Diego Garcia: The Strategic U.S Military Base in Indian Ocean

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  • čas přidán 5. 03. 2021
  • Diego Garica was discovered by Portuguese explorers in the early sixteenth century and its name is believed to have come from either an early explorer's ship captain or its navigator. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1814, many of the islands in the Indian Ocean under the control of the French were ceded to Britain, including the Mauritius and the Chagos Islands. In 1965, these islands became the British Indian Ocean Territory. During the 19th Century, the islands were used as plantations, producing copra and coconut oils. Plantations on Diego Garcia were closed in 1971, following a decision to establish the U.S. Navy Support Facility based on the 1966 Exchange of Notes between Great Britain and the United States. In January 1971, U.S. Navy Seabees were transported to the island by landing ship to begin building the U.S. military presence on Diego Garcia. Today Diego Garcia is home to 15 separate commands, including the U.S. Navy Support Facility, which functions as the host command.
    Its position is strategically vital for the US, allowing it to project its military strength northwest into the Middle East and South Asia, east into Asia, or west into Africa. It's the most important US base in the Indian Ocean region. Diego Garcia is surrounded by about 60 other atolls. Its coast forms a deep natural harbor, making it the perfect site for a naval base. Diego Garcia has been the site of important military action by the US. On the remote tropical island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean lies a secretive, strategically vital US military base. Before that, the site had proved its strategic importance for US military operations in the Middle East as a base for Air Force attacks in 1991 during the first Gulf War. From the base, long-range B52 bombers embarked on missions to Afghanistan in 2001, targeting Taliban and Qaeda positions in the country's mountains. The base is also vital as a refueling point for the US Navy and Air Force. Its deep port is able to accommodate aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and other ships. With Diego Garcia accessible only to restricted US military personnel, its secrecy has attracted speculation. Unlike the US military base in Guam, the spouses of personnel are not allowed on Diego Garcia. No journalist has visited. The UN court ruled that it was illegal for the British to demand possession of the islands as a condition of independence. Shortly afterward, the British leased Diego Garcia to the US. The UN has now served an eviction notice to the British. Though the ruling is not enforceable, it exerts moral pressure and has placed the future of the base in doubt. The base has served as a launchpad for US military operations in the Middle East and as a refueling point for Air Force patrols headed to the South China Sea, and it was even designated an emergency landing spot for space missions by NASA.
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    Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia
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    Diego Garcia: Creation of the Indian Ocean Base Hardcover
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Komentáře • 1,8K

  • @Military-TV
    @Military-TV  Před rokem +39

    Guam Island: The Strategic US Military Base in Pacific Ocean czcams.com/video/_3KlnRSTxr8/video.html

    • @jaminemadara2838
      @jaminemadara2838 Před rokem +3

      wewe ni nani reply sai yes

    • @justinshades6652
      @justinshades6652 Před 7 měsíci +1

      The government just can't leave the Indigenous Native people alone, can they?

    • @zulu2049
      @zulu2049 Před 6 měsíci +2

      @@justinshades6652 I served in the US Navy and was in Guam & Diego Garcia. The people of Guam loved us bothering them with our money back in 1982. Diego Garcia was beautiful in 82 but we definitely were screwing it up the whole time in D G I never saw an indigenous person.

    • @justinshades6652
      @justinshades6652 Před 6 měsíci +1

      @zulu2049 Thank You for your service

    • @zulu2049
      @zulu2049 Před 6 měsíci +1

      @@justinshades6652 Even though I received a paycheck, you`re very welcome.

  • @williamladley4291
    @williamladley4291 Před 7 měsíci +12

    Deployed there 2x 78-79/79-80 MCB 4 , living in portables and sea huts, building the anchor that became this. "The Rock" as we called it, was a life lesson, thats still with me today .

  • @wozwoz7107
    @wozwoz7107 Před 3 lety +425

    Thanks for repeating it all at the end, I had already forgotten.

    • @Alienbikers-in-India
      @Alienbikers-in-India Před 2 lety +7

      I newer say twice, I never say twice!

    • @rockjohnson2879
      @rockjohnson2879 Před 2 lety +7

      Learn how the US and UK stole the Island .. kick inhabitant off the Island.

    • @somedood9989
      @somedood9989 Před 2 lety +13

      Did you forget that Diago Garcia is a 17 square mile horseshoe-shaped atoll in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago?
      Just incase you forgot

    • @750suzuki7
      @750suzuki7 Před 2 lety +14

      @@somedood9989 Is Diego Garcia is a 17 square mile horseshoe-shaped atoll in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago? I heard Diego Garcia is a 17 square mile horseshoe-shaped atoll in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago. Someone told me that Diego Garcia is a 17 square mile horseshoe-shaped atoll in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago. YMMV

    • @banditflygaming3170
      @banditflygaming3170 Před 2 lety +4

      That's pretty neat. I wonder how big it is?

  • @michaelgaley9532
    @michaelgaley9532 Před rokem +26

    I served in the merchant Marine for USNS Meteor which was a anchored prepositioned forward accessit. It was a roll on roll off (RoRo) ship with a Marine force of Armor and Infantry stationed aboard. To say the region was hot is an understatement, when sounding the fuel tanks I made the mistake of kneeling on the deck and got a second degree burn on my knee.

    • @jimcramer323
      @jimcramer323 Před rokem

      AWARENESS CAMPAIGN!!!
      Hi ,Jim Cramer here I run the CNBC Investing Club I am a financial adviser with over 25years of experience.Are you aware that the banking system is collapsing and exchanges are crashing down due to GLOBAL CRISIS? Soon Paper money and Digital assets will be worthless and you can loose all you have worked for if you don’t backup your finances with XRP as soon as possible.. I can brief you on how to backup your finances to avoid any future loss.. ASK ME HOW BELOW!!

  • @markmazynesalvo5040
    @markmazynesalvo5040 Před 8 měsíci +7

    Its crazy how this was never mentioned in the news. During the disappearance of the plane.

  • @thierrybo6304
    @thierrybo6304 Před 3 lety +411

    Whh do they repeat twice the same thing?

    • @ikill-98
      @ikill-98 Před 3 lety +30

      They repeating it 3 times

    • @thelastpitboss
      @thelastpitboss Před 3 lety +19

      I think all these videos are click bait

    • @redsampler2017
      @redsampler2017 Před 3 lety +11

      5:50 the usa, 50 year lease is due to expire in 2016?? well you don,t say? (2021 is an excellent year to use that same piece of info ;-) )
      dumb copycat channels get instant dislike.

    • @spikespa5208
      @spikespa5208 Před 3 lety +9

      What's so f____g mysterious about it? It's a US military base that has high security and probably a lot of defensive armament. So what? (And it would be a little more listenable if it could pronounce archipelago.) 2 minutes of info crammed into 6 and a half.

    • @klytouch5285
      @klytouch5285 Před 3 lety +1

      Yeah why.. hmmmm 🥴🍷🐵

  • @petercaras3696
    @petercaras3696 Před rokem +10

    Was there in 1971, advance party, MCB 40. Arrived by ship (LSD) from Pt Hueneme Ca via Hawaii and Australia. Flew out 10 months later on a C130 off a soil cement runway. Best duty of my 4 years in the Navy

  • @raywells2858
    @raywells2858 Před 2 lety +9

    Stationed there from June 94-June 95, best duty station I ever served at and one I would gladly go back to in a heart beat as a Contractor. Some of the best Salt Water fishing in the world!!!

  • @sanjuanhavana
    @sanjuanhavana Před 3 lety +84

    I spend 12 years working on merchant and military ship and I have to said those were 12 of my best years in my merchant carrier. The island is gorgeous, is a paradise. Before I finish my merchant carrier I will go back one last time.

    • @richi2831
      @richi2831 Před 2 lety +6

      I'm happy for your but it enrages me that we cannot go to visit our own territory being a resident of Mauitius the legal owner of the island. The report fails to mention this.

    • @isabellewhite3505
      @isabellewhite3505 Před 2 lety +1

      @@richi2831 . So little regard for the inhabitants and the unjust removal of islanders!!
      Like you, I'm 'happy' that R Franco had 12 great yrs.
      I despair with human ignorance

    • @cmscms123456
      @cmscms123456 Před 2 lety +3

      @@isabellewhite3505 When the islands were first discovered there were no people on them... people were brought there when the plantations were brought in.

    • @KrolKaz
      @KrolKaz Před rokem +3

      Lmao. There are plenty of areas residents of countries can't go.
      Back in the day ANYONE could just go up to the Whitehouse and have a chat with the president , now they record you as stand in front of the gates

  • @vicmacarra
    @vicmacarra Před 3 lety +84

    Stop saying the same information FFS

  • @lorinbagley8167
    @lorinbagley8167 Před 3 lety +29

    Back in 1983/1984 my ship docked there for liberty and stores and I also was TDAfor about a week to go to my new duty station. I was able to find some oil paintings and tapestries while cleaning housing units. Very isolated. Very hot.

    • @JasonC683
      @JasonC683 Před 3 lety +2

      what happened to the original native inhabitants of diego garcia? i guess the video doesnt do a good job of telling the whole story...

    • @raymondkwok7423
      @raymondkwok7423 Před 3 lety

      Ggg*get5

    • @Lachausis
      @Lachausis Před 2 lety

      @@JasonC683 the french?

  • @BruceMusto
    @BruceMusto Před 2 lety +129

    Visited Diego Garcia more than a few times back in the 80's. Back when there were no piers, all ships anchored out, only 1/3 of the crew of each ship could be on liberty on the island at the time, and liberty boats took us back and forth from the ship to the beach. I stood my share of Shore Patrol there on duty days which always sucked because you had to deal with drunken sailors and break up fights. Good times.

    • @oldi184
      @oldi184 Před rokem +12

      The CIA has a black site there, right?
      The missing plane Malaysia Air MH-370 "vanished" in 2014 and is still missing to this day most likely landed there.
      It was the extraordinary rendition (aka abduction) by the CIA. 150 Chinese were on that plane including many high-ranking and very important scientists. People who were very very important to the Chinese government. People with "know-how".
      That "abduction" was basically a forced "brain drain". ...what's your take on that?

    • @jimcramer323
      @jimcramer323 Před rokem

      AWARENESS CAMPAIGN!!!
      Hi ,Jim Cramer here I run the CNBC Investing Club I am a financial adviser with over 25years of experience.Are you aware that the banking system is collapsing and exchanges are crashing down due to GLOBAL CRISIS? Soon Paper money and Digital assets will be worthless and you can loose all you have worked for if you don’t backup your finances with XRP as soon as possible.. I can brief you on how to backup your finances to avoid any future loss.. ASK ME HOW BELOW!!

    • @thatguy8005
      @thatguy8005 Před rokem +3

      I was tided up to the pier in the mid 80s… yes, there was a pier, but not all ships were permitted to dock.

    • @Mayqel_1000
      @Mayqel_1000 Před rokem +4

      I was ther in the 80's too, we conducted flight ops at anchor to keep the piolts qualified. USS Constelation CV-64

    • @oldi184
      @oldi184 Před rokem +3

      @V
      Interesting story. Thanks.

  • @charlesstewartandrews3770

    I had two tours there there, 1977, and 1981. Love the Hell out of it

  • @russellsharp3067
    @russellsharp3067 Před 3 lety +29

    Didn't catch it the first time... Thanks for the repeat.

  • @echo5romeo279
    @echo5romeo279 Před 2 lety +11

    That was my first duty station, Marine Barracks from 88 to 89, It wasn't bad as people made it out be, just having to know how to spend your time being productive. I got a chance to save 75% of my pay, which was a good thing for an 18-year-old LCpl. Good memories of that place.

  • @javiertorres2193
    @javiertorres2193 Před rokem +8

    I spent a month there. It was the best TDY of my military career! I was fortunate enough to take advantage of its world class fishing!!!

    • @ChairmanMeow1
      @ChairmanMeow1 Před rokem

      What kinds of fish are there to catch there?

    • @javiertorres2193
      @javiertorres2193 Před rokem +1

      @@ChairmanMeow1 The usual reef fish. Snappers, groupers, sharks. Outside the harbor you can also catch tuna, amberjacks, wahoo, bill fish. My personal favorite was a bonefish in the harbor from a rented boat.

    • @ChairmanMeow1
      @ChairmanMeow1 Před rokem +1

      @@javiertorres2193 Sounds awesome. Never had any of those besides tuna and amberjack!! FRESH seafood is one of my favorite things in the world.

    • @hikawaokazaka7091
      @hikawaokazaka7091 Před 16 dny

      What are the living conditions like there?

    • @javiertorres2193
      @javiertorres2193 Před 16 dny

      @hikawaokazaka7091 We were USAF, but stayed on the Navy side. With permanent lodging. Basic dormitory type lodging with a.c. Snorkeling and fishing are the main outdoor activities. They also have a great recreation center.

  • @jevdiggle1058
    @jevdiggle1058 Před 2 lety +5

    Went there in 1979. Anchored in the lagoon. Brilliant fishing, coconut crabs on the beaches, and cute little lizards everywhere.

  • @franksantos3418
    @franksantos3418 Před 3 lety +19

    Did a Westpac in 1984. We stopped for refueling and some beach R&R. Great untouched white sand beaches with crystal clear water.
    99.99%...of Americans have no clue about Diego Garcia and that’s a good thing.

    • @Hawaiian80882
      @Hawaiian80882 Před 2 lety +1

      99.9% of Americans have no idea there were native inhabitants on the Island before they were forced off, removed to accommodate the Base-lease agreement with the UK & US

    • @mikearmstrong8483
      @mikearmstrong8483 Před 2 lety +1

      @@Hawaiian80882
      100% of you have no idea that there were NEVER any indigenous inhabitants of this place. There is NO native population. There were only people brought in to work the plantation and several generations of their descendants. But your tag clearly shows that you conveniently blame the white man for all the world's evils since that is easier than putting effort into learning facts.

    • @no1brittbarbiefan
      @no1brittbarbiefan Před 2 lety +7

      @@Hawaiian80882 they were not exactly native they were shipped by europeans

    • @jimcramer323
      @jimcramer323 Před rokem

      AWARENESS CAMPAIGN!!!
      Hi ,Jim Cramer here I run the CNBC Investing Club I am a financial adviser with over 25years of experience.Are you aware that the banking system is collapsing and exchanges are crashing down due to GLOBAL CRISIS? Soon Paper money and Digital assets will be worthless and you can loose all you have worked for if you don’t backup your finances with XRP as soon as possible.. I can brief you on how to backup your finances to avoid any future loss.. ASK ME HOW BELOW!!

    • @trevorn9381
      @trevorn9381 Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@no1brittbarbiefanYeah they were farm workers brought there to harvest coconuts. The company that owned the coconut plantation sold it to the British Government to build the base so the (now unemployed) farm workers had to go.

