In yesterday’s “Daily Headlines” we mentioned how Puerto Rico’s governor called for the return of National Guard troops from Iraq. During an annual conference of the National Guard, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá said that: “We must unite despite our political beliefs and ideologies to bring our troops back….We cannot push our troops to the devastation of extreme combat.”
Vilá’s comments may have been well-intentioned, but he may have some explaining to do after an investigation by El Diario/La Prensa showed that the Puerto Rican government is a major investor in DynCorp’s operations on the island.
DynCorp- one of the main private contractors in Iraq- was originally hired by the Puerto Rican government for “helicopter repairs” at the civilian airport in Aguadilla. Yet subsequent agreements between the