“I never missed out on anything,” said Daline Riley, who was born at GTMO in the 1950s and spent several years at the Caribbean base as a teenager. Daline was one of several GTMO children interviewed in the summer of 2012 through the University of West Florida’s Public History program. “It gave me a better perspective; it…

In the course of doing research on whether the Guantánamo base can be closed, and if so, what to do with the space when the U.S. is no longer using it for Navy operations, the question of how to best use the site has become more difficult than I originally thought. At the beginning of…

    Why does Guantánamo matter? Why should Guantánamo matter to me?  How do we create dialogue on Guantánamo among an audience who may not be able to answer these questions? These are just a few of the issues I have been wrestling with since I started working on the Guantánamo Public Memory Project (GPMP).…

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…

  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…

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…

The current focus on Guantánamo as a symbol of American military power makes the relationship between the base and its surroundings mostly political. The early history of Guantánamo Bay, however, demonstrates the role of American economic power in military actions. In the early 20th century, the American move to Cuba was not solely military. The…

While browsing through the Guantánamo Public Memory Project’s archives, I came across a video of Frida Berrigan’s speech in Lafayette Park at the “Ten Years Too Many” Rally. The focus, of course, was about the detainee camp in Guantánamo Bay. As Berrigan discussed the “10 years of shame” that took place at GTMO, a number…

I have found this examination of the history of Guantánamo Bay fascinating. I have studied a fair amount of history throughout high school and college, but I have never studied anything surrounding Guantánamo Bay. I feel that everyone should know at least some history of Guantánamo along with why we still are able to remain…

The most intriguing aspect of Guantánamo Bay’s history is the powerful silencing that post 9/11 circumstances have imposed on the base. Recent events of the past ten years have overshadowed the previous one hundred. Yet, there is a mountain of widely available literature on the history of Guantánamo, from books to articles to an account…