During previous graduate work, I taught two sections of Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, a 1000-level course that fulfilled a social science credit. Near the end of our textbook, there was a section about “War and Violent Conflict” in various cultures. Since my content specialization concerned American civil defense during the Cold War, I generally supported the lectures and readings…

While scanning the port facilities at the US naval station at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba on Google Maps, the site of McCalla Airfield caught my attention. Obviously it is no longer in use as an airbase; the runways are devoid of markings, and more importantly covered in tents and sheds. It has been re-purposed. McCalla Airfield…

The presence of the United States Navy on the island of Cuba is not comparable to anything I have ever experienced in my life. In Minnesota, we are not familiar with having another country’s naval base and detention center in our backyard. Cubans living around the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base are all too familiar with…

  In February of 1964, the fresh water supply from the Yaterus river was shut off at the U.S. Naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Because there were no adequate fresh water sources at the naval base, the pipeline leading to the river was the only and most vital source of fresh water. The shut…

  “It was easy [to raise children] because I felt that if John walked down the street at midnight, I wouldn’t have to worry about him. It was a very safe place. We never locked our doors, and there was always something for the children.” -Dot Arguelles when asked about the safety of GTMO I…

In researching the history of GTMO, I was struck by the delicate balance Cuban workers were forced to maintain between two rival spheres on a day-to-day basis. I found it interesting that, no matter where Cubans traveled between the two separate spheres of the U.S. and Cuba, each dictated in some way, shape, or form,…

The author of Guantánamo Blues (anonymous Naval Wife) describes the accounts she had heard describing life in Guantánamo Bay for Naval families: “Cuba sounded romantic, she recalls; “it was the fleet’s winter base. There would be dancing, swimming, sailing, horse-back riding, and all other things I love.”   The world in which I grew up, the…

In 1952, an eight-year-old, Dale Ward Gordon, arrived at Guantánamo Bay with her parents and older brother.  She stayed on the base as a dependent for eleven years until aspirations for a college education drew her back to the United States in 1963.  An interview that I recorded with her in September 2012 gave me…

The history of American involvement in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba is long and fantastically complex – based on numerous conversations I have had in recent weeks, much more so than most people realize. Over the past month, my personal knowledge of Guantánamo Bay has grown exponentially, and I know it will continue to do so the…

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “Guantanamo”? I’m guessing it’s not “Mayberry.” I wasn’t particularly aware of Guantanamo and its history before my involvement with the Guantanamo Public Memory Project, but in studying I’ve learned a lot more than just facts and timelines. I’m a part of the team at the University…