Wolemba Lawrence Wittner, Epulo 29, 2019
kuchokera Nkhondo Ndi Uphungu
Vieques ndi chilumba chaching'ono cha Puerto Rican chokhala ndi anthu pafupifupi 9,000. Yopangidwa ndi mitengo ya kanjedza ndi magombe okongola, okhala ndi malo owoneka bwino kwambiri padziko lonse lapansi ndi akavalo amtchire akuyendayenda paliponse, zimakopa nambala zazikulu za alendo. Koma, kwa zaka pafupifupi makumi asanu ndi limodzi, Vieques adatumikira monga malo owombera mabomba, malo ophunzitsira usilikali, ndi malo osungiramo asilikali a US Navy, mpaka anthu omwe anali okwiya kwambiri, atathamangitsidwa kuti asokonezeke, adapulumutsa dziko lawo kunkhondo.
Mofanana ndi chilumba chachikulu cha Puerto Rico, Vieques - yomwe ili makilomita asanu ndi atatu chakum'mawa -analamulidwa kwa zaka mazana ambiri monga chigawo cha Spain, mpaka nkhondo ya ku Spain ndi America ya 1898 inasintha Puerto Rico kukhala koloni ("gawo losadzilamulira") la United States. Mu 1917, anthu a ku Puerto Rican (kuphatikizapo a Viequenses) anakhala nzika za US, ngakhale kuti analibe ufulu wovotera bwanamkubwa wawo mpaka 1947 ndipo lero akupitirizabe kukhala opanda ufulu woyimira ku US Congress kapena kuvotera pulezidenti wa US.
Panthawi ya nkhondo yachiwiri ya padziko lonse, boma la United States, podandaula za chitetezo cha dera la Caribbean ndi Panama Canal, linalanda malo ambiri kum'maŵa kwa Puerto Rico ndi Vieques kuti amange malo akuluakulu a Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. Izi zinaphatikizapo pafupifupi magawo awiri pa atatu a dziko la Vieques. Chifukwa cha zimenezi, anthu zikwizikwi a Viequense anathamangitsidwa m’nyumba zawo ndi kuikidwa m’minda ya nzimbe yophwanyika kumene asilikali apanyanja analengeza kuti “mathirakiti okhazikitsanso anthu.”
Nkhondo ya US Navy ku Vieques inapita patsogolo mu 1947, pamene idasankha Misewu ya Roosevelt ngati malo ophunzitsira apanyanja ndi malo osungiramo zinthu zapamadzi ndipo inayamba kugwiritsa ntchito chilumbachi pochita kuwombera ndi kukwera pamtunda ndi zikwi zikwi za amalinyero ndi apanyanja. Kukulitsa kulandidwa kwake ku magawo atatu mwa magawo atatu a Vieques, asitikali apanyanja adagwiritsa ntchito gawo lakumadzulo posungira zida zake komanso gawo lakum'mawa chifukwa chamasewera ake ophulitsa mabomba ndi nkhondo, pomwe akulowetsa anthu am'deralo kumalo ang'onoang'ono olekanitsa.
M'zaka makumi angapo zotsatira, asilikali apamadzi anaphulitsa Vieques kuchokera mumlengalenga, pamtunda, ndi panyanja. M'zaka za m'ma 1980 ndi 1990, idatulutsa mabomba pafupifupi matani 1,464 chaka chilichonse pachilumbachi ndikuchita masewera olimbitsa thupi masiku 180 pachaka. Mu 1998 mokha, asilikali apanyanja anaponya mabomba 23,000 ku Vieques. Inagwiritsanso ntchito chilumbachi poyesa mayeso a zida zamoyo.
