"From the 1940s until the 2000s, 2,000 tons of ammunition fell every year on Vieques, a small island in the Puerto Rican archipelago. The U.S. Navy transformed this Caribbean paradise of crystal-clear waters into the most realistic recreation possible of a war zone: after expelling thousands of residents and taking control of two-thirds of the island and its resources, the navy established there a training base and a firing range to conduct artillery tests and other military exercises"
"After one of those bombs killed a civilian, massive protests forced the navy to withdraw from Vieques in 2003. Although routine military exercises have continued in Puerto Rico since then, the militarization the island experienced during World War II and the Cold War periods when the territory served as a U.S. military stronghold due to its strategic location in the Caribbean was not seen again. Until now."
U.S. military forces bombarded Vieques for more than half a century. From the 1940s through the 2000s, about 2,000 tons of ammunition fell on Vieques each year. The Navy expelled thousands of residents, seized two-thirds of the island and its resources, and established a training base and firing range that forced inhabitants to live amid frequent explosions. After a bomb killed a civilian, massive protests compelled the Navy to withdraw in 2003. Routine exercises continued elsewhere in Puerto Rico, but the intense World War II and Cold War–era militarization did not return until recent increases in U.S. presence amid tensions with Venezuela. General Dan Caine visited to thank troops and to assess Southern Command readiness as deployments related to potential action against Nicolás Maduro are being considered.
Read at english.elpais.com
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