Meet the Forgotten Footsoldiers of Fidel's Global Revolution

They spent decades fighting, unpaid and uncelebrated, for socialist movements from Angola to Iraq. But as the Castro era ends these aging warriors remain true to the cause.

Photos by Jonathan Alpeyrie

First they fought in the mountains with Fidel and Che; those legendary exploits are well documented. But less known are the decades these veterans of the Cuban revolution fought overseas – in Angola and Algeria, Vietnam and Iraq – and anywhere else El Comandante told them working people needed their help against imperialist oppressors. Unpaid and uncelebrated, they returned home with little fanfare and have never before told their stories. Now in their golden years, having outlived Fidel himself, these former fighters worry for Cuba’s future, but will praise the revolution until their dying days.

Alberto Sánchez, 76