http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/married-to-che-20120428-1xri0.html
3:45AM Monday Apr 30, 2012 Married to Che April 29, 2012 a.. Click for more photos Married to Che Che and Aleida in Havana in 1965 with their children, Ernesto, Camilo, Aledita and Celia. Photo: Ocean Press/Aleida March a.. b.. c.. d.. e.. f.. g.. h.. In this extract from her memoirs, Aleida March recalls her life with Che Guevara, which began during the revolutionary war in Cuba and ended with his execution in Bolivia. It is quite a daunting task to describe my personal experiences with a man who, well before he was my partner, was already recognised as a remarkable individual. The story begins with my first encounter with Commander Ernesto ''Che'' Guevara in the Escambray Mountains during the revolutionary war in Cuba. Che, an Argentine with an already well-deserved reputation, was the leader of the Eighth Column. I was active in the urban underground movement and was sent on a mission by local leaders of the July 26 Movement. Our province was surrounded and closely monitored by repressive forces of the Batista dictatorship. My mission was to act as a courier, delivering money and documents to the rebels when they reached the Escambray Mountains. It was a dangerous mission and this was my first chance to have direct contact with the guerilla movement. On reaching the rebels' camp, I found they were observing me as much as I observed them. Advertisement: Story continues below Che and Aleida on their wedding day. Some of the guerillas couldn't figure me out at all, wondering what on earth I was doing there. This wasn't particularly surprising because I hardly looked like a tough guerilla fighter. I was quite a pretty young woman, looking anything but a battle-ready combatant. Some years had to pass before I learnt what Che had thought of our first encounter. In a letter he sent from the Congo in 1965, a letter full of nostalgia, he described how he felt torn between his role as a strictly disciplined revolutionary and as an ordinary man with emotional and other needs. He remembered me as a ''little blonde, slightly chubby teacher''. In November 1958, I received the order to go to the Escambray Mountains with the aim of taking funds to the leadership to help finance the guerilla struggle. Remembering Che: My Life with Che Guevara by Aleida March. Ocean Press, $24.95. Although this was an important mission, for me it was j Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/married-to-che-20120428-1xri0.html#ixzz1tY0CcuNK [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