  • @mosesbell8559
    @mosesbell8559 Před 3 lety +15

    I was station there from 1985 to 1986 I was a technician for Navy Beoadcasting and during my time I have travel around the whole place many times I I haven't seen any secret prison, we had many USO events on Diego we even had the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders do a show and it was great.
    The only thing that was regretful was no dependents was allowed to accompany us that's why it was considered isolation duty. We have bowling alley, restaurants, burgers joints, clubs, a outstanding gym facilities, base ball fields, cabanas for cook out panties, beaches was beautiful, fishing was great and plentiful. I enjoyed my time there.

    • @newyorkwanderer3290
      @newyorkwanderer3290 Před 3 lety +1

      In 1994 I worked for a company building radar stations on some sites around the world I worked on Ascension Island in the south Atlantic. Some guys went to Garcia and Antigua and Hawaii .Ascension Island have a few locals on it and its British but the United States is trying to force the locals out so they can expand the base.

    • @mosesbell8559
      @mosesbell8559 Před 3 lety +1

      @@newyorkwanderer3290 yep, just like Diego... sad, sad, sad

    • @thirdnorthwind2176
      @thirdnorthwind2176 Před rokem

      Why nobody is mentioning the whore (slave) bars servicing the invaders? I saw them.

  • @SuperBigblue19
    @SuperBigblue19 Před 3 lety +28

    Spent 3 mos at Diego Garcia as a Navy Diver tending LA class subs in the 80's. I remember spending $60 using the MARS telephone to call home for 15 minutes . You could buy a bottle of JD for $4 back then. First time I saw a Cricket match was on Diego. Still have my Diego Garcia Footprint of Freedom teeshirt.

    • @crewdawg52
      @crewdawg52 Před 3 měsíci +1

      Still have My DG beach towel I got in '88.

    • @markw999
      @markw999 Před 3 měsíci +1

      Beautiful reef. Visited in '87 for a week. Everybody hated it but I bought a snorkel and mask and had a great time diving.

    • @SuperBigblue19
      @SuperBigblue19 Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@markw999 When I was there in 84 you couldn't go into the water. I was a Navy Diver, and we were anchored out for 3 months tending subs. We dove from a platform between subs and the tender. But on liberty the water was off limits. Something about sharks and poisonous fish. In 3 months, all I saw was a few hammerheads.

    • @michaelgallagher2663
      @michaelgallagher2663 Před 2 měsíci

      JD Green From The Vietnam War Days.
      In 77, I Bought A Bottle Of Old Taylor Sealed In 1948, For $2. Rumor Was That The Navy Discovered A Huge Cache Of Alcohol On Guam And Sent It To D.G.

  • @ictpilot
    @ictpilot Před rokem +6

    Was there in the summer of 80. I was an OS on the USS truxton CGN- 35. Pulled up alongside tied up to the L.Y. Spears. Some of the Filipino Cooks would fish off the stern in the evening and you could see the fish swimming around. Nothing much to do there at the time but you were on dry land,get something to drink and waited on the M.A.R.S. station to call home.

  • @Viper1Zero
    @Viper1Zero Před 3 lety +56

    Gorgeous Island. Been through here a couple times enroute to deployment. Absolutely the most secluded you’ll ever feel.

    • @daveblevins3322
      @daveblevins3322 Před 3 lety +4

      Well, I felt pretty secluded on Wake. Although, I wasn't assigned there. We landed there at night, and it was fairly dark. Like where's the effing runway !!! 🔥🔥🔥 Problem with the 'ol 141.

    • @GIVI727
      @GIVI727 Před 2 lety +3

      And why you are there its a thousand miles away from the US?
      When russia and china built base outside there country you are crying ITS A THREAT ITS A THREAT THEY ARE OCCUPYING OTHERS TERITORY
      😂

    • @mrbob9556
      @mrbob9556 Před 2 lety +2

      ​@@GIVI727The USA builds and occupy by treaty and leases. China and Russia due by force.

    • @GIVI727
      @GIVI727 Před 2 lety +5

      @@mrbob9556 lol british dont have the rights in DIEGO GARCIA... UNCLOS alredy said that. What arw you talking about. Bro it's illegal occupation just like you accused to china lol.
      We can read, write and understand WE ARE NOT IDIOTS, 😂

    • @GIVI727
      @GIVI727 Před 2 lety +1

      @@mrbob9556 the youtube deleting my comment again if they saw you are showing the truth😂

  • @timanderson5543
    @timanderson5543 Před 3 lety +18

    My helo crew and i flew there off of the USS EIsenhower in 1980 where we had lunch from a small shack selling burgers and 6 packs of beer.It has been greatly improved since then.

    • @moonar5820
      @moonar5820 Před 3 lety

      How did the burgers taste?

    • @overture2264
      @overture2264 Před 2 lety

      Thank You for Your service 🇺🇸❤️🙏

    • @regregan5755
      @regregan5755 Před 2 lety

      So who was selling burgers?

    • @timanderson5543
      @timanderson5543 Před 2 lety

      @@regregan5755 I’m not sure who it was maybe a navy guy living there because he opened all of the beers so i had to drink them there and not smuggle them on the ship.

    • @timanderson5543
      @timanderson5543 Před 2 lety

      @@moonar5820 pretty good especially compared to navy chow

  • @Ppittman6564
    @Ppittman6564 Před rokem +9

    Spent 83 to 84 on the island. I think we were the last ones to live in the tin roof huts. CB’s started turning everything over to contractors. I know I was in first group to move into new barracks by cannon point, that are almost 40 years ago now. I think we were in the new barracks for about 2 months when the earthquake hit, craziest night of the whole year.

  • @joem80003
    @joem80003 Před 2 lety +13

    Its a beautiful place. I was there in 88 or 87 when I was in the Navy, it costs a 100.00 for a 30 min phone call I wish would have enjoyed it more.

    • @sisyphusvasilias3943
      @sisyphusvasilias3943 Před 2 lety +3

      The Chagos people want to to go back to their home too but US military occupiers wont let them

    • @joem80003
      @joem80003 Před 2 lety

      ​@@sisyphusvasilias3943 Sucks you guys got screwed

    • @jeffharder8706
      @jeffharder8706 Před 2 lety

      Was there around same time (USS COOK)…we were there about 4-5 days. Beautiful place. Hot as hell though.

    • @joem80003
      @joem80003 Před 2 lety +1

      @@jeffharder8706 Yeah those dungarees didn’t help either

    • @joenroute9646
      @joenroute9646 Před 2 lety

      @@sisyphusvasilias3943 But it seems that international court of justice does not apply to some western countries !

  • @petemccormick1450
    @petemccormick1450 Před 3 lety +44

    It is a very beautiful base with guns on the shore left over from WW2 and one of the most spectacular coral reef that I have ever seen. Went fishing there off of a landing craft catch ing some really nice red grouper. Don’t know much about all that secret stuff but it really is a nice place to visit. Flew in and out of there while flying with the Airforce almost twenty years ago.

    • @kani6855
      @kani6855 Před rokem +1

      And we get mad when China wants to do the same thing😭😭👏👏

  • @Wallydog11
    @Wallydog11 Před 3 lety +3

    I was stationed there 80-81 18 months, unloading C5's & 141's, SR71 was there every now and then, when I first arrived we were put in Splinter City, Plywood hooches eventually moved up to new 3 man quarters, got to fly to the PI every 5-6 months for R&R

  • @richardchildress2622
    @richardchildress2622 Před měsícem

    I was there from 1982 to 1983. It was isolated duty. I did not want to go there. I was stationed there "in accordance with the needs of the Navy". And now I absolutely treasure the memory of being there. If I could I would spend another year there. If you are there drink it in.
    And I don't mean the booze.

