David Sanes Rodríguez (1954 – 19 April 1999) was a native of Vieques, Puerto Rico, whose death became a rallying point for those opposed to the United States military presence on and use of his home island for live-fire bombing practice. [1] His death sparked the organization of the Cause for Vieques and a series of protests by residents and activists that culminated in the U.S. Navy abandoning Vieques.
Sanes Rodríguez was a civilian employee of the U.S. Navy, working as a security guard at the Navy's Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility on Vieques. During a night training exercise, [2] he was killed when two errant 500-pound (230 kg) Mk 82 bombs from a Marine F/A-18C Hornet fighter landed 100 yards (90 m) from a clearly identified hilltop observation post in which Sanes Rodríguez was working. Four others were injured. [3]
Known amongst his friends for his happy-go-lucky, partying lifestyle, in death, Sanes Rodríguez became a household name in Puerto Rico. His funeral received widespread media coverage, [4] including U.S. newspapers and international television networks. Sanes Rodríguez had two children that he raised as his own, named Jessica Cruz and Manuel Cruz.
David Sanes Rodríguez (1954 – 19 April 1999) was a native of Vieques, Puerto Rico, whose death became a rallying point for those opposed to the United States military presence on and use of his home island for live-fire bombing practice. [1] His death sparked the organization of the Cause for Vieques and a series of protests by residents and activists that culminated in the U.S. Navy abandoning Vieques.
Sanes Rodríguez was a civilian employee of the U.S. Navy, working as a security guard at the Navy's Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility on Vieques. During a night training exercise, [2] he was killed when two errant 500-pound (230 kg) Mk 82 bombs from a Marine F/A-18C Hornet fighter landed 100 yards (90 m) from a clearly identified hilltop observation post in which Sanes Rodríguez was working. Four others were injured. [3]
Known amongst his friends for his happy-go-lucky, partying lifestyle, in death, Sanes Rodríguez became a household name in Puerto Rico. His funeral received widespread media coverage, [4] including U.S. newspapers and international television networks. Sanes Rodríguez had two children that he raised as his own, named Jessica Cruz and Manuel Cruz.