I had the opportunity recently to read Jon Lee Anderson's excellent biography of
Ernesto Che Guevara. The book is massive in its scope, extremely well researched
and wonderfully written. Anderson spent years going through archival material in
Cuba and elsewhere, looking at articles and scholarly papers on Che's life and
career, as well as reading Che's personal papers and poems. Anderson also spent
months in Cuba speaking to several people who lived through the years of the
Cuban Revolution and who participated in the events and who personally knew Che.
All of this research resulted in the definitive biography, in English, of this
enigmatic man.
One of the more interesting figures to emerge from Anderson's study is Harry Villegas, known more popularly as "Pombo". Pombo was born into agrarian simplicity in Cuba sometime around 1938 to 1940. His family are descendents of African slaves. As a young man, Pombo became fascinated in the growing revolutionary movement in Cuba and met up with Che and Fidel sometime around the battle of the Moncada Barracks. Pombo was not an "original" revolutionary, but grew more and more committed to the Revolution with passing time. Eventually, Pombo and Che became best friends and both served as best man at each other's wedding. More importantly, Pombo became Che's bodyguard, an essential position given the fact the the CIA had targetted both Che and Fidel for assassination, hoping to stop the Revolution in its earliest forms. Che spent much time with Pombo and his family and the bond between the two men grew firm. Anderson points out that Che, a fanatically driven man who put all his adult efforts and energies into a "revolutionary ideal", had no time to foster close friendships. That fact that Pombo and Che became friends speaks volumes as to the loyalty and devotion Pombo had for the famous guerilla commandante.
The only time that Pombo did not accompany Che in a campaign was during Che's failed expedition to the Congo. Che's reasoning was that, as an Afro-Cuban, Pombo would not be distinguishable from the black Congolese. Che felt that the Congolese needed to know who the Cubans were, in order to benefit from the leadership, expertise and revolutionary knowledge of the Cuban Communists. Pombo and other Afro-Cubans would blend in too much and the Congolese would not be able to learn from them. One today would think that this logic is counter-intuitive, and that the Congolese would be more willing to learn from fellow Africans, but Che was firm in his strategy. Pombo must have been hurt by not being included in the campaign, but was spared any humiliation when the campaign failed miserably.
Pombo accompanied Che on all other missions, both military and diplomatic. Through his association with Che, this simple Cuban farmer got to see much of the world and met several world leaders. He distinguished himself as an able commander, who led many of Che's columns in jungle warfare. Pombo was a member of Che's final campaign in Bolivia in 1967. He and Che and several other guerillas attempted to foment a Revolution among the peasants of Bolivia, but their efforts were fruitless and they were relentlessly persued by the Bolivian army, supported by the CIA. When the Bolivians closed in to what was left of Che's forces, Che insisted that Pombo and two others try to escape the noose that was being tightened on their positions. Pombo initially refused and insisted that he stay with Che; he then attempted to convince Che that it was possible for all of them to slip through the Bolivian positions. Che refused, insisting that the Revolution would only succeed if there were no surrenders, but he ordered Pombo to try to escape in order to get reinforcements for Che's guerillas. Pombo did get through, but it took him almost a year to get home, travelling around the world in secret, avoiding capture by the CIA several times. Pombo was one of the last Cubans to see Che alive, and his arrival back in Havanna confirmed Che's assassination at the hands of the CIA.
To assume that Pombo was merely a sidekick to Che, a type of "Sancho Panza" to Che's "Don Quixote" is a tempting analogy, but it is inaccurate. After Che's death, Pombo rose through the ranks of both the Cuban Communist Party and the Cuban army. He led the Cuban forces in the Angolan insurrection in the mid 1970's, achieving great military acclaim and fighting the anti-communist forces to a virtual draw. He published many books on the subject of revolutionary and guerilla warfare and has been considered one of the formost experts on that topic, second only to Che himself. When Pombo retired to private life in Havanna, he was accorded two high honours: he was made a "Commandante" of the Cuban forces, a rank only held by the elite; Fidel and Raul Castro, Che, and Camillo Cienfuegos. And, after his retirement, Pombo was declared a "Hero of the Revolution" by Fidel himself. That status is the highest anyone in Cuba can aspire to.
Harry "Pombo" Villegas died in Havanna on December 29, 2019. His passing was noted in many obituaries around the world, but in Cuba, his passing was mourned by the nation. He was one of the last surviving members of the Cuban Revolution. And he is the enduring symbol of the good and loyal friend, a man who would be identified by many as a confidante of one of the most significant figures of the 20th century. The living links with history eventually all pass away. Only Raul and a handful of others remain of the "glory days" of Cuban independence. Eventually, they too will pass, leaving Cuba with a more tenuous hold on the very revolutionary ideals which, for half a century, defined them as a country. Pombo would hope those links will never die: time will tell.
Rest in peace, Pombo.
