Memories of Guantanamo Bay, 1960-1962

the long version

This personal recollection of life on the military installation at Guantánamo Bay takes place during the turbulent early 1960s, shortly after Fidel Castro came to power and during John F. Kennedy's presidency. Written from the perspective of a Navy wife, the story details her involvement with the Cuban people who were employed on the Naval Base. The author describes the complexities of living overseas inside a communist country, yet on U.S. soil, while her marriage is disintegrating. She brings the reader along with her, through her personal experiences, covert activities, and emotional uncertanties. Any unforeseen event could happen next, and it does! The narrative ends abruptly on October 22, 1962--the Cuban Missile Crisis and evacuation--dramatically impacting thousands of people who lived there.