The Battle of Vieques(1986)

The Battle of Vieques is a documentary examining the U.S. Navy's decades-long military occupation of a Puerto Rican island. For over sixty years, the Navy used Vieques as a bombing range and training ground, conducting live-fire exercises that devastated the local environment and community. The film explores how residents fought back against the federal government, demanding an end to the bombardment and restoration of their homeland. Through archival footage and firsthand accounts, it documents the environmental contamination, health crises, and cultural displacement inflicted on Vieques's population. The documentary reveals a compelling story of grassroots resistance and the struggle for self-determination, ultimately showing how persistent activism forced the Navy's withdrawal in 2003 and raised critical questions about military power, environmental justice, and colonial relationships in U.S. territories.