Florida Banking July 2023

My mom and me at 231st and Broadway in the Bronx.

The Sanchez family: me and my father, mother and brothers.

Me and my older brothers Juan (left) and Guillermo (right).

My brothers and me with our mom.

Arrival in the United States We arrived in Miami before 2:00 PM and were immediately taken to immigration processing at the Freedom Tower (the old Miami News building on Biscayne Boulevard) where we received our medical shots, a toothbrush and toothpaste. The U.S. government placed us at the Tamiami Hotel in downtown Miami for the next two nights. On September 5th, we took a flight to New York City to rejoin our father. When we got off the plane at LaGuardia, my father was waiting. He hugged my mom, brothers and me so hard while he cried. Years later, my brother Juan told me that was the first time he had ever seen our papa cry. Our family had been reunited in freedom. Living in Freedom Less than 30 days after we arrived in the United States, the Cuban Missile Crisis began, and all Freedom Flights from Cuba were canceled. Although my family never wanted to leave Cuba, my parents accepted political asylum in America and were always grateful that this great country opened its arms to them. My father had, and my mom continues to have, a deep love for the United States. They never protested any of this country’s policies and always

obeyed its laws. They viewed themselves as guests during the early years following our arrival, but after years passed, and the possibility of returning to their beloved Cuba faded, they proudly became citizens of America. Years later, I would serve in our military to say, “thank you, America.” My parents never accepted any form of welfare or aid; they both worked around the clock in the most menial jobs you can imagine to provide for their children. In Cuba, my mom was a housewife, but here in the United States, she worked in a factory making plastic coolers and bags in the Bronx. My father started working at Incarnation Catholic Church in Manhattan as a maintenance man and later for Merrill Lynch cleaning offices at night. They never complained or asked, “Why me?” We had a comfortable middle-class lifestyle in Cuba before it all crumbled when Castro’s communist revolution seized all private property. My parents taught me that freedom is something you never take for granted; you cherish it, you fight for it, and you share it. If I ever have a “bad hair day,” the mere thought of my parents’ experience puts things back into perspective. I cannot even begin to tell you how grateful I am to my parents and to this great country, the United States. I look forward to celebrating America’s birthday on July 4th.

WWW.FLORIDABANKERS.COM JULY 2023 — 7