[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5437]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LIFE OF DAVID SANES RODRIGUEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ALAN GRAYSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 2015

  Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday, April 19th, marked the 
anniversary of the death of David Sanes Rodriguez. He was a civilian 
security guard, employed by the U.S. Navy, who died 16 years ago when 
two errant bombs were dropped from a fighter jet near his observation 
post on Vieques, Puerto Rico.
  His tragic death spurred protests throughout Puerto Rico and the 
United States, and ultimately led to the halting of bombing on the 
island where countless shells and chemicals were dropped.
  It is unconscionable that the American government could wreak such 
havoc on such pristine lands for so long. It is unimaginable that it 
would ignore the pleas of its own citizens for decades as they called 
for an end to the bombing of their land.
  We must ensure that Sanes Rodriguez is not forgotten, and neither is 
the unnecessary destruction of vast parts of Vieques during the more 
than 60 years of live-fire bombing practice on the island.
  As we also celebrate Earth Day this week, we must acknowledge another 
grim reality: decades of destructive shelling turned Vieques into one 
of the most toxic places on the planet. In the 16 years since Sanes 
Rodriguez was killed, lingering environmental and health concerns due 
to the bombings are still not being fully addressed.
  Tens of thousands of bombs and toxic chemicals were dropped on 
Vieques during U.S. Navy training exercises. Some of those munitions 
contained depleted uranium and napalm. Contamination concerns led the 
Environmental Protection Agency to list the former Vieques training 
area as a Superfund site--basically designating it as a toxic dump.
  I have grilled the Director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and 
Disease Registry (ATSDR) about the alarming rate of cancer and other 
serious health conditions experienced by Viequenses as a result of the 
environmental damage caused by decades of military bombing. Amazingly, 
the agency has reported that it could not find ``credible scientific 
evidence'' to support a link between a generation of military 
pollutants and Vieques residents' poor health trends.
  In March of 2013, I visited Vieques to witness for myself the 
consequences of decades of shelling and the impact it has had on the 
island. I met with citizens whose health has been harmed by living near 
the former bombing range. The people of Vieques live everyday with the 
legacy of the environmental destruction that was wreaked upon their 
land.
  Sanes Rodriguez's death, while tragic and unnecessary, was not 
meaningless. It opened the eyes of millions of Americans to the harm 
being inflicted upon Vieques. Our annual remembrance of his tragic 
death now serves another noble cause: environmental justice for 
Vieques.
  On this important date for the people of Vieques, and as the world 
celebrates Earth Day, I urge my colleagues to join me in making sure 
this beautiful island is restored. I urge my colleagues to join me in 
addressing the health problems that six decades of bombings have 
imposed upon the residents who still call Vieques home.

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