Mwachilengedwe, kwa a Viequenses, ulamuliro wankhondowu udapanga moyo wowopsa. Atathamangitsidwa m'nyumba zawo komanso chuma chawo chachikhalidwe chawonongeka, adakumana ndi zoopsa bombardment pafupi. “Pamene mphepo inabwera kuchokera kum’maŵa, inabweretsa utsi ndi milu ya fumbi kuchokera m’malo awo ophulitsiramo mabomba,” munthu wina wa m’dzikoli anakumbukira motero. Amaphulitsa bomba tsiku lililonse, kuyambira 5 koloko mpaka 6 koloko masana. Zinali ngati kuti kunali nkhondo. Mukanamva . . . mabomba asanu ndi atatu kapena asanu ndi anai, ndipo nyumba yanu ingagwedezeke. Chilichonse pa makoma anu, mafelemu a zithunzi zanu, zokongoletsa zanu, magalasi ogalasi, zimagwera pansi ndi kusweka,” ndipo “nyumba yanu ya simenti imayamba kung’ambika.” Kuwonjezera apo, chifukwa cha kutulutsidwa kwa mankhwala apoizoni m’nthaka, m’madzi, ndi mumpweya, anthu anayamba kudwala kwambiri kansa ndi matenda ena.
Pomaliza, US Navy anatsimikiza tsogolo la chilumba chonsecho, kuphatikizapo mayendedwe apanyanja, njira za pandege, akasupe a madzi, ndi malamulo ogawa malo m'madera otsala a anthu wamba, kumene anthu okhalamo amakhala pansi pa chiwopsezo cha kuthamangitsidwa. Mu 1961, asilikali apanyanja adakonza ndondomeko yachinsinsi yochotsa anthu onse a ku Vieques, ndipo ngakhale akufa adayenera kukumbidwa m'manda awo. Koma Bwanamkubwa wa Puerto Rican Luis Munoz Marin analowererapo, ndipo Purezidenti wa United States John F. Kennedy analetsa asilikali a pamadzi kuti asagwiritse ntchito ndondomekoyi.
Kukangana kwanthawi yayitali pakati pa gulu lankhondo la Viequenses ndi gulu lankhondo lankhondo lapamadzi kudapitilira kuyambira 1978 mpaka 1983. M'kati mwa kuphulika kwa mabomba apanyanja a US ndikuwonjezera mphamvu zankhondo, gulu lamphamvu lankhondo lakumaloko linatulukira, motsogozedwa ndi asodzi pachilumbachi. Omenyera nkhondo adachita ziwonetsero, ziwonetsero, komanso kusamvera anthu -zodabwitsa kwambiri, podziyika okha pamzere wa mivi yamoto, potero kusokoneza zochitika zankhondo. Pamene chithandizo cha anthu a pachilumbachi chinakhala chochititsa manyazi padziko lonse, bungwe la US Congress linakhala ndi zokambirana za nkhaniyi mu 1980 ndipo linanena kuti asilikali apanyanja achoke ku Vieques.
Koma funde loyamba la zionetsero zodziwika bwino, lophatikizapo zikwi za Viequenses ndi othandizira awo ku Puerto Rico ndi United States, linalephera kuthamangitsa asilikali apanyanja pachilumbachi. Pakati pa Cold War, asitikali aku US adakakamira mwamphamvu ku Vieques. Komanso, kutchuka mu kampeni yotsutsa ya anthu a dziko la Puerto Rican, pamodzi ndi magulu ampatuko, kunachepetsa chidwi cha gululo.
M'zaka za m'ma 1990, komabe, gulu lolimbana kwambiri lokhazikika linayamba. Ntchitoyi idayamba mu 1993 Komiti Yopulumutsa ndi Kupititsa patsogolo Vieques, idapita patsogolo potsutsana ndi mapulani ankhondo apanyanja okhazikitsa makina osokoneza a radar ndi adachoka pambuyo pa April 19, 1999, pamene woyendetsa ndege wa ku United States anaponya mwangozi mabomba awiri a 500-pounds pamalo omwe amati ndi otetezeka, kupha munthu wamba wa Viequenses. “Zimenezi zinagwedeza chidwi cha anthu a ku Vieques ndi a ku Puerto Rican kwakukulukulu kuposa chochitika china chilichonse,” anakumbukira motero Robert Rabin, mtsogoleri wamkulu wa zipolowezo. "Nthawi yomweyo tidakhala ndi mgwirizano m'malire amalingaliro, ndale, zipembedzo, ndi malo."
