Soldiers During the Invasion of Grenada
Additional Details:
|
On October 25, 1983 Grenada was invaded by US and Caribbean forces in response to urgent requests from six Caribbean countries to restore order and stop the spread of Marxist revolution in the region. Since reporters were excluded from the landing operations, pictures such as this came to the US from November 1 to November 5, 1983. Tow airfields and the campus of an American-run medial school were the first major targets. American units took 'minimal' casualties when about 600 Cubans working at the Point Salines airport put up unexpectedly strong resistance. This picture shows a small part of the large cache of weapons seized by US troops. Also seized, were 12 Soviet-built BTR-60 armoured personnel carriers, two were shipped to Andrews Air Force Base for display. Also on display were twelve 2U-23 antiaircraft guns, 291 submachine guns, 6,330 rifles and 5.6 million rounds of ammunition, (enough to equip two Cuban batillions for 43 days of combat.) After a three day trip to Grenada, the congressional study group concluded the move had been justified - even Tip O'Neill reversed himself! Returning Army Rangers declared 'it's great to feel wanted!' as America showed a new pride in the military. November 5, 1983
Mike Roberts |
