One of the writers of this article, Frank de Varona, who fled Cuba after communists stole his family’s cattle ranch, joined what would be later called Assault Brigade 2506 on April 1, 1961. He and about 100 other CIA recruits joined the Brigade just weeks before the assault. The goal: Liberate his homeland. Upon arrival in Guatemala, he met his older brother, Jorge de Varona, and many of his cousins and classmates from Cuba. The bulk of the soldiers, sailors, and pilots of Assault Brigade 2506 were trained for more than nine months in Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and...