Deputy mayor talks about meeting Castro as a child

DENVER - A day like Tuesday reminded Denver's deputy mayor of a time when he had a brief encounter with Fidel Castro.

"My parents lifted my brothers and me one at a time and we shook hands with (Castro) as he was standing on a tank as it was going through the streets of Cuba," said Bill Vidal.

Vidal was 8 years old when it happened.

A year later, Castro announced he was a "Marxist-Leninist" and had no intentions of giving up power. Not long after that, Vidal's parents sent him and his two brothers to the United States as part of Operation Peter Pan, which was a joint venture among several agencies including the U.S. government and the Catholic Church.

Fourteen thousand Cuban children eventually came to the U.S. as part of the program. Vidal and his brothers ended up in an orphanage in Pueblo.

"Of all of the things in my life that I've had to experience, I think that was by far the most traumatic," he said.

Tuesday, Vidal, who is also the head of Denver's public works, spent a lot of time talking about Castro. Castro announced he is resigning on Tuesday and turning over power to his brother, Raul Castro. Now that Castro is resigning, it's got a lot of Cuban-Americans thinking about what the departure will mean for the island nation.

"It should signify a new beginning in Cuban-American relations," Vidal said. "This is a good thing. Perhaps this signifies a change in Cuba that is long overdue."

Vidal wrote a book about his experiences. "Boxing for Cuba" was published late last year.