  • @markgorton4154
    @markgorton4154 Před 2 lety +6

    Flew in for three days in 1993 as part of a British Military contingent, hosted by the Yanks and had a great time.

    • @bobbertee5945
      @bobbertee5945 Před 2 lety +2

      Ha!! Me too, I was on the way to Somalia with the USMC, aboard the USS Peleliu, we were told we were needed in Mogadishu ASAP, so we caught a flight out of Singapore, stopped in Diego Garcia for a follow on flight that never happened, ended up staying on DG until the ship caught up with us 5 days later, had a good time, lounging on the beach, jet skiing, exploring a little.....

  • @billyvankirk4747
    @billyvankirk4747 Před 3 lety +9

    Was there from Nov. 1971 to July 1972 MCB 1 was an experience you only get once in a lifetime , we relieved MCB 40 which made an amphibious landing to start it all . I left July 4 to get discharged , we then had C130 to Bangkok . Never regretted being there

    • @peterhansen3409
      @peterhansen3409 Před rokem +1

      Was there 72-73 MCB62 . R&R in Bangkok and LEAVING

  • @AdmiralPreparedness
    @AdmiralPreparedness Před 2 lety +9

    I have been there twice during my time serving aboard my command ship Truxtun CGN35. No piers so we were taken to shore by small boat. Only a handful of buildings that were being constructed to support the U.S. NAVY CB'S assigned to it back then. Remember playing "beer hunter" at one of the picnic shelters on the lagoon side with some buddies from my ship.

  • @Albe3331
    @Albe3331 Před 2 lety +5

    I was in NMBC 62, the second Seabee battalion to build the base. Loved swimming and ride the waves on air mattress off the point.

  • @rjmyers5708
    @rjmyers5708 Před 2 lety +14

    Was on the USS Monticello LSD-35 1971. We blew a hole through the reef to access the lagoon. Swim call every day for a week, shark petrol was set. Watched Russian Naval Ships cruising around outside the lagoon.

  • @dougthethug2405
    @dougthethug2405 Před 3 lety +76

    I was stationed there for a year, 72 - 73. I operated the island power generation plant, lived in a 2 man plywood hooch on the beach. Extremely beautiful place. A year is a long time for isolated duty like that. Didn't even have a birth to dock a ship then, or any buildings to speak of. Had some beer-drinking donkeys though 😋

    • @islanddave8606
      @islanddave8606 Před 3 lety +1

      . You're correct, It was very rough. I was there nov '72- nov '73 I posted a video from then on Face Book on the Diego Garcia BIOT group. go watch

    • @SoapinTrucker
      @SoapinTrucker Před 3 lety +2

      @@islanddave8606 wait, you said you were there in 1972 and 1973 as well? You two didn't know each other?

    • @islanddave8606
      @islanddave8606 Před 3 lety

      I ran the miniature golf course. My hooch had 12 straight guys plus 2 guy sailors. I was stationed at the receiver site. I wonder where his 2 man hooch was. I posted a video a few weeks ago. You or Doug the Thug might want to watch it.

    • @C2owner
      @C2owner Před 3 lety +1

      @@islanddave8606 I was a steelworker E4 in NMCB 74 From January to December of 1973 and never saw a miniature golf course. I could have missed it I guess but I dont remember anyone ever even mentioning it.

    • @garyhodson4229
      @garyhodson4229 Před 3 lety

      I was there 73, 75. VP squadron rotation. Beautiful island. Wonderful climate. Diego burgers. Lots of seabees.

  • @torykitchen633
    @torykitchen633 Před 2 lety +4

    Spent 6 weeks there in 1986 with 2d Bn 6th Marines 3rd MarDiv and had a great time! The US Navy treated us well! Good food, cold beer 🍺 good training!

  • @ricoe3288
    @ricoe3288 Před 3 lety +3

    1982 right out of Sub school I found myself on a little boat headed to a Sub Tender where my Submarine was moored...all I remember is the pretty aqua green water...totally different than the Caribbean waters...it all seemed like a dream...I was as green as the water back then ...lol.

  • @jamessephar9458
    @jamessephar9458 Před rokem +5

    spent about 5 days on Diego Garcia during Desert Shield/Desert Storm waiting to fly to the USS Midway in the Persian gulf. Wasn't bad at all. They had a nice club, a good restaurant. When the Airforce brought B-52's and tankers there they had a good party on the beach. They had an outdoor movie theater and wild chickens and cats on the island. Also British police who would arrest you if you messed with the animals.

  • @jamesrosella529
    @jamesrosella529 Před 3 lety +9

    Diego Garcia is administered by the UK, the military base there is also under their supervision. Any American forces residing there, do so only at the UK's permission. Great place to launch a B-52 strike from.

    • @stucrossland3719
      @stucrossland3719 Před 2 lety

      US democracy?

    • @jamesrosella529
      @jamesrosella529 Před 2 lety

      @@stucrossland3719 No democracy in the US. At best of a good day what goes on in Washington is a malfunctioning representative republic. But only for the chosen few, with enough money to buy into clown car act.

    • @rbrookeb
      @rbrookeb Před rokem

      @LIZZYinTHECUT run for city council and judge it from the ground up 😇

    • @jamesrosella529
      @jamesrosella529 Před 10 měsíci

      @@sriunnam Good to know. Thanks 4 reply.

    • @cookie-ps5sv
      @cookie-ps5sv Před 5 měsíci

      ​@@sriunnam india has no hold over Diego Garcia. It belongs to Mauritius

  • @gogmagog666.
    @gogmagog666. Před 2 lety +9

    Ouh.. Diego Garcia make me remember,about Malaysia airlines MH 370..after landing in Diego Garcia.

  • @warriorblue63
    @warriorblue63 Před rokem +7

    I was stationed there in 1983. It was nothing like it is now what an amazing transformation. When I first got there I lived in sea huts by the lagoon until a room opened up in the communications barracks. I was on the island defense force, but there wasn’t much there.

    • @susanb2015
      @susanb2015 Před 11 měsíci +1

      When I was there in 1987 there were nice barracks and even a dance club. Crabs kittens and chickens were everywhere.

    • @dawn_alex
      @dawn_alex Před 5 měsíci

      Bro how was it to live in the sea huts. Would be fun.
      And may be dumb to ask is there stable internet.

    • @sebastiantevel898
      @sebastiantevel898 Před 5 měsíci

      @@dawn_alex in 1983...?

    • @dawn_alex
      @dawn_alex Před 5 měsíci

      @@sebastiantevel898 My bad...
      What about today??

    • @jdeuraud1096
      @jdeuraud1096 Před 2 měsíci

      @@susanb2015 The same in 1985, but the first time I was there in 81, they put us up in hooches that were up on stilts.

  • @bionicdan1959
    @bionicdan1959 Před rokem +8

    When I was in Navy “A” school back in 1978, if we were not doing well in our training, the instructors would threaten to drop us out and we’d be sent to Diego Garcia. Yikes!! 😱 well many years later while serving on board the USS Nimitz in the Arabian Sea I was sent to DG for a month as a beach det coordinator. It was a PARADISE! Pure white sand beaches, cold brews, great fishing, and wonderful fun people that worked there!! Had I only known back in “A” school! Lmao!

