THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, June 7, 1995 TAG: 9506070005
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
I read the very fine article in the series ``Under the Banyan Tree'' by Susan Boland (``Families wrenched apart as evacuees leave Guantanamo,'' Daily Break, May 18), and would like to add the perspective of one still serving at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GITMO for short).
I see the tree Ms. Boland spoke of on a daily basis, and in it I see the strength and resiliency of those fine men and women who make this operation work. I met many of their families as they arrived in Norfolk during the evacuation. Each of them described a place free from crime and drugs, where you felt safe and everybody knew everyone else, a place that reminded them of the hometowns of their childhood.
A few days later I joined those they had left behind in GITMO. Even under the strain of being away from their families - some of whom were evacuated and others of whom never arrived - their consistently high morale and daily outstanding performance make me proud of each one of them.
With the evacuation we lost a significant part of the work force, but the demands on the base and its people increased dramatically with the influx of 45,000-plus migrants and 8,000-plus Joint Task Force personnel. They responded to the demands superbly, with pride and professionalism.
MERRILL C. ALBURY
Commander, U.S. Navy
Chief staff officer
U.S. Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, May 25, 1995
Editor's note: Commander Albury is a resident of and has a family in Chesapeake. by CNB