My adopted dad in Batista’s Cuba, 1950s — with U.S. Navy ships behind hi

This is a photo of my adopted dad (in uniform on the left), taken sometime in the 1950s in Cuba, before Castro. He was from Camagüey and served in the military under Batista.

What makes this one fascinating is the backdrop — two U.S. Navy destroyers with the hull numbers “25” and “27.” From what I’ve read, they were likely Fletcher-class destroyers docked in Havana Harbor or Guantánamo during a U.S. naval visit.

Sadly, he’s passed away, so I never had the chance to ask him about this picture. But I love how it captures not only his life at the time, but also a moment of Cuban and American history colliding.