    • @PKO1963
      @PKO1963 Před 6 měsíci

      Hula in 24 Languages

  • @mikedean8061
    @mikedean8061 Před 3 lety +7

    I was there in 1980 with the Navy Seabees building up the living facilities and piers. LOVED it there. Was there for 6 or 8 months. I forget.

    • @uncledaveyfromthenavy5452
      @uncledaveyfromthenavy5452 Před rokem +1

      I was there in Nov. 80 on the Uss El Paso for a week. I still have a glass of white sand from the beach. Our cruise book has a night photo off a Hammerhead next to the Captain's gig.

  • @russelldevaney7001
    @russelldevaney7001 Před rokem +10

    Diego Garcia was historically uninhabited due to the total lack of water sources. The "Chagos Island natives" mentioned were brought there from other islands in the archipelago by the British to work on the coconut plantations in the early 1900s. There were indeed several generations born there, but Diego Garcia is not an "ancestral home" in the sense that these people did not inhabit the island prior to the French and then the British.

    • @98091238
      @98091238 Před rokem

      so... the UK and US were justified in stealing the island from them?

    • @thirdnorthwind2176
      @thirdnorthwind2176 Před rokem +2

      The natives who were there before the invasion certainly considered the islands their home. Your explination is naive or is your conciousnes knocking.

    • @russelldevaney7001
      @russelldevaney7001 Před rokem +5

      @@thirdnorthwind2176 There were no natives living on DG before the first Europeans started the coconut plantation around the beginning of the 20th century. This was because of the total lack of a natural water supply on the atoll. These people were Chagosians brought to DG from other islands. There was no "invasion", rather the commercial settling of a previously uninhabited island.
      Some of these people had been there for three generations, and had known no other home, so on an individual basis is was sad when the British moved them back to their islands of origin in order to make DG into a military base. They, however, had no ancestral claim to the island. This is completely different from, say, the inhabitants of Bikini Atoll, who were removed by the US for the nuclear tests. Please check your history before ranting about unconscionable white men.

    • @agrajyadav2951
      @agrajyadav2951 Před rokem

      probably another lie

    • @russelldevaney7001
      @russelldevaney7001 Před rokem

      @@agrajyadav2951 That is the history of Diego Garcia.

  • @chardtomp
    @chardtomp Před rokem +8

    I was there for a few days in 1987 with the U.S. navy. We pulled in there to swap out some Tomahawk missiles. It looks like they built up that base a lot since I was there. It is a beautiful island.

  • @patmcdonald766
    @patmcdonald766 Před 4 dny

    MY home base was the captured Japanese Air Field that was made into the GUAM International Airport. When I was there the fall of Saigon, the Command asked if could use my FRENCH language skills to interview 1,000 Vietnamese Refugees. I was happy to try and worked with a Senior Naval Consultant named George. That was 1975. Soon I was in Uta Pah Thailand working on USS Mayaguez and Kao tong During these time I worked with the Admiral 7th fleet and he asked if I would go to Diego Garcia on a Temporary basis to install 36 highly confidential RADIOS and monitor the P3 Traffic and others all as RM for the US Navy. I was in a plywood shack on the beach and there were no civilians.

  • @dfhunters
    @dfhunters Před 3 lety +20

    Having been to this base, this video gave me a chuckle

    • @mymansawyer
      @mymansawyer Před 3 lety

      Same here. Was there in the early 90's

    • @tammystewart10
      @tammystewart10 Před 3 lety +1

      What was your experience

    • @mymansawyer
      @mymansawyer Před 3 lety +1

      @@tammystewart10 Mostly good. I'd go back given the chance.

    • @mymansawyer
      @mymansawyer Před 3 lety

      @Richard Schiffman I was there during the Gulf War, so definitely more American's

    • @MrBeeboh
      @MrBeeboh Před 2 lety

      Agreed... I work there now.

  • @wulf37
    @wulf37 Před 3 lety +114

    This feels like it was written by an AI lol

  • @casperd3943
    @casperd3943 Před 2 lety +2

    Was stationed there 82/83..would love to go back for a stroll on it..was there when they were transitioning from huts to barracks..

  • @durgeshsharma3819
    @durgeshsharma3819 Před 2 lety +6

    It feel so wonderful being there on a small island with no other land near by

  • @rogerwhitten5784
    @rogerwhitten5784 Před 3 lety +80

    It is a very interesting island. While I worked for DOD with the US Navy I visited the island many times. You only visit by military means.

    • @bobbyglick5307
      @bobbyglick5307 Před 3 lety +13

      Not necessarily military transport comes into Diego Garcia.
      In years past lots of contractors came in late at night.
      Some of them worked for Halliburton.
      Also there was lots of suits coming in right after MH370 came up missing.
      It went down South West of Australia.

    • @rickoliver2059
      @rickoliver2059 Před 3 lety +12

      @@bobbyglick5307 Above all the lies about MH370 , ( It would and could have landed there , night time , covid op , then flown on to the Netherlands to become MH 17 , ring any bells ? The Russians have a lot of evidence ) The big plus for the theory of it landing on Diego Garcia , was the twenty four scientists from Freescale Semiconductor ( the firm that designed and made all the nuclear technologies and electrics for missiles etc ) were on that aeroplane , were they whisked away to some underground laboratory . Funny how Lord Jacob Rothschild was the one and only person to inherit that very same company , very strange and unbelievable , nobody has connected the dots !!! Time will tell .

    • @bobbyglick5307
      @bobbyglick5307 Před 3 lety +4

      @@rickoliver2059 Not to mention Vice President Dick Cheney & George W. Bush both profited after the scientists on mh370 disappeared.
      I dont think the plane landed on Diego Garcia. I'm sure for a fact it did a water landing South West of Australia.
      One thing this video leaves out the United States doesn't lease Diego Garcia, that's just a cover.
      The island was used 5 years ago as a listening post for the NSA to monitor Inmarsat.
      I made a sat call late at night back in 2017 & before I finished the 15 minute call my conversation was recorded & people I was working with played it for me.
      At any given time since 2011 there's no less than 30 people scanning the Indian ocean.

    • @rickoliver2059
      @rickoliver2059 Před 3 lety +8

      @@bobbyglick5307 I`m afraid you`re way off course BG . No plane flotsam has ever been found off flight MH370 , that flaperon piece was fished up out of some very old junk . If it was off that plane , there would have been heaps of other pieces also found , but nothing . A flaperon does not just appear on it`s own . Did they think we were so dumb , another b.s. lie is they ( US Military ) knew exactly where MH370 was every second she was in the air , they really think we believe their story about losing sight of the plane . Another reason that the US uses Diego Garcia , is that it took control of the Island off the Brits for the purposes of having a deep harbour base for it`s military . The Americans even got the Brits to get rid of the local inhabitants before setting up camp so to speak , that in itself is a cruel and terrible story of human negligence and pain ! That Island has been set up for the War in the M. East plus having a close base to Africa , and Eastern Asia , even for shorter jaunts up to maybe Russia , who knows . So with all the b.s. that`s been spread by msm and the US Pentagon etc plus crazy presidents since those days , who can believe a single word uttered out from America and her hanger - ons . One day , the Russians will have a big birthday and spill all the beans and remind the world that they are now the greatest country in the world , militarily and economically and resourcefully .

