Former-Cuban prisoner says he would return to Cuba if welcome

Former-Cuban prisoner says he would return to Cuba if welcome
Ashley Yore
6:21 PM, Apr 19, 2016

As many of you are thinking about visiting Cuba, Alan Gross had a very
different experience there.

"I saw that magnificent plane, and there it said, right printed right on
there beautiful, the United States of America. I get chills just
thinking about that," Alan Gross said.

It's a moment he will never forget: Seeing Air Force One. Then, he was
free.

"Stepping on U.S. soil was monumental. I thought that I would drop to
the ground and kiss it, but that would have been too cliche," Gross said.

The Cuban government arrested Gross. He was a subcontractor for the
United States Agency for International Development, helping the Jewish
community in Cuba access the Internet. He spent five years as a prisoner
in Cuba.

"Infested with cockroaches and ants, we had occasional visits from
rodents. The physical condition was dirty and dusty," Gross said.

Gross lost more than 100 pounds and his teeth broke. But, surprisingly,
he's not mad.

"Anger is like an anchor it weighs all of us down, and if we can let go
of that anchor just a little bit we can move forward," Gross said.

Perhaps the most amazing part, he would go back to Cuba if he were welcome.

"The people of Cuba, Cubanos, are among the most kind-hearted, creative,
talented, generous people I've ever met," Gross said.

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