The cry of a child, on October 7, 1913, announced the arrival of who would become years later a fervent fighter against the dictatorial regimes prevailing in Cuba, during the first 58 years of the twentieth century.
Eladio Hernández Gil was born in a farmer's home in Vereda Nueva, located today in the province of Artemisa. Early he began to work the land with his family; and he studied hard until 6th grade.
With he was 26 years old, he moved to live in San Antonio de los Baños, where he was employed in a clothing store and then in a cafeteria. Later he began working as a driver of the Allied buses and supported the struggle of the labor movement for its demands and better working conditions in the transport sector, under the direction of the union leader, José María Pérez Capote.
Eladio strove to unite the proletariat and to guarantee the combative capacity of the transporters' guild. He kept the fire of a rebellious and uncompromising temperament in the face of all injustice. As a member of the Popular Socialist Party, he joined the struggle in which the demands of the historical context conditioned his solid revolutionary formation.
As a member of the July 26 Movement, he stood firm in his decision to defend the homeland. He participated in several demonstrations and collaborated in the distribution of propaganda against the oppressive government, and in the transfer of weapons. He participated in the strike of April 9, 1958, that general uprising throughout Cuba that was intended to advance the collapse of the Batista dictatorship. After reorganizing the July 26 Movement in San Antonio de los Baños, he was elected municipal coordinator. During that constant battle, he forged his strong political personality and his role as leader.
When the Cuban Revolutionary Government was formed in January 1959, he held the position of Municipal Commissioner for five years, in the Village that adopted him as his son; and he held administrative responsibilities in the former Ariguanabo Regional, among them, head of the Department of Housing, and director of the Community Services Company. As a founding member of the National Revolutionary Militias, he went to numerous mobilizations for the unconditional defense of the country.
The passing of the years could not diminish his combative spirit. When he died on September 19, 1988, he left behind a life devoted entirely to the Cuban Revolution.
Courage, modesty and decorum distinguished Eladio Hernández Gil, whose mortal remains rest in the necropolis of San Antonio de los Baños; and its name honors the members of the Association of Combatants 01-12, of the Urban West People's Council, in the municipality of San Antonio de los Baños.