Kuthamangira kuseri kwa zofuna za Mtendere kwa Vieques, kusokonekera kwakukulu kumeneku kunakhudza kwambiri matchalitchi a Katolika ndi Apulotesitanti, komanso gulu la ogwira ntchito, anthu otchuka, akazi, ophunzira a kuyunivesite, okalamba, ndi omenyera nkhondo. Mazana a zikwi za anthu aku Puerto Rico ku Puerto Rico ndi kunja kwa Puerto Rico adatenga nawo mbali, ndipo ena a 1,500 anamangidwa chifukwa chokhala ndi mabomba kapena chifukwa cha kusamvera kwachiwembu. Atsogoleri achipembedzo atapempha kuti pachitike Marichi a Mtendere ku Vieques, ochita zionetsero pafupifupi 150,000 adasefukira m'misewu ya San Juan pachiwonetsero chomwe akuti chinali chachikulu kwambiri m'mbiri ya Puerto Rico.
Poyang'anizana ndi mphepo yamkuntho yotsutsa izi, boma la United States linagonja. Mu 2003, Asitikali ankhondo aku US sanangoyimitsa kuphulitsa bomba, koma adatseka maziko ake a Roosevelt Roads ndikuchoka ku Vieques.
Ngakhale kupambana kwakukulu kwa gulu la anthu, Vieques akupitiriza kukumana mavuto aakulu masiku ano. Izi zikuphatikizapo kuphulika kosaphulika ndi kuipitsidwa kwakukulu kochokera ku zitsulo zolemera ndi mankhwala oopsa omwe amatulutsidwa chifukwa cha kugwa kwa chiŵerengero choyerekeza. matani thililiyoni zida zankhondo, kuphatikiza uranium yatha, pachilumba chaching'ono. Chotsatira chake, Vieques tsopano ndi malo akuluakulu a Superfund Site, omwe ali ndi khansa ndi matenda ena apamwamba kwambiri kuposa ena onse a Puerto Rico. Komanso, popeza chuma chake chawonongeka, chilumbachi chikuvutika ndi umphawi wadzaoneni.
Komabe, anthu akuzilumbazi, omwe sakuletsedwanso ndi akazembe ankhondo, akulimbana ndi izi kudzera m'malingaliro omanganso ndi ntchito zachitukuko, kuphatikiza. chilengedwe. Mphunzitsi, yemwe adakhala m'ndende katatu (kuphatikiza miyezi isanu ndi umodzi) chifukwa cha ziwonetsero zake, tsopano akuwongolera Werengani Mirasol Fort- Malo omwe kale anali ndende ya akapolo osamvera komanso ogwira ntchito ku nzimbe, koma tsopano amapereka zipinda za Vieques Museum, misonkhano ya anthu ndi zikondwerero, zolemba zakale, ndi Radio Vieques.
Inde, kulimbana kopambana kwa Viequenses kumasula chilumba chawo ku zolemetsa za nkhondo kumaperekanso chiyembekezo kwa anthu padziko lonse lapansi. Izi zikuphatikizapo anthu a ku United States ena onse, omwe akupitiriza kulipira mtengo wochuluka wachuma ndi anthu chifukwa cha kukonzekera kwakukulu kwa nkhondo za boma ndi nkhondo zopanda malire.
Lawrence Wittner (https://www.lawrenceswittner.com/ ) ndi Professor of History Emeritus ku SUNY / Albany ndi mlembi wa Kulimbana ndi Bomba (Stanford University Press).
