ROOSEVELT ROADS Puerto Rico Naval Air Station Navy Challenge Coin

Description

ROOSEVELT ROADS
NAVAL AIR STATION
Puerto Rico
Challenge Coin
!
This coin is approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter.  Great item for shadow box.
Roosevelt Roads Naval Station
is a former
United States Navy
base in the town of
Ceiba, Puerto Rico
. The site is run today as
José Aponte de la Torre Airport
, a public use airport.
History
In 1919, the future U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
, then
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
, toured
Puerto Rico
, visiting Ceiba. When he returned to
Washington, D.C.
, he expressed a liking for the terrain where the base now is. This was during the World War I era, and the United States could benefit from an air field in Ceiba. While Puerto Rico is a
commonwealth
, its territorial rights belong to the United States, which made it perfectly feasible, and ideal, for the American government to build an airplane base in Ceiba.
It took many years for the United States Government to become convinced of the need for an air base in Ceiba. When
Adolf Hitler
and
Nazi
-led Germany began to invade other European countries, the US, led by then President Roosevelt, entertained the idea of a Naval air station in Ceiba. With war in the European and Pacific theatres, they saw an airbase in the Caribbean as necessary. The base had been inaugurated, but scaled down to maintenance status with a public works office in 1944. From then until 1957, the base went through many shifts, being opened seven times and closed eight times. Meanwhile, it continued as a source of employment for the citizens of Ceiba.
In 1957, it was upgraded to
Naval Station
status.
Fort Bundy
was located there, but it crossed over to parts of
Vieques
, a fact which would become important in the future. An American military mission, the M3, was located there. It was part of the "Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Puerto Rico Base Communication Department". M3 had a fleet center, a technical control facility and a Tactical support communications department, among other things. The M3 was designated to help Puerto Rico, the United States and other Caribbean and Latin American countries to deal with drug trafficking, illegal immigration and other problems. The main purpose of the base was tactical support for land/sea/air maneuvers on Vieques island.
For the next 47 years the base was utilized for flight practice, as well as other missions and control of the area's air space. In August 2002, a
MC-130H
airplane carrying seven airmen crashed in the town of Caguas, while en route from Roosevelt Roads to
Rafael Hernández Airport
in
Aguadilla
. All seven perished, in the largest air tragedy in Caguas history.
US Naval Forces Southern Command
COMUSNAVSO
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command
(NAVSO) directs naval forces and interacts with partner nations to shape the maritime environment within United States Southern Command's Area Of Focus (AOF). With a focus on Theater Security Cooperation, NAVSO works to strengthen and build effective alliance and friendships, develop partner nation capabilities, and maintain U.S. operational access to defend the United States.
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, (COMUSNAVSO) was headquartered at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico was the Naval Component Commander to the U.S. Southern Command, based in Miami, Florida. It provides strategic and operational command and control for U.S. Naval Forces in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
On 10 December 1999 the U.S. Navy established Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, also known as NAVSOUTH, in a ceremony aboard
USS Vicksburg (CG 69)
inport Roosevelt Roads. The new organization is responsible for Navy operational forces in the United States Southern Command's area of responsibility (AOR), including Naval Special Warfare Unit Four, a training detachment for SEAL teams from the SOCOM operational area. It oversees U.S. naval forces participating in drug enforcement operations and interaction with South American naval forces, including the annual UNITAS operations around South America. As the Navy's senior representative, Commander, United States Naval Forces, Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO) serves as the principal liaison with the government of Puerto Rico. In January 2004 The Navy decided to relocate U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO) from Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, to
Naval Station Mayport
, Florida. Since the Navy had to close Naval Station Roosevelt Roads by March 31, 2004, relocation of USNAVSO was a high priority.
The Vieques effect
Main article:
Navy-Vieques protests
In 1999,
David Sanes
, a civilian employed as a gate security guard by the US Navy, died from a stray bomb while observing a routine exercise. As a consequence of this and the high rate of cancer (correlation unconfirmed) among residents of Vieques many Vieques citizens and Puerto Rican activists from other towns (
Ruben Berrios
,
Tito Kayak
, etc.) began activism against the military presence in Vieques, which included illegally entering the live -fire areas at the military reservation. Other important activists included
Jesse Jackson
,
Robert Kennedy Jr.
,
Al Sharpton
, U.S. Representative
Luis Gutiérrez
D-IL,
Rigoberta Menchú
and
Edward James Olmos
(the last was jailed in Puerto Rico for trespassing on federal property). An agreement between the Clinton Administration and the Government of Puerto Rico (then Gov. Rosello) agreed to cease all live bombing on Vieques by March 2003.
Ft. Bundy was affected by the protests, because part of it was in Vieques. After Sanes' death, there was a struggle between the autonomous
Government of Puerto Rico
and the American Government. This was over after President
George W. Bush
granted Puerto Rico the rights to operate the former military possessions in Vieques, including Ft. Bundy, a portion of which was aboard Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. As a consequence of President Bush's decision, the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station became NAPR (Naval Activity Puerto Rico), where DoD Police provides security, but still is considered a military installation. On March 31, 2004, the station again became inoperative.
(REF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Roads_Naval_Station)
NOTE:
Never personally given any of the coins.  They are from either purchases of collections or from professional makers of military challenge coins.  All coins are guaranteed to be in excellent condition.
The accepted payments are: PAYPAL and please contact seller for other methods of accepted payment, which you may have used in past please contact me through the eBay messaging system.
Thanks!
Powered by
eBay Turbo Lister
The free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items.