David Sanes
Encyclopedia
David Sanes Rodríguez was a native of Vieques, Puerto Rico
whose death became a rallying point for those opposed to the U.S. military presence on and use of his home island for live-fire bombing practice. Sanes Rodríguez's death sparked the organization of the Cause for Vieques and a series of protests by residents and activists that culminated in the US Navy abandoning Vieques.
, working as a security guard at the Navy's Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility on Vieques. Sanes Rodríguez was killed when two errant 500 lb Mk 82 bombs from a Marine
F/A-18C Hornet
fighter landed 100 yards from an observation post in which Sanes Rodríguez was working. 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, including U.S. newspapers and international television
networks.
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Vieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island–municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands...
whose death became a rallying point for those opposed to the U.S. military presence on and use of his home island for live-fire bombing practice. Sanes Rodríguez's death sparked the organization of the Cause for Vieques and a series of protests by residents and activists that culminated in the US Navy abandoning Vieques.
Biography
Sanes Rodríguez was a civilian employee of the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, working as a security guard at the Navy's Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility on Vieques. Sanes Rodríguez was killed when two errant 500 lb Mk 82 bombs from a Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
F/A-18C Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
fighter landed 100 yards from an observation post in which Sanes Rodríguez was working. Known amongst his friends for his happy-go-lucky, partying lifestyle, in death, Sanes Rodríguez became a household name in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. His funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
received widespread media coverage, including U.S. newspapers and international television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
networks.