Vieques, Hazards and Impacts of Military Occupation
The US Navy's impact on the island of Vieques Puerto Rico.
Vieques, Puerto Ricos small island getaway:
The Sister Island
Vieques is a small island off of the coast of Puerto Rico. Also known as Isla Nena or "little girl island".
Total size of the Island
Area=52mi^2
Width (West to East)=21 miles
Width (North to South)=5 miles
Population of the island is set at 9,301.
The US Navy's Occupation of Vieques:
httpswww.tigerdroppings.comrantpoliticspuerto-rico-irony72449602
The US Navy gained control of 26,000 of the 33,000 acres located on the Eastern and Western ends of the island on August 25, 1941. This control would last until 2003.
The US Navy would also rent this land out to other armed forces generating an average of 80 million dollars a year.
US Navy's Uses of Vieques
The US Navy have used the island of Vieques for multiple military practices which include the following.
httpsrepeatingislands.com20110325cleaning-up-vieques%E2%80%99-environmental-disaster
Bombing/Inner Range:
The eastern tip of the island was used for air to land/sea to land bombing exercises. This is also the area that would be rented out to other military's for training.
httpswww.theatlantic.compoliticsarchive201609vieques-invisible-health-crisis498428
Dumping Sites:
The eastern tip and surrounding waters was also used as a dumping site.
This included harmful chemical compounds such as uranium, and agent orange.
httpswww.nydailynews.comlatinou-s-military-sparks-outcry-new-vieques-article-1.370685
Munitions Sites:
The western tip of the island was primarily used for munitions storage.
As much as 4000 tons of explosive munitions where stored in this location.
Hazards and Impacts:
The island is full of hazards and impacts from the years of military occupation. These vary from environmental, to human health, to concerns of safety.
Unexploded Ordinance (UXO)
Used ordinance still litters the land and the surrounding seas threatening human and wildlife.
Sickness on the Island:
The increase of sickness in Vieques is thought to have ties to the chemical agents, and dumping sites left by the US Navy. There are reports that indicate a higher level of cancer on the island when compared to the rest of Puerto Rico. This was investigated by the Agency of Toxic Substance and Disease Registry yielding a negative correlation to the increased cases of cancer. This however is still a controversial issue as some experts argue that the study was conducted to low standards.
Bombing Changes in the Environment:
One of the dead lagoons that have been cut off from the ocean due to the high frequency of bombing.
The topography has been so severely altered by persistent bombing that the land has been forever changed. Some areas present only barren rock as the soil has been blown away completely.
Resistance:
httpsnlgmltf.orgmilitary-law2013vieques-10-years-after-u-s-bombing-ends-struggle-for-justice-in-puerto-rico-continues
US Navy occupation would remove local inhabitants of Vieques to a centralized location sparking immediate resistance.
It would also force the closure of sugar mills creating unemployment.
Protests in Vieques
httpintomybrokenmind.blogspot.com201701us-military-presence-in-vieques-puerto.html
This Resistance would come to a head in 1999 when a civilian was killed by a live fire exercise.
This death brought all Puerto Rican authorities to demand immediate cease on bombing and training exercises, and the removal of military presence.
Whats Next?
The island of Vieques Puerto Rico have had a turbulent history with the occupation of the US Navy, economic disparity, and destructive weather. These impacts have left various hurdles for the locals to overcome.
The way I see it the biggest hope for the island lies in tourism. The encouragement of bringing more visitors to the island might be Viequeses best chance to revitalize its economy, and bring in jobs for its people.
Although these negative factors have left various impacts on the island, the people of Vieques still seem to be ready to fight to improve the island. This can be done by continuing pressure on the US Navy to cleanup dumping sites, and improve health conditions. This combine with improved infrastructure could ensure the future of Vieques.
Source List:
Bombing Range Imagery:
Retrieved from https://people.goshen.edu/~johnrb/vieques/html/BombingRange.htm
Article on Health Crisis:
Pelet, V. (2016, September 03). There's a Health Crisis on This Puerto Rican Island, but It's Impossible to Prove Why It's Happening. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/09/vieques-invisible-health-crisis/498428/
Great Coverage of all of the Impacts of the US Navy:
Márquez, L., & Porto, J. F. (n.d.). Vieques: Environmental and Ecological Damage. Retrieved August 11, 2019, from https://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1046&context=dialogo.
Picture Credit: From top to Bottom
- httpshistorynewsnetwork.orgarticle171839
- httpswww.tigerdroppings.comrantpoliticspuerto-rico-irony72449602
- httpsrepeatingislands.com20110325cleaning-up-vieques%E2%80%99-environmental-disaster
- httpswww.theatlantic.compoliticsarchive201609vieques-invisible-health-crisis498428
- httpswww.nydailynews.comlatinou-s-military-sparks-outcry-new-vieques-article-1.370685
- https://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/americas/2019/06/puerto-rico-vieques-reels-decades-navy-bombing-190626153309174.html
- https://people.goshen.edu/~johnrb/vieques/html/BombingRange.htm
- https://people.goshen.edu/~johnrb/vieques/html/BombingRange.htm
- httpsnlgmltf.orgmilitary-law2013vieques-10-years-after-u-s-bombing-ends-struggle-for-justice-in-puerto-rico-continues
- httpintomybrokenmind.blogspot.com201701us-military-presence-in-vieques-puerto.html
