For 35 years, this video has been in the hands of the federal government. It was confiscated and has never been seen, until now.
The footage shows a young Bishop, Joe Morris Doss, in 1980 on a mission to rescue political refugees in Cuba.
It was a dangerous mission, negotiating with Fidel Castro’s communist regime.
Doss says, “It was a tough, hard trip, negotiating for human beings whose lives were at stake and when we had to leave someone it meant at the least their lives were economically ruined and their names were probably in Castro’s hands.”
First by plane and then boat, they paid cash for an old World War Two submarine chaser, rescuing 437 Cubans on “God’s Mercy.”
That flood of refugees and that treacherous journey would later be known as the infamous Mariel Boatlift.
“There were several instances where my wife and I thought we might be under attack. we were worried about our family, I put my family in hiding.”
Doss remembers the mission and the people like it was yesterday. By 1980, Castro’s communist regime had taken its toll.
“The revolution had been in place for 20 years and economically, it had failed. What we ran into was not only a lot of poverty, but a sad society.”
The highly-publicized refugee rescue-mission even landed Doss a federal conviction for “trading with the enemy.” However, that was quickly and unanimously overturned.
Fast forward 35 years and tensions between our countries are easing.
Bishop Doss is once again en route to Havana, on the first commercial flight from New Orleans, since 1958!
It’s a historic occasion with religious leaders, business professionals and even real estate agents looking for new opportunities on the island.
Doss tells us, “In 1980, I was suffering, I was working. This time, I was working, but I was having fun!”
Much like those refugees back in 1980, who were hoping for a better life in the U.S., Doss says the Cubans in 2015 are hoping for a better future as well.
“We can do our part to not only develop the values that we appreciate, but to offer help to people and raise them up.”
A small first step toward getting these neighboring nations out of shaky waters and back on solid ground.