Idelgrade Ricardo Borjas, a 76-year-old from Calixto Grande, is a gray-haired man from a humble background. From a young age, he was fortunate enough to be selected to study at the Cadet School in Havana.
"I was recruited to be an officer in the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR). I entered in '67, and I was one of the cadets who climbed Pico Turquino five times," he said, adding, "It was a privilege for me to have trained at that school. We got up every day at five in the morning, walked three kilometers, did exercises, and with a discipline that I am grateful for today."
He has fond memories of being very close to Fidel Castro at the Cadet School. “It was 1969. One day they said Fidel was going to visit us. Imagine that! That was a big deal. They said he could arrive any minute. Later we learned that Commander of the Revolution Juan Almeida was already at the school, as a prelude to the visit of the Revolution's top leader.”
“Fidel arrived with his entourage, with Comrade Raúl Castro, Osvaldo Dorticós, the President of Algeria, and other comrades. He toured the classrooms and the different areas of the school, showing interest in everything the center operated. When we got to the cafeteria, he shook everyone's hand and had lunch with us.”
With great pride and visibly moved, he added, “Imagine, I had seen Fidel on television, but to have him there so close, face to face, is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, eating the same food we were eating, so natural, with that humility that always characterized him. That is a cherished memory that I hold with great pride.”
Idelgrade, one of the senior citizens living at the Buenaventura Senior Center, added in their pleasant conversation, “On another occasion, I also had the pleasure of appreciating the human qualities of the Commander-in-Chief. I was working on the plantain project in Oriente, in the Cauto region, and Fidel was there. He asked about everything and was interested in whether what we were eating was the same food he was going to eat. That was Fidel: an example of modesty.”
Idelgrade Ricardo Borjas is a man who dedicated his best years to serving his country, an example he instilled in his children. “I have three children, one of whom is a lieutenant colonel,” he said. And I always instilled in them a love for the Homeland and the Revolution.”
For this grateful resident of Calixto García, serving the Homeland and Fidel has been his greatest reward. Today, from the senior citizens' home in Buenaventura, he expresses his gratitude and makes his feelings clear. “I owe my upbringing, who I am, and everything I have to Fidel. I lived under Batista's government, in poverty. I have three degrees: I graduated from the Cadet School, in Economics, and in Law. I worked for nearly forty years, and I owe everything I am to the Revolution and to Fidel.”
[Ricardo Borjas recognized by the University Center as Outstanding in the Senior Citizens' Program at the Buenaventura Senior Citizens' Home]
