A number of factors have come into plat that have made it possible for me to write this book; I will list some of them; their place in the sequence does not necessarily reflect the importance  of one over the others. I am the son of a Cuban military officer; my father went to war against the  Spanish as a seventeen year old boy, quickly matured, and by the caliber of his service, became the youngest  cavalry regimental commander in the history of Cuba. One of my brothers was a helicopter pilot, and served in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Two of my cousins worked for the CIA, infiltrating men and equipment into Cuba in the 1960's. Before serving as an infantryman with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, I participated in an ill-fated clandestine operation designed to attempt the overthrow of the Castro regime. I am married to a wonderful woman who greatly inspires me. We are the proud parents of a young man who currently serves in the United States Army.