A fighting hornet originally drawn by one of the Bay of Pigs invaders, recreated here for the first time ever.
Julian Buznedo Castellanos, a helmsman on the Barbara J, drew this hornet to represent the men of the 2506 Brigade in April 1961. The Barbara J was a converted freighter purchased by the CIA to support the invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, one of the most famous (and forlorn) events of the Cold War.
On 17 April 1961, five battalions of CIA-trained and -armed Cuban paramilitary exiles invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, intent on overthrowing the Castro Regime. The invasion was ultimately unsuccessful and over one hundred anti-communist rebels were killed, and the remainder captured by the end of the fighting on 20 April 1961. The failed Bay of Pigs invasion remains one of the defining moments of the Cold War. To this day, strong anti-Castro sentiment exists among the Cuban exile population in south Florida and elsewhere.
The hornet is carrying an M3 submachine gun, commonly called a Grease Gun. The M3 saw service in World War II with the US Army and Marine Corps, and was a mainstay of the CIA's paramilitary arsenal for many years to come. The hornet is also equipped with a web belt carrying a pistol holster and several pistol magazine pouches.
Below the hornet can be seen a highly stylized depiction of the islands of Cuba and the Isle of Pines (now known as the Isle of Youth).
These stickers are 3.5" tall, and are manufactured by Overwatch Designs, a US veteran-owned small business.
