The Seedy Side of GTMO

Abandoned Air Sunshine Van on Leeward Road

One thing that shocked me right away when I arrived at GTMO was the deplorable condition of the base. I remembered old war movies that depicted naval bases as gleaming white buildings with palm trees and manicured lawns where officers wives, dressed in tropical dresses with pearls and perfect hair, played with their Dick and Jane-style children while the husbands sipped cocktails in the shade while cool breezes wafted off the ocean. I even recall visiting a converted luxury hotel in California that housed classrooms for the Navy's nuclear program. The opulence made me think that the Navy was always concerned about the image portrayed by its facilities.

Abandoned Trailer Behind Our Home

Then I saw GTMO. Faded chipped and peeling paint. Corroded, sun-bleached signs everywhere that were no longer readable. Roadways with huge potholes and eroded road beds adjacent to the pavement. Abandoned vehicles and trailers littering the alleys and fields often in plain view of newcomers. Yards in housing areas that were overgrown with tall grass and wild scrub trees or bare patches of coral residue where plant pirates descended within hours after a unit was vacated.

Supply Warehouse

Fences overgrown and falling down with scrub trees that had grown into the fence fabric blocking the view of the bay and the cooling breezes while harboring mosquitos, banana rats and feral cats. Piles of trash left behind storage sheds. Vacant buildings with broken and boarded up windows missing siding and fire escape stairs blocked by wild trees growing up through the steps. Patches of lawn covered with the washout residue from a lazy concrete truck drivers. (I would have been fined for that in the states when I drove a concrete truck)

Abandoned Building on Marine Hill

Ex-Navy people I know apologize for the spavined mess saying this is not the Navy they left years ago. One man who was here in 1994 said that the place was crawling with Sea Bees who sandblasted, painted, and polished everything that looked even slightly tarnished or rusty. They are not here in great numbers anymore. In fact, the Navy seems dedicated to contracting out every possible job that used to be filled by enlisted folks that does not involve carrying a weapon. These folks (mostly Filipino and Jamaican) work for Burns and Roe, the huge contractor who supports Navy bases worldwide. Nothing can be fixed without specific language allowing it in the "sacred" contract.

Basket Ball Court on Marine Hill

Therefore, if someone wants to see the bay from their housing unit and enjoy the breezes, they must hire off-duty workers to come and cut down the wild trees and brush and clean it out of the fence fabric and haul off the debris. Finding good workers can be difficult. Some just hack down the trees leaving a pile of tree trash and 4 foot stumps in the fabric that quickly grow new foliage.

Damaged Fence With Wild Trees on Granadillo Point

Many people park cars and boat trailers in their front yards and purposely avoid watering to keep yards to keep the grass in a constant state of dormancy so they never have to mow. Housing folks are supposed to monitor and cite offenders but that is only in theory, I guess.

Warning Sign on Beach Near Camps

I suspect that if and when the camps are closed and the base population decreases to a normal size, the Navy may find managing the base much easier without the constant distractions of politicians and media flies swooping in and out of here looking for a reason to pick a fight.

Butt Can and Grime at Leeward Ferry Landing

At least, the hospital and its grounds looks just like the old spit and polish Navy. The other ship shape building is the Marine security force headquarters. The rest of the base looks average or below.