Vieques, Bobby Jr. and the U.S. Navy (It's Not a Love Story)

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Vieques, Bobby Jr. and the U.S. Navy (It's Not a Love Story)
by Carl Ey

Recently, the U.S. Navy has come under fire for their apparent disregard for the island of Vieques and it's residents. A special study commissioned by the governor of Puerto Rico indicates that the Navy's bombing of Vieques shore front is seriously affecting the population with higher incidences of cancer, ruining the environment, endangering various species and hampering the economy.

Perhaps the "icing on the cake" is a promise from environmental lawyer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to sue the Navy for getting away with violations that it would never be allowed to get away with on the mainland. Quick! Somebody call Johnny Cochran. The fact that Kennedy is threatening to sue the Navy is ironic enough to warrant a novel twice the size of "War and Peace." Because a Kennedy is a main character, it would become a best seller before another Kennedy could get divorced. But, I digress. As much as I would love to put this young lawyer in his place, beating up on a liberal is like age and fine wine.

The U.S. Navy established itself on Vieques 60 years ago by preparing for every major conflict since World War II. Sailors and Marines use only 3 percent of the island's total landmass as a practice range. However, the governor saw fit to appoint a commission that reported some very unflattering and false statistics about the military's presence on Vieques. As a result of this commission's report and the Navy's gunnery exercises, 50 of Vieques 9,400 citizens took to the picket lines and protested! For those of you without a calculator handy, that is .5 percent of the Vieques population! Just think if that many people protested in Washington D.C., we wouldn't have enough commuters to fill the "high occupancy vehicle" lanes. However, the left-wing media reports of the protests would make the average mainlander think that Elian's raft had just washed ashore again. This 'massive' demonstration scared the Navy so much that they went ahead with the exercise. Thank God Bobby Jr. came to the rescue. He went scuba diving off the coast to "check out" the environmental damage, billed the trip to his New York-based law firm and visited with the "brave 50" before declaring the Navy's training site environmentally irresponsible.

The facts are simple. There is no evidence that the Navy's training exercises have caused the cancer rate on Vieques to increase. The Federal Center for Disease Control's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has reemphasized that no scientific study has ever linked the Navy's training to any health issues on the island whatsoever. The governor needs another commission but this time he should include a health professional that has some infectious disease experience beyond the 1970 outbreak of "cooties". Secondly, anyone accusing the military of abusing the environment should watch in awe as a young service member places a drip pan beneath their vehicle to catch any toxic fluids. It's standard operating procedure. The military is anal about preserving the environment and the Navy has followed suit. 97% of the land that the Navy owns on Vieques has been touted by tourist publications for it's beauty. Furthermore, the Navy protects endangered species such as the sea turtle, pygmy orchid and mangroves from poaching and boat traffic. You would think that after 60 years most sea turtles would instinctively avoid the training areas, but maybe the governor of Vieques isn't willing to give instinct that much credit. The sea turtle needs Bobby Jr. to do it for him.

As far as the report claiming the Navy is hurting Vieques' economic development goes, maybe the commission should find more ways to stimulate their economy instead of blaming the Navy. The report concludes that "one of the principal causes of the economic stagnation and recession suffered in Vieques" is the Navy's control of three-quarters it's land. If that is one of the causes, why isn't the commission working on the remaining causes instead of pointing the finger at the landowners that have been there for 60 years. If the residents can't find work, maybe they should get a clue and move! But the Navy wants to "play nice" so they have a development team in San Juan working to improve the economy in Vieques. To date, they have transferred 110 acres of land to extend the Western Vieques runway to facilitate tourism. The USNS Henson surveyed the Mosquito Pier and is preparing navigational charts to allow more tourists to visit. Additionally, the Navy is planning an artificial reef to bolster the Vieques fishing industry, not to mention the youth apprenticeship program that the Navy sponsors. How many corporations go that far out of their way to help non-employees find work? Over 4,000 sailors and Marines hail from Puerto Rico. This entire argument is silly.

Finally, when it comes to Bobby Jr. threatening to sue, lets remind him that Uncle Joe Jr. gave his life as a naval aviator in service to our great nation. Uncle John was a PT boat commander in World War II who was honored with the Navy and Marine Corps medal and his father is buried with the Navy Cross marking his grave. Each of these men served their country proudly in the Navy, whereas Bobby Jr. underwent rehabilitation for heroine abuse.

Sometimes it is best not to get what you hoped for. Vieques is better off with the Navy training 180 days per year on the island than they are without. Besides, if Vieques isn't the right place for the Navy, maybe Bobby Jr. would be willing to offer Martha's Vinyard up for an occasional training exercise.