U.S. NAVY OUT OF VIEQUES

The U.S. Navy conducts amphibious landing exercises, special forces parachute drops, artillery and small arms firings, naval gunfire support, missile shoots, war at sea exercises, and submarine maneuvering and drills on Vieques and claims that the island base is absolutely necessary to maintain military readiness for U.S. forces around the world.

In 1999, David Sanes Rodriguez is killed by a 500-pound errant bomb -- the result of the Navy’s war games. His death sparks protests in Puerto Rico and in cities across the U.S. demanding that the Navy get out of Vieques.

The Vieques struggle dates back to 1941 when the U.S. Navy arrives on the small island six miles off Puerto Rico's eastern coast. Approximately 10,000 people,