1979. Geraldo Rivera with a report for 20/20 Eyewitness News, this time traveling to Vieques, the beautiful Caribbean island off of Puerto Rico’s east coast. We learn about the island’s 9,000 Puerto Rican residents, mostly farmers and fishermen, making their way in this toxic paradise. The other major occupant is the U.S. Navy.
Speaking to Admirals and commanders, we learn about the operations taking place at Vieques, such as the Marines practicing amphibious assaults, and the results of these operations including unexploded ordinance underwater. We also hear from the head of the fisherman’s union who has been leading protests, and see how some of these protests turn violent when the locals are dragged away. “We have to stay in our homes, waiting for the navy to do the war games. What will the family eat?”
After many protests over the decades, including national Navy-Vieques protests in 1999, military operations ceased in 2001, with the navy leaving the island in 2003. Many areas remain thoroughly contaminated, including with depleted uranium, with cleanup efforts continuing to this day.