigs invasion, Oliva performed as the Second-in-Command of the Assault Brigade 2506. Two weeks after the landing, Oliva was captured and held in communist prisons for 20 months. He was released and returned to the United States after the U.S. Government paid a half million dollar ransom on his behalf.

In 1963, Oliva accepted a direct commission as a second lieutenant of the U.S. Army. That same year, he was officially appointed by President John F. Kennedy as the Representative of all Cuban-American personnel enrolled in the U.S. Armed Forces. In 1965, while performing as a liaison officer in the Office of the Secretary of the Army, he was elected as the Military Representative of the Cuban exile community in a worldwide referendum to create the Cuban Representation in Exile (RECE).

General Oliva is a graduate of several civilian and military schools. Among them are: the Senior Reserve Component Officer Course; Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security, Harvard University; U.S. Army War College; Industrial College of the Armed Forces; and Command and General Staff College. He earned a Master Degree in International Affairs from the American University in Washington, D.C.

After 30 years serving in active duty, the reserves and the National Guard, Oliva retired in 1993 as a Major General of the District of Columbia National Guard. In recognition of his outstanding military accomplishments, Oliva was honored with the “1997 Heritage Award,” a nationally recognized award of Heroes and Heritage that was presented to him by the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 2003, he was appointed by President Bush to a 3 year-term in the USO World Board of Governors. In 1997, Oliva founded the Cuban-American Military Council (CAMCO). (Ref. http://www.camcocuba.org)