 It was in Havana at this time that she started meeting Abel’s comrades, chief among them Fidel Castro.Haydée Santamaría and Melba Hernandez were the only two women to directly participate in the assault on the Moncada Barracks of July 26, 1953.Her roles during, leading up to, and following July 26, 1953 included acquiring and transporting weapons, being involved in the organization of the revolutionary organization of the July 26th Movement, as well as helping to assemble the urban uprising of November 30, 1956 in Santiago de Cuba alongside Frank País and Celia Sánchez.