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education. (1983) The
invasion of Grenada in late 1983 can be
seen as a small part of the rivalry
between the U.S. and Cuba during the
Reagan years. A bloody coup in Grenada,
along with a perceived threat to American
students on the island provided the U.S.
with an excellent excuse to eliminate a
Marxist regime allied to Fidel Castro's
Cuba. Page
Menu :Click on the
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OF CONFLICT: The U.S. Invasion of
Grenada vs. Grenada
and Cuba ENDED:
December, 1983 TYPE(S)
OF CONFLICT: Inter-State
(between nations) CONCURRENT:
The Cold War, U.S. Intervention in
Lebanon (1982-1984), Nicaraguan
"Contra" War (1982-1990) SUCCESSOR: On
October 13, 1983, the Grenadian Army,
controlled by former Deputy Prime
Minister Bernard Coard, seized power in
a bloody coup. The severity of the
violence, coupled with Coard's
hard-line Marxism, caused deep concern
among neighboring Caribbean nations, as
well as in Washington, D.C. Also, the
presence of nearly 1,000 American
medical students in Grenada caused
added concern. However,
along with concern, came opportunity.
With President Reagan's worldwide
efforts to confront what he viewed as
the threat by the Soviet Union and
other Communist countries (such as
Cuba), the turmoil in the Caribbean
provided a timely excuse to eliminate a
Marxist government and give Fidel
Castro a black eye. It
should also be noted that on October
23, 1983, American foreign policy and
pride suffered a terrible shock when a
Muslim suicide bomber destroyed the
Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 240
U.S. Marines. A successful campaign in
Grenada would prove helpful in
alleviating the pain of that
setback. 2.
The Reagan Administration proved
willing to use force to combat what it
considered hostile governments in the
area. 3.
America's European allies expressed
disapproval of the unilateral invasion
of Grenada. 4.
The invasion sent a message to Cuba and
Nicaragua that they could only go so
far in exporting revolution in Central
America and the Caribbean without
provoking an American military
response. Grenada--
49 dead and several hundred
wounded. Cuba--
29 dead and over a hundred
wounded. UNIQUE
FACTS OR TRENDS:
This
section is formed from the opinion of the
History Guy regarding this
conflict. 2.
Grenada was America's first military
victory since well before the Vietnam
War. 3.
This was the first time since before
World War 2 that an avowed
Communist/Marxist government had been
replaced with a pro-Western one. It
should be noted though, that some
governments which the United States and
her allies claimed were communist (like
the Arbenz government of Guatemala and
the Mossadegh regime in Iran) did fall
due to covert American (CIA) action.
Again, I do not count them since they
did not officially proclaim allegiance
to the communist ideology or become
overt allies of other communist
nations. Joseph
Metcalf III Dies at 79; Led Invasion of
Grenada The
Military History of the Ranger: Grenada
Invasion
An account of the U.S. Army Rangers in
action in Grenada. Operation
Urgent
Fury
A good source for links on the Grenada
conflict. U.S.
Casualties from Operation Urgent
Fury Lebanon And
Grenada
Transcript of President Reagan's address
to the nation regarding the bombing of the
Marine barracks in Lebanon and the U.S.
invasion of Grenada. Part of a larger
Ronald Reagan website. Great
Events IV: The Invasion of
Grenada
Primarily a political analysis of the
reasons behind the Grenada invasion.
Serves as a good summary. These articles
are excerpted from Great Events VI, based
on reporting by The New York
Times. The
Grenada 17
Homepage--Supports
of the release of fourteen former members
of the Grenada government of 1979 to 1983
and the three soldiers imprisoned with
them. Fort
George Grenada, West
Indies--Very
interesting history of a military fort in
Grenada, from colonial times to the U.S.
invasion. This fort was previously known
as Fort Rupert.
Lee,
R. "Invasion of Grenada" http://www.historyguy.com/Grenada.html "The
History Guy" is a Registered Trademark. Contact
the webmaster Pages
on American Military
History Site
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in progress 
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Copyright
© 1998-2007 Roger A. Lee and History Guy
Media; Last Modified: 05.18.08
Links
on GrenadaALTERNATE
NAMES: Operation Urgent Fury
(US)
BEGAN:
October 25, 1983
PREDECESSOR:
To
Page MenuThe
U.S. invasion of Grenada and the
toppling of its Marxist government can
be seen as part of a greater regional
conflict. This conflict involved the
U.S. and its Central American and
Caribbean allies on one side and Fidel
Castro's Cuba, the Sandinista
government of Nicaragua and various
Marxist guerrilla armies on the other.
President Reagan and his administration
were concerned that the Marxist
government of Prime Minister Maurice
Bishop was allowing Cuba to gain undue
influence in Grenada, specifically by
constructing a military-grade airport
with Cuban military engineers.
To
Page MenuIn
the early morning of October 25, 1983,
the United States invaded the island of
Grenada. The initial assault consisted
of some 1,200 troops, and they were met
by stiff resistance from the Grenadian
army and Cuban military units on the
island. Heavy fighting continued for
several days, but as the invasion force
grew to more than 7,000, the defenders
either surrendered or fled into the
mountains. Scattered fighting continued
as U.S. troops hunted down stragglers,
but for the most part, the island
quickly fell under American control. By
mid-December, U.S. combat forces went
home and a pro-American government took
power.
1.
The Marxist, pro-Cuban governments of
Bishop and Coard were eliminated and a
regime friendly to American interests
took over.
U.S.--
19 dead (officially).
To
Page Menu1.
This was the first "war" between the
U.S. and Cuba. Though some would say
that the Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961
could fall into that category, I do not
count it in the category of an
"official" shooting war or
conflict.
1.
Kohn, George C. Dictionary
of Wars.
New
York: Facts On File Publications.
1986.
To
Page Menu
Click here for the latest news on
Grenada.
--From
the U.S. Army web site. Top
of Page
Please cite this source when
appropriate: