June 7, 1931-2014
The historic city of Santiago de Cuba was established in the year 1515 and founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. The motto of Santiago de Cuba is still in Spanish “Rebelde Ayer. Hospitalaria Hoy. Heroica Siempre.” During the 21st century, Santiago de Cuba commemorates its 500th anniversary as the second largest city of Cuba in the southeastern region of the Caribbean island.
Eighty-three years ago, in the year 1931, the historical population of Santiago de Cuba was estimated to be of 101, 508 inhabitants and residents. On June 7, 1931, Roberto Hung Mustelier was born, the fourth youngest son of Santiago Hung Choi and Gertrudis Salustiana Mustelier in a family home of Santiago de Cuba, near the Military Hospital and General Guillermón Moncada Headquarters, known today as the Ciudad Escolar 26 de Julio. Antoñica, “Ñica”, second sister of Gertrudis Salustiana was a registered nurse at the hospital and witnessed the birth of Roberto, her nephew. Her oldest sister, Eduvigis was a certified teacher and helped her with the older children Luz Leing, Miguel Chung, and Filiberto Yuck while she was giving birth and nursing the fourth baby, Roberto. Mario Mustelier was also around to help the family when Gertrudis and Santiago had their fourth baby son, his nephew.
Eight years afterwards, World War II began on September 1st, 1939 in Europe. Roberto Hung was only eight years old and studying in third grade at the Elementary School, when the Second World War started as a global international war in 1939. His youngest sister Caridad Cei-Chieng had already been born in a Cuban-Chinese family of five (5) children born to Santiago and Gertrudis Salustiana in Santiago de Cuba.
In 1945, WWII ended on September 2, 1945, when Roberto Hung was a 14-year-old beginning as a freshman in High School, planning to attend Law School at the Universidad de Oriente in Santiago de Cuba and the Universidad de La Habana in Cuba, three years later. On Roberto Hung’s seventeenth birthday anniversary, his oldest brother Miguel Chung and sister-in-law Silvia Simons had a new baby daughter named Olivia Hung-Simons, who was born on the same date, June 7th. So, Roberto Hung was asked to become his niece’s godfather upon christening of his brother’s and sister-in-law’s new baby daughter. Olivia Hung-Simons was born on June 7, 1948, after the Second World War ended, during the Baby Boom years.
Since Great Grandmother Antonia and Great Grandfather Juan lived across the Military Hospital with their daughters Eduvigis, Antoñica, Gertrudis Salustiana, and youngest son Mario, their children grew up around military veterans of foreign wars who travelled to Cuba and were treated for military rehabilitation and recovery by Cuban medical staff in Santiago de Cuba.
Today is the Memorial Birthday Anniversary celebrating 83 years for people like Roberto Hung who were born on June 7th and lived through the Second World War when the country of Cuba was among the Allied countries around the world who were involved in WWII.
Mr. Roberto Hung Juris Doctor
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