VOC Releases Inspiring New Witness Project Episodes

VOC highlights the tragic and powerful stories of victims of communism through our award-winning Witness Project series. Today, we are proud to present two new episodes of the Witness Project featuring Senator Mel Martinez, a Pedro Pan from Cuba, and Georgette Hadvina, who survived the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. 

Mel Martinez’s life changed forever when Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba. As the oppressive regime started targeting schools, religion, and all those who dared to speak out, Mel’s parents knew there was no future for him under communism. They made the impossible decision to send Mel to America, one of the more than 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children saved between 1960 and 1962 in Operation Pedro Pan. Mel Martinez would go on to achieve the American dream, serving as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and representing Florida in the U.S. Senate, but he has never stopped fighting for freedom in Cuba. 

Growing up in communist Hungary, Georgette Hadvina understood that the system was built on lies. Instead of living in a workers’ paradise, her parents were forced to send Georgette to an orphanage because there was not enough food for the family. Georgette’s school was taken over by the regime, and she was forced to learn Russian and give daily thanks to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. All of this would change in 1956 with the Hungarian Revolution, as students, including Georgette, took to the streets demanding an end to communist oppression. The revolution spread as Hungarian freedom fighters took back their country. Unfortunately, it would not be long before Moscow invaded to crush this freedom movement.