Guantanamo: A base in flux

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - The American link to some 45 square acres of arid land at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba dates back to 1903. We're supposedly paying Fidel Castro about $4,000 a year in rent to lease the Naval base, but he never cashes the check. In Session's stay on the island could only be described as surreal - passing iguanas the size of dogs walking up the courthouse steps at Camp Justice and being shooed away by some of the many well-armed soldiers patrolling the hilltop; sidestepping a scorpion outside the tents we sleep in.

Salim Hamdan in Guantanamo Bay court

Inside the court sits Salim Hamdan in traditional Yemeni white robes and a sport coat, seemingly involved and very aware of what's taking place, even smiling. Leaning up against the judge's bench is a military green surface-to-air missile, allegedly recovered from the trunk of a vehicle Hamdan was driving when he was arrested in Afghanistan. Court security is ready to pounce. We learned in testimony from interrogators that Hamdan has enjoyed some of the local fare on the base. Interrogators fed him McDonald's fast food - yes they have a McDonald's on the base. They also have Subway and Taco Bell.
The military attempts to accommodate the soldiers and their families at this remote outpost by providing an outdoor movie theater, schools, athletic fields, churches of all denominations, and they also have some excellent beaches for snorkeling. I also witnessed quite a few soldiers hoisting back a few cold ones at a new Irish bar called Ned O'Kelley's. Next door over 100 soldiers were in an auditorium playing bingo for cash prizes. We have no freedom of movement on the base and must be escorted everywhere. Inside some of the military buses we listened to music from Radio GTMO, whose slogan is "Rockin' in Fidel's Backyard."

A sign advising of a 'Iguana Crossing' on one of the main roads on the U.S. Naval Base

It was interesting to see that the military generates its own power and water on the base without having to rely on Cuban municipal sources and is even somewhat green. A decent percentage of power is supplied by giant wind turbines - cutting down on emissions of greenhouse gases.

Before the "enemy combatants" came, there are now approximately 270 of them, the primary mission was to serve as a strategic logistics base for the Navy's Atlantic Fleet, and to support counter drug operations in the Caribbean.

It's fascinating to see what could be the beginning of the end as both presidential candidates, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama, have promised to shut down this quirky little home for alleged terrorists and the many members of the Joint Task Force.

–Bob Regan, In Session senior executive producer