Children?

This is coolbert:

"WATER FLOWS, THE YEARS RUN
FROM THE MEMORY SEPARATE ARE
ALREADY EFFACED THE EPISODES,
BUT ACCURATELY, THEY WILL REMAIN
CLEAR ALWAYS IN ANGOLA BY US THE
SQUANDERED YEARS… - - Victor [Shalnev]"

Here with an interesting photograph obtained from a Russian web site - - "Angolan Veterans Union" through African Crisis.

See here a rough English translation of the web site.

Shows purportedly an awards ceremony [some of those in the photo seem to be sporting newly awarded medals] - - Soviet advisers to the MPLA "central government" of Angola in the aftermath of combat with the South African military.

The Angolan "bush war". From the late 1970's. Over thirty years ago now. The Angolan MPLA/Soviet/Cubans versus the Angolan UNITA rebels, aided and abetted by the American CIA and the South Africans.

These persons in the photo, wearing what appears to be Cuban uniforms, are not exactly who they seem to be? Combat troops, commanders of the Cuban military, in reality Soviet citizens more correctly known as ninos [children in Spanish]?

The caption for this photo reads: 'A collective photo of Soviet advisers who received (Cuban) medals' For the defense of Cuito Cuanavale". There are about 30 officers."

Soviet and not Cuban nationals. Persons, native Spanish speakers, wearing the uniform of the Cuban army and fighting as Cubans, EVEN CLAIMING TO BE CUBANS [?], all the while a citizen of the old Soviet Union and nothing more than that?

Persons, descendants of those Spaniards who fled Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, settling in the Soviet Union, invited by Stalin. Persons whose parents fled Spain in fear of fascist rule and retribution by Franco. Persons born and bred a Soviet citizen, all the while retaining their native Spanish tongue and Spanish ways. ABLE TO PASS AS A CUBAN FOR REVOLUTIONARY PURPOSES - - SEEING DUTY ALL OVER THE WORLD IN THAT REGARD DURING THE COLD WAR?

At least from what I can see, those in the photo DO SEEM to NOT have a Slavic appearance to them, but rather are what is best characterized as "Latins".

My appreciation!

coolbert.