Order of Playa Girón


The Order of Playa Girón is a national order conferred by the Council of State of Cuba on Cubans or foreigners. It was established in 1961 and is named after the Playa Girón, site of the Cuban victory in the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Description

The order takes the form of a gold medal with pin and ribbon. The obverse of the medal depicts a soldier in fighting attitude, with one foot on the Cuban archipelago and the other on the North American mainland. Earlier versions included the Cuban motto, "Patria o Muerte", while later versions include the Cuban colours above, a wreath below, and the words "Orden Playa Girón". The reverse depicts the coat of arms of Cuba and the wording "Consejo de Estado" and "República de Cuba".

Recipients

Overview

The first recipient was the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who travelled to Cuba to receive the award on 26 July 1961, the Day of the National Rebellion, from President Osvaldo Dorticos, just over three months after becoming the first human in space.
All recipients of the Hero of the Republic of Cuba also receive the Order of Playa Girón. Recipients have included prominent international figures including Leonid Brezhnev, Yasser Arafat, Angela Davis and Nelson Mandela, as well as a number of other cosmonauts, Soviet military leaders, and independence fighters.

List of recipients

  1. Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut
  2. Angela Davis, American political activist
  3. Samora Machel, President of Mozambique
  4. Valentina Tereshkova, Soviet cosmonaut
  5. Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian National Authority
  6. Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  7. Salim Rubai Ali, head of state of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
  8. Rafael Cancel Miranda, Puerto Rican independence fighter
  9. Lolita Lebrón, Puerto Rican independence fighter
  10. Irvin Flores, Puerto Rican independence fighter
  11. Oscar Collazo, Puerto Rican independence fighter
  12. Andrés Figueroa Cordero, Puerto Rican independence fighter
  13. Yuri Romanenko, Soviet cosmonaut
  14. Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, Cuban cosmonaut
  15. Leonid Popov, Soviet cosmonaut
  16. Vladimir Shatalov, Soviet cosmonaut
  17. Nelson Mandela, South African political prisoner
  18. Oliver Tambo, South African anti-apartheid activist
  19. Sergey Sokolov, Soviet commander
  20. Valery Ryumin, Soviet cosmonaut
  21. The Cuban Five, Cuban intelligence officers Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, René González and Fernando González. Awarded in 2001 and presented on their release from prison in 2015.
  22. Enrique Carreras Rolas, Cuban soldier
  23. Lázaro Cárdenas, president of Mexico
  24. Pedro Miret, Cuban soldier
  25. Julio Casas Regueiro, Cuban soldier
  26. Viktor Kulikov, Warsaw Pact commander-in-chief
  27. Asela de los Santos, Cuban teacher, revolutionary leader and politician
  28. Romárico Sotomayor García, Cuban soldier