The obverse of the medal depicts a soldier in fighting attitude, with one foot on the Cuban archipelago and the other on the North American mainland.

[2] Earlier versions included the Cuban motto, "Patria o Muerte" (Homeland or Death), while later versions include the Cuban colours above, a wreath below, and the words "Orden Playa Girón" (Order of Playa Girón).

The first recipient was the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who travelled to Cuba to receive the award on 26 July 1961, the Day of the National Rebellion, from President Osvaldo Dorticos, just over three months after becoming the first human in space.

[3] All recipients of the Hero of the Republic of Cuba also receive the Order of Playa Girón.

[4] Recipients have included prominent international figures including Leonid Brezhnev, Yasser Arafat, Angela Davis and Nelson Mandela, as well as a number of other cosmonauts, Soviet military leaders, and independence fighters.