    • @bobbyglick5307
      @bobbyglick5307 Před 3 lety +4

      @@rickoliver2059 Lots of underwater activities go on south of Diego Garcia. Testing underwater pods & thermite has been used there.
      I don't believe the Flaperon was from mh370 either. Captain Sully proved no pieces fell off his plane when he landed in the Hudson.
      The plance is still in tact at least 3 miles deep. That's why sonar isn't showing up & the fact the search area is in the wrong location.
      No one has searched more than 2 hours South West of Australia yet to date.

  • @BLWard-ht3qw
    @BLWard-ht3qw Před 3 lety +3

    It's always the spot I refer to when asked where was the most interesting place I had been while in the service.

    • @cbmech2563
      @cbmech2563 Před 3 lety +1

      Most interesting? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 no. The only thing interesting in 8 months on that little hell hole was 6 days r&r Bangkok.

    • @BLWard-ht3qw
      @BLWard-ht3qw Před 3 lety

      @@cbmech2563 Bangkok r&r sounds like it would've been fun, nevertheless, an atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean was by far the most interesting. I didn't say good, or bad, simply the most interesting as it was a place I would never have imagined being. Didn't even know it existed until I was there.

    • @cbmech2563
      @cbmech2563 Před 3 lety +1

      @@BLWard-ht3qw I think the hotel cost 82.50 US and that got you your room, your personal cab and your hooker for 6 days. I was a seabee and I was single. In 1973
      The official exchange was 19 baht to the dollar but most businesses would exchange it at 27 to 1.

    • @richardhenderson5655
      @richardhenderson5655 Před 2 lety +1

      Got a great tan in 81.

  • @edwardchew7049
    @edwardchew7049 Před 2 lety +1

    Nice one.
    The fishing is still great, more places to eat/relax, MWR program is amazing, the white sand beach and water activities are hard to find anywhere else.
    Got here in 1990.

  • @veronicaevans8134
    @veronicaevans8134 Před 2 lety +6

    Spent time on Dodge when the hostages were taken in Tehran. Part of a P3 aircrew
    The Seabees used to put a sentry on the carrier peir with a M14 to drive sharks away from swimmers.

  • @LICobra
    @LICobra Před 3 lety +56

    Stationed there from 77' to 78', "I" site Seabee field mechanic for base Support Facility, still fairly primitive back then by today's standards as the runway was being lengthened and the fuel tanks were going up....but we did have Diego Burger, and thanks to the P3 squadrons we also had fresh San Miguel beer in bottles.

    • @cbmech2563
      @cbmech2563 Před 3 lety +4

      Mcb 4 1972 to73 we were lengthening the runway, building the pcs barracks and paving the road down to the I Site, among others. I was alpha company heavy side mechanic.

    • @joramos1952
      @joramos1952 Před 2 lety +6

      You mean "donkey burger?" Was stationed there 1985-1986. Lived in great Holiday Inn style barracks Seabees built. Thanks Seabees! Great fishing, great chow hall, bad ships store that sold mildewed cigarettes, and too expensive Cable and Wireless phone calls. Had dinner at the Merchant Marines (?) restaurant many times. Highest point of the island was the swimming pool!

    • @richarderion4611
      @richarderion4611 Před 2 lety +6

      Stationed there Nov 77 to Nov 78. Worked at harbor ops, did alot of welding and oxy/acet work. I was glad I went there, and when my time was up. I was happy to leave. Would I do it again, YES!

    • @joramos1952
      @joramos1952 Před 2 lety +4

      @@richarderion4611 You guys and all the Seabees made the island into a habitable place for people to live. But, after viewing several more recent CZcams videos, you won't believe how the place is now. I remember driving our department shuttle bus, there was not any other vehicles on the road. Now, DG1 is like a busy highway. There's even a separate bicycle lane to keep safe road traffic. But you guys were the plank owners! Great job!

    • @LICobra
      @LICobra Před 2 lety +3

      @@richarderion4611 I was there Sept 77 to Sept 78...first 6 months in the sea huts, then moved into the air conditioned modular housing. One of happiest days of my life was the day I left DG.

  • @Brian_irl
    @Brian_irl Před 3 lety +20

    Been there, done that; got the tshirt. It isn’t a mystery. 🤣

    • @whyno713
      @whyno713 Před 3 lety +3

      Had a seatmate in college tell me he was stationed there for a bit, I responded in a hushed tone something dumb like that 'Isn't that top secret?'. He just nonchalantly replied 'nah dawg, was actually kinda boring.'

    • @anaetachandler8357
      @anaetachandler8357 Před 3 lety

      When I served in USMC Diego was designated as a forward gear staging area as well as refueling stop forward sir base as mentioned repeatedly in this video.

    • @nordan00
      @nordan00 Před 2 lety

      Had the old base gym t-shirt with the pink crab squatting and the Marine Security Force Company t-shirt. Wore the shit out of them back in the day!

  • @PK-kr5bk
    @PK-kr5bk Před 2 lety +2

    Went to degar to catch my boat on westpac 87. The thing I remember about my first visit was how cheap the drinks were, the things you remember as a 19 year old. As we left the lagoon, I got seasick but that changed the second the tossed me up on the flightdeck.

  • @donf18
    @donf18 Před rokem +1

    I was there in the 1990's with a government contractor. Very interesting place...very useful

  • @jumpshotkangaroo7585
    @jumpshotkangaroo7585 Před 2 lety +5

    My father was there with the original landing party in early 1971. Has many cool pictures before the island was cleared and built up. Always wish I could of gone to see. Thanks.

  • @ranzamaceanruig
    @ranzamaceanruig Před 2 lety +4

    Spent a few short hours there back in '80. Flew in on a cargo plane and back out on a helicopter to USS Sacramento who would eventually transport me to my ultimate duty station of USS Harold E Holt out in the Indian Ocean. Quite the adventure for a 20 year old lad. I remember the blinding sun and heat. Nice!

  • @SilverShrimpTX
    @SilverShrimpTX Před 2 lety +1

    I was stationed there 2007-2008. When my one year was up, I begged my Supervisors to let me me stay, Paradise on earth :D

  • @gofigureme5749
    @gofigureme5749 Před 2 lety +2

    Spent 9 1/2 months there in 1976 with NMCB 62. I thought the "natives" were brought there to work the plantation. Beautiful sunsets!

  • @loricksowamber5958
    @loricksowamber5958 Před 2 lety +14

    I'm a sincere and loyal Mauritian . please return the island as promised 60 years ago, we r not stupid anymore

  • @Ed-BrokeExpat
    @Ed-BrokeExpat Před rokem +6

    I was there for shield & storm. Beautiful cool island. We got a special permit from the Brits to go to the other end of the island and tour the abandoned plantation home, graveyard going back to the 1700's, etc. Really cool. There was a crashed airplane on the beach from WWII. I was there for three months, can't say I saw any secret jails or prisons back then, nor did the contractors that lived on the island mention anything. Really cool place to visit.

  • @kenmccorry5200
    @kenmccorry5200 Před 2 dny

    I was with ACB-2 out of Little Creek Va, Was part of the advance party to start building the base. We manned the 4 LCM-8's that brought everything and I mean everything ashore from ships in the harbor. We lived in tents with C rats for awhile until the crew from MCB-40 got the first huts built. Highest point above sea level was 7'. Watched MCB-40 clear the cocoanut trees with two big dozers with anchor chain between them. We visited the copra plantation a few times while it was still in operation. There was the remains of a WW2 PBY on the beach on the east side near the plantation also a few artillery pieces on the western tip. The Russians had a few ships watching us while I was there. The ACB-2 warping tug was pulling a septic line out to sea and the Russians were very interested in that so we made up a radioactive sign and put it on the buoy that marked the daily end of the pipeline. I'm sure they weren't happy about that ! Hopefully they sent in some divers for a sample !!. Was a amazing place after a year in Vietnam on Riverine duty. We flew out when the initial runway was completed in Oct 71. Arrived there on the USS Charleston LKA-113 in early February 1971.

