Between 1965 and 1973, twice-daily flights between Varadero, Cuba, and Miami, Florida, carried more than 261,000 Cuban refugees to freedom – the largest airlift of refugees in the history of the United States.

On board these "freedom flights" were mostly middle-class families fleeing Fidel Castro's regime.

Most arrived with little more than the clothing they wore.

The Cubans were bound by a shared experience: They had left everything familiar for a life of complete uncertainty.

On November 10, 1969, the morning flight to Miami carried a refugee named Feliberto Pereira.

Settling in Texas, he would become a servant to others.

And for thousands of people this man would embrace, strangers among us, life would never be the same.

This is his unforgettable story.