What is deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba like?

2020-07-24T20:22:37-04:00

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jul 24 at 2020 9:57 PM

2020-07-24T21:57:10-04:00

My dad was stationed there. He said big rodents would eat the wires of your car. There are a lot of Iguanas. It sounded like a fisherman's paradise.

Response by CMSgt James Nolan made Jul 24 at 2020 10:01 PM

2020-07-24T22:01:35-04:00

You’ll eat lunch 200 yards from the enemy.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2020 12:02 AM

2020-07-25T00:02:40-04:00

I was there in 2002 when they opened Camp X-Ray and no one had a combat patch so that was what they thought was the only deployment in their career so it was a little more high strung but i know a guy who was there a few years ago and he said it's fairly chill.
They have a McDonald's, a few bars, bowling, and an outdoor movie theater as well as beaches, fishing and scuba diving. The base is not that big so you will get to know it.

Good Luck

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2020 1:23 AM

2020-07-25T01:23:52-04:00

You can't handle the truth!

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 26 at 2020 12:06 AM

2020-07-26T00:06:58-04:00

Came back last November.
Expect garrison lifestyle. Inspections, work schedules, short-notice all-hands accountability formations. Stay on your P's & Q's and you'll be fine. Have some time at the beach, enjoy the gyms on base, and use that time to bond with your unit. Maybe catch a drink or two at O'Kellys, or get brunch on a Sunday with an oceanside view. Go bowling, get scuba certified.
Don't dick with the iguanas unless you want to end up bankrupt.
Do the right thing, work diligently when it's time, and spend your off-hours productively (or just recharge).
Overall? It's cake, but remember that you'll get out what you put in.
You'll either get fit or you'll get fat.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 26 at 2020 2:20 PM

2020-07-26T14:20:02-04:00

Don’t call it a deployment, it’s just a hardship assignment. If you like the water and beaches you’ll enjoy it there. If you are active duty you will most likely go to the MP unit there. Like someone else said it’s garrison life with a twist. It’s something many people don’t get to do or go do. Worth going for a year.

Response by SFC Quinn Chastant made Jul 27 at 2020 5:57 PM

2020-07-27T17:57:42-04:00

I deployed to GITMO in 1995 for Operation Sea Signal. Climate wise, it is a pleasant enough location once you get habituated. As for what duty assignments you may have that will be based upon MOS. We were dealing with a Migrant Camp Population from two Nations Haiti, and Cuba. Also there was the then disciplinary barracks of Camp X-Ray as well but a different one than seen today.

The base has Amenities you'd expect here stateside, though some items may be in short supply until the supply barge arrives. Road rules and vehicle inspections are the same as the Common Wealth of Virginia. Lizard Island is the source for parts for building your island cruiser. When I was there we had basically a day and a half off from the normal week's duty schedule. But with plenty of recreational activities available.

Scuba diving is a big recreational aspect, but since you should have a CAC Card and access to various portals I do not. Try researching what is available for personnel being assigned to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. There is more to the place than I can tell you. But one thing for certain. What was The Harbor Lights is no longer. it was shuttered in 1995....

It is also recommended that you do not have picnic lunches in the mine field. Yes, there is an active and maintained defensive perimeter around the base. The Marines are there to keep the Cubans nervous, and the Cubans are there to annoy the Marines.