  • @olivemcghee8372
    @olivemcghee8372 Před 2 lety +1

    I was there October 73 thru October 74. Beautiful place, but very isolated. Got to Bangkok for R and R.

  • @muzikizfun
    @muzikizfun Před rokem +3

    Diego Garcia is like the Midway Island of the Indian Ocean!

    • @9grand
      @9grand Před rokem

      The only problem people were deported by the
      Brits for a military U.S base ! A crime against humanity by these hypocrite western countries

  • @grahamwalden2867
    @grahamwalden2867 Před 2 lety +4

    You left out the hundreds of (mostly) Philippino people who worked in services (restaurants, cleaning, stores, chow hall ect) who were essentially TCNs but also inhabitants of the island in the early 2000s when the USAF kept a presence there

    • @thirdnorthwind2176
      @thirdnorthwind2176 Před rokem

      Just add the whore houses to your list.

    • @trevorn9381
      @trevorn9381 Před 2 měsíci

      Most of them previously worked at Clark Air Base before Pinatubo blew up and basically leveled Clark.

  • @donad164
    @donad164 Před 8 měsíci

    My dad used to love going Diego Garcia!

  • @artmontesa1
    @artmontesa1 Před 2 lety

    Thank you all for your service. God bless you forever.

  • @cauchysintegral3713
    @cauchysintegral3713 Před 3 lety +8

    I guess they just read through two different articles on Diego Garcia rather than go through the minimal trouble of merging them. Sheesh.

  • @fidelssn689
    @fidelssn689 Před 2 lety +3

    Been there. Done that. Got the T-Shirt to prove it!

    • @ashtea23
      @ashtea23 Před 2 lety

      Same here pal n goin back soon

  • @bEnzo02100
    @bEnzo02100 Před rokem +1

    Jeeesus. The you way said “Archipelago” gave me a slight aneurysm!

  • @Chrisamos412
    @Chrisamos412 Před 9 měsíci +2

    While on an IO cruise in 1985, my ship stopped there a few times, the last time I was flown from there to Pearl Harbor beings I was mustering out. An incredibly beautiful island, once away from the main base it’s like exploring a deserted island. The booze was cheap and the water was fantastic!

  • @brianbrave
    @brianbrave Před 2 lety +4

    Back in Feb '81 while my ship, the USS Downes FF-1070 was in port on the island, it blew half it's stack off into the harbor during a explosion while lighting off it's boilers. Stranded there until the USS Narragansett T-ATF-167 came to tow us to Subic Bay for repairs. After 6 days undertow, the Narragsansett engines were damaged and we both drifted without power for two days in the IO until we were able to repair and light off one of its boilers and tow the tug to Singapore. We cut her loose at the mouth of the harbor and continued on to Subic. We proudly started that Wespac from San Diego on the "I RAN TO IRAN" to the Persian Gulf during the US hostage crises and, returning home once they were freed, on what became the "Frigate from Hell" and the "Bruise Cruz". Broke my hand, wrist and arm on that Westpac.

  • @kjohnson4642
    @kjohnson4642 Před 2 lety +6

    I was there in 1976 catching up with my Seabee Battalion, NMCB-5. Spent 3 months there. Beautiful Place and got the worse sunburn I have ever had.

  • @JamesJustice-rs5yc
    @JamesJustice-rs5yc Před měsícem

    Was there twice in '87 after the stark insodent & absolutely loved it.

  • @MrJacalantern
    @MrJacalantern Před 2 lety +2

    I was stationed there in 91-93, 2 consecutive tours with NSF/AirOps.

    • @Jahmercy21
      @Jahmercy21 Před rokem

      So you were illegally occupying the island like the russians are doing in ukraine???

  • @whoknowsnotme
    @whoknowsnotme Před 2 lety +5

    The UK carried out a cultural genocide by forcibly evicting the Chagossians. They rounded up every pet dog on the island (over 1000) and gassed them all to death with exhaust fumes, purely to intimidate the Chagossians into leaving. They deliberately concealed the fact that the islands were going to become a military base from the Chagossians even after the deal was made, preventing any Chagossians who left the country between then and the forced eviction from returning, and leaving them unable to inform those still on the islands of the issue. Most Chagossians fell into severe poverty after deportation to Mauritius and the Seychelles as their skills in copra farming had no use there, and unemployment in Mauritius was already 20%. The ICJ (The Hague) ruled in 2019 that the UK has no sovereignty over Chagos and should hand the islands to Mauritias immediately, the UN agreed but the UK government ignored both. I am British and I say as a Brit that our treatment of the Chagossians has been nothing short of evil, and that they are entitled both morally and legally to self-determination and the right to return to their home. Shame on every UK and US government throughout the last 60 years that has perpetuated the continuing crime against humanity that the Chagossians are facing. We claim to care so much about sovereignty here in the UK (see Brexit) but clearly the government does not care one bit about Chagossians sovereignty. Calling Diego Garcia the Footprint of Freedom is as moronic as it is insulting.

    • @richi2831
      @richi2831 Před 2 lety +2

      Thx for your comments and knowledge on the issue as am from Mauritius but very few people know of these facts. Btw I never knew abt the story of the pet dogs. thx for sharing.

    • @CB-fz3li
      @CB-fz3li Před 2 lety

      I very much doubt any of the Chagossians will ever return back to the island, even if they wanted to which is unlikely. If Mauritius gets sovereignty they will most likely lease the island to the US to continue using it as a military base.

  • @elliebellie7816
    @elliebellie7816 Před 2 lety +57

    My dad was in the navy in the 70's, 80's and early 90's and if you are affiliated with the Navy, this island is no big secret. If you aren't affiliated with the military in general, you likely have never heard of it but to most military families it's just another military installation. I don't know if it's still true, but it was kind of the same with the Army. My uncle was in the Army at the same time as my dad and back then, all roads led to Germany.

    • @danielmckinnon9627
      @danielmckinnon9627 Před 2 lety

      This was my first deployment overseas in 1977, when I was in the Navy Seabees. Our mission was expanding the runway and some other small projects.

    • @bernadettejulie2994
      @bernadettejulie2994 Před rokem

      They stole the island from locals. They literally displaced these people it wasn't just a plantation area

    • @peterhansen3409
      @peterhansen3409 Před rokem +1

      ​@@danielmckinnon9627 I was there 72-73 with MCB62. The runway was the worlds first Slip Form Paved coral agrigate run way. I wonder if it is still holding up

    • @danielmckinnon9627
      @danielmckinnon9627 Před rokem

      @@peterhansen3409 It would be interesting to know durability comparisons with traditional runway pavement. It is still an active airfield and I am sure it undergoes periodic maintenance and upgrades over the decades. My guess the only way to know is from folks involved on any of those projects after our time over there?

    • @habibabukasim2030
      @habibabukasim2030 Před rokem

      How about you tell me about 370

  • @martinsmith2786
    @martinsmith2786 Před rokem

    There is outstanding fishing on Diego Garcia!

