In 1983, the tiny 110,000-citizen nation of Grenada witnessed a severe confrontation between Western democracies and Communism.

The small island, located within the Grenadines archipelago in the West Indies between Cuba and Puerto Rico, was of great interest to the Cuban government, which knew its value and sought to establish a major airport and use the former British colony as a holding place for Soviet-made weapons.

American officials took notice and viewed it as an opportunity to restore the country’s name after several failed conflicts. In October of 1983, a controversial operation to rescue American medical students from Grenada was put into motion.

President Ronald Reagan also sought to restore democracy in the war-torn nation and avoid further influence from Cuba and the Soviet Union. An invasion masquerading as a rescue mission then ensued…

– As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. –