Cuba Archive - Case 32

Case ID: 32

Title: Captain

First name: Roberto

Last name: Rodríguez Fernández

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: El Vaquerito

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:7 / Month:7 / Year:1935

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:30 / Month:12 / Year:1958

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: Santa Clara

Last known province-TOD: Villa Clara

Last known province current: Villa Clara

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: N/A

Location of death - city: Santa Clara

Location of death province - at TOD: Las Villas

Location of death province - current: Villa Clara

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: No

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: N/A

Arrest or detention at time of death: No

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: N/A

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Batista regime

Death attribution detail: N/A

Associated Event: N/A

Case description:

A young adventure-seeking peasant who in April 1958 joined the Rebel Army to fight the Batista regime. Che Guevara in his diary described him as a serial liar devoid of political or ideological conviction as well as one of the most affable and beloved members of the Rebel Army. They had nicknamed him "vaquerito" ("little cowboy") for a hat he wore that made him look like a Mexican cowboy. He had been put in charge of the suicide platoon of Che's 8th Column and was killed in combat attempting to take a police station the day before the rebels took the city of Santa Clara.
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Miembro del Ejército Rebelde, aparentemente un campesino local muy joven a quien el Che Guevara describió en su diario como un mentiroso en serie desprovisto de convicciones políticas o ideológicas, solo en busca de aventuras. El Che se refiere a él como uno de los miembros más afables y queridos del Ejército Rebelde. Le habían dado el sobrenombre de "vaquerito" por un sombrero que llevaba, que lo hacía parecer un vaquero mexicano. Había sido puesto a cargo del pelotón suicida de la 8va Columna del Che y murió en combate el día antes de tomar Santa Clara.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Reported: Highly likely / Highly reliable source(s)

Cause of Death: - Combat: Fatality or Missing in Action

Occupations: - Military Specific Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Anti-Batista insurgent or resistance member

Affiliations: - Rebel Army

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Roberto Rodríguez Fernández