  • @Ullr-el3pu
    @Ullr-el3pu Před 2 lety +1

    I was there several times in the Navy. Then after was on a preposition ship there in the Merchant Marines 1993.

  • @herbertgomez4112
    @herbertgomez4112 Před 3 lety +16

    As a former veteran, I had Hurd stories about Diego-Garcia. I didn't ask or people didn't volunteer to tell. So I focus my energy to my missions I volunteer to do. If Uncle Sam said the Island is important to our mission- so be it..Besides, I loved Guam !

    • @theplaguedoctor4242
      @theplaguedoctor4242 Před 3 lety +3

      Finally, someone speaking FACTS!!

    • @robertwomack8653
      @robertwomack8653 Před 3 lety +3

      You sure you should trust Uncle Sam so blindly?!

    • @herbertgomez4112
      @herbertgomez4112 Před 3 lety +3

      @@robertwomack8653 Ever experience any military action Mr.Womack?

    • @robertwomack8653
      @robertwomack8653 Před 3 lety +1

      @@herbertgomez4112 maybe I have maybe I haven't... what's it to you?

    • @robertwomack8653
      @robertwomack8653 Před 3 lety

      Doesn't matter....the question is did the British kick out the natives there for the US?

  • @randyparmesan1383
    @randyparmesan1383 Před 3 lety +2

    Hell Yeah!! Keeping them on their toes

  • @alandronenut7510
    @alandronenut7510 Před 3 lety +1

    Spent 6+ months there WAAAY back in 86, it was better than being on the BOAT!

  • @peterinbohol
    @peterinbohol Před rokem

    Was stationed there for 6 months in the early 80’s with a P3 squadron. Did a lot of snorkeling and got a great tan.

  • @johann5633
    @johann5633 Před 2 lety +6

    Was there Nov. '71 to Aug. '72. I was a fleet sailor TAD'ed to MCB 1, supervised the desal plant & potable water distribution. There was about 800 Seabees there including detachments. Living conditions were very primitive but then again so were shipboard conditions in the fleet on ships from the 50's through 70's. Suck it up. My time there & my job was one of the memorable times of my Navy career. Seabees then were the hardest working rough-and-ready Navy guys I ever worked with. I'm proud to have been one of them for a deployment.

  • @rogerwhitten5784
    @rogerwhitten5784 Před 3 lety +7

    Hey Bobby. I know about the private contractors working at the base for many things such as housing, plumbing, construction, etc. I did not know about all the goings about the missing airline. I was there long before that incident happened in the day. Thanks again for your information.

  • @augustmarshall2961
    @augustmarshall2961 Před rokem

    this video makes it seem more mysterious than it is. I was there 3 years ago working as a contractor.

  • @jpwoelfling
    @jpwoelfling Před 4 měsíci

    AH, good old Dodge! I deployed to my patrol squadron there in '85. I was a flight corpsman. everything was great except for the ship's store. I have a ton o memories.

  • @kobra9934
    @kobra9934 Před 3 lety +18

    Music way to loud mate. Can barely hear your voice.

    • @terryjp3050
      @terryjp3050 Před 3 lety

      turn it down? what are you 5 yrs old

    • @spikespa5208
      @spikespa5208 Před 3 lety

      Kobra Is that a bad thing in this case?

  • @michaelwhite8524
    @michaelwhite8524 Před 3 lety +6

    I was there 2 times, 1973 with MCB4, Then with MCB40 in 1980.

    • @cbmech2563
      @cbmech2563 Před 3 lety

      I was in mcb4 ,alpha company heavy shop mechanic in 73

  • @michaelgallagher2663
    @michaelgallagher2663 Před 5 měsíci

    Was There In 1973 With NMCB-74. And, In 1977 With NMCB-62. Great Memories.

  • @Kriss_L
    @Kriss_L Před 2 lety +1

    I spent 13 months there ('93 - '94). Interesting times.

  • @donaldshiman1350
    @donaldshiman1350 Před 2 lety +3

    I was on DG from Feb 79 until Jan 80. It was interesting to say the least. I reported to a British Officer while working at Harbor Ops. No prison during that time period.

  • @2coryman
    @2coryman Před 2 lety +1

    Been there, loved the experience, worst sun burn I ever got when at a work detail at “the plantation”, first time I tried lumpia, nice, had the best tuna wrapper ever, the ocean seemed much better than in Hawaii, coming from Hawaii I was surprised by that, no prison camps there no no, there is not even space for it, lol, (there was an unfriendly gang of Philippine guys roaming a section of a beach there), saw a WWII bomber plane abandoned at the beach, played on a palm tree swing that reached way over the ocean water, awesome, sad but happy to leave after some three months there and back to the States, great experience there, Blessings

  • @Tom_Harper
    @Tom_Harper Před 2 lety +1

    Spent time there in the early 1980s when I was in the Navy.

  • @gerardhunt1890
    @gerardhunt1890 Před 3 lety +6

    Been here. Nothing to do but drink in the club.

    • @thedude4632
      @thedude4632 Před 2 lety +1

      Now if you were there as a Seabee you would not have had all that horrible time drinking . Working 10/14 hrs a day 5 1/2 days a week in the hot sun mail once a week of the damn Air Force showed up . For 10t years Seabee battalions and augment detachments from 4/5 Battalions with 40 to 100t men labored , total men on the island often exceed 1200 . Ya woe to me , nothing to do ! Try 2 / 9 month deployments the a detachment . I was with the 74th batt , the work experience, the detachment I was with had 125 men , I tell about the amount we accomplished, now one believes it . The 60 men I worked with were the best and hardest workers ya ever saw . After serving 23 years as a Seabee senior chief I am the proudest of these men of any I ever served with . I have been retired for 40t but I’m still a Seabee . 74x2/62/15 batt’s. Some should tell the story of Seabees building this base .

  • @jerraldc8283
    @jerraldc8283 Před 2 lety +12

    On 23 June 2017, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted in favour of referring the territorial dispute between Mauritius and the UK to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in order to clarify the legal status of the Chagos Islands archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The motion was approved by a majority vote with 94 voting for and 15 against.[9][10]
    In February 2019, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that the United Kingdom must transfer the islands to Mauritius as they were not legally separated from the latter in 1965. The ruling is not legally binding.[11] In May 2019, the United Nations General Assembly affirmed the decision of the International Court of Justice and demanded that the United Kingdom withdraw its colonial administration from the Islands and cooperate with Mauritius to facilitate the resettlement of Mauritian nationals in the archipelago.[12][13] In a written statement, the U.S. government said that neither the Americans nor the British have any plans to discontinue use of the military base on Diego Garcia. The statement said in a footnote: "In 2016, there were discussions between the United Kingdom and the United States concerning the continuing importance of the joint base. Neither party gave notice to terminate and the agreement remains in force until 2036"

    • @cmscms123456
      @cmscms123456 Před 2 lety

      The UN is irrelevant. President Trump will remove the US from the UN and NATO once re-elected in 2024. At that point the UN will dissolve completely,

    • @AstheSpiritLeads
      @AstheSpiritLeads Před rokem

      So, are the people being allowed to return to their island?

  • @clearingbaffles
    @clearingbaffles Před 2 lety

    We had a junior sonarman pick it up and started a track thinking it was a diesel boat snorkeling we were north of the equator I forget the nickname he got but it followed him to his next boat 😉😷

  • @jeffcollins7258
    @jeffcollins7258 Před 2 lety

    Spent 38 days there with Echo 2/4 back in 85. Would like to go back.