prairie fire organizing committee

The U.S. Navy and Vieques

Presented as part of the University of Illinois at Chicago "Shame on America" series. Spring 2001.

The anti-military movement on Vieques didn't begin two years ago when an errant bomb killed civilian David Sanes and wounded four others. For decades the people of Vieques have spoken out and opposed the U.S. military's presence on the island.

I had the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico and visit Vieques over ten years ago and at that time I was moved by the commitment of the Viequenese to do what was necessary, which included jeopardizing their safety, to stop the bombing and the Navy's war games. I spoke to fisherman who were courageous enough to confront and block large Nay vessels with their small fishing boats as acts of resistance. I met Isabella Rosado, a woman in her 70's, who time after time participated in acts of civil disobedience on land controlled by the U.S. military. Back then the movement was small but very determined. In the past couple of years the anti-military movement on the island has never been larger or more successful.

So many people are actively opposing the U.S. military because its presence has had a devastating affect on the island and its inhabitants over the years. The environment has been destroyed because of the continuous bombing. Once covered with thick palm trees the eastern tip of the island now constitutes a region with more craters per kilometer than the moon according to an environmental study completed by the University of Puerto Rico. The training facility is littered with unexploded bombs and shrapnel. Chemical compounds including uranium and napalm pollute the land, water and air. The economy has been at a crisis level for years and has forced the island's residence into poverty and dependency. Because of the bombing and the pollution the fishing industry is all but destroyed and 72% live below poverty level. The health of the local population has deteriorated over the years. Vieques has the highest mortality rate of any municipality in Puerto Rico. The cancer rate in Vieques is 26.7% higher than the rest of Puerto Rico. Living in a “war zone” for potentially 200 days of the year wreaks havoc and promotes stress on the daily lives of people.

Because of this a consensus can be found among all sectors of the population demanding that the Navy clean up and return the island to the people of Puerto Rico. The new governor of Puerto Rico, Sila Calderon, openly opposes the U.S. military and won based largely on her anti-military platform.

The support for the people of Vieques isn't limited to the island of Puerto Rico. Since over three million Puerto Ricans now live in the U.S. Here In Chicago, in the predominantly Puerto Rican community of Humboldt Park, there has been consistent support for the Viequenese and on several occasions delegations from Chicago have gone to Vieques and participated in demonstrations and other activities demanding that not one more bomb fall on the island. Community leaders and politicians like Luis Gutierrez have participated in mass acts of civil disobedience as a way to show their support. Here in this country there have been numerous lively demonstrations in Washington D.C. and elsewhere where thousands have participated and denounced the bombing.

In part this activism is occurring because the movement on Vieques has become a national symbol of resistance and what has happened on the island of Vieques is a microcosmic example of the effects of colonialism on the Puerto Rican people over the past 100 years.

The current level of activism is phenomenal but throughout to 100 years of colonialism there have always been acts of resistance by Puerto Ricans, a demand to self determination and an end to the colonization of their nation.

As a political activist I am committed to opposing the U.S. military's role in Vieques but I also think it's important to critically look at the presence of the U.S. military throughout the world. Our government would like us to believe that whenever they send troops or open bases anywhere in the world they are there to protect people with altruistic motives. But, that's not really true. What they are really protecting are U.S. interests and expanding their control around the world, from eastern Europe to the Middle East to the Philippines. The U.S. military doesn't protect people, it defends the ability of big corporations to make large profits.

Although the U.S. military can appear omnipotent I also see the incredible determination by the people throughout the world from Vieques to Okinawa, Japan who are committed to defying the odds and determined to win.