[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 54 (Tuesday, April 20, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H2180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRAINING EXERCISE IN VIEQUES KILLS DAVID SANET RODRIGUEZ AND INJURES 
                              FOUR OTHERS

  (Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon with very sad 
news indeed.
  Yesterday, during a training exercise in Vieques, Puerto Rico, two 
U.S. F-18's dropped bombs that exploded 65 feet from an observation 
post in Camp Garcia, which is a Navy facility, and killed Mr. David 
Sanet Rodriguez, a civilian employee of the Navy, and injured four 
others.
  I am saddened by this most unfortunate and tragic error, and I want 
to convey my deepest sympathy to the family of Mr. Sanet Rodriguez and 
the Navy employees that were injured.
  The need to defend our democracy has required many personal 
sacrifices for the people of Vieques throughout the past 30 years. The 
bomb yesterday was off target, although still within the military base, 
but who can guarantee that sometime in the future it will not be off 
target in the inhabited part of Vieques?
  Because my biggest concern is for the safety, security and welfare of 
the 8,500 American citizens residing in Vieques, I join the Governor of 
Puerto Rico in calling for an order to cease all bombing and military 
maneuvers in Vieques until a thorough investigation is conducted and 
until it can be guaranteed that there are no future risks to the 
residents of Vieques.
  Mr. Speaker--I rise this afternoon with very sad news indeed. 
Yesterday, during a training exercise in Vieques, Puerto Rico, two U.S. 
F-18's from the U.S. Navy dropped bombs that exploded 65 feet from an 
observation post in Camp Garcia, which is a Navy facility in Vieques, 
and killed Mr. David Sanes Rodriquez, a civilian employee of the Navy 
and injured four other Navy employees.
  I am saddened by this most unfortunate and tragic error and want to 
convey my deepest sympathy to the family of Mr. Sanes and the Navy 
employees that were injured. Our prayers and blessings at this trying 
time are with them and their families.
  This military accident is a tragedy. Vieques has held an important 
role in the defense readiness of our armed forces, and the maneuvers 
being carried out during this week involve the USS John F. Kennedy 
battle group as the force prepares for deployment in Operation Southern 
Watch ongoing in Southern Iraq in the Gulf War.
  The ability to defend our American democracy effectively has entailed 
many personal sacrifices and I want to express my support at this 
critical time to the people of Vieques who have sacrificed throughout 
the past 30 years in support of our armed forces. The bomb was off 
target in military soil yesterday, but who can guarantee that sometime 
in the future it will not be off target in the inhabited part of 
Vieques.
  Because my biggest concern is for the safety, security and welfare of 
the 8,500 American citizens residing in Vieques, I join the Governor of 
Puerto Rico in calling on President Bill Clinton, Secretary of Defense 
Cohen and Navy Secretary Richard Danzig to cease all bombing and 
military maneuvers until a thorough investigation is conducted and 
until it can be guaranteed that there are no future risks to the 
population of Vieques.
  As the 8,500 Puerto Rican-Americans in Vieques have so contributed to 
our nation's defense readiness, I am hereby calling on the Navy to 
recognize their contributions and their unwavering support despite the 
inherent risks. The Navy must make further efforts to look for 
alternatives to the use of \3/4\ of Vieques for military exercises, so 
that Vieques may look forward to a peaceful, safe and prosperous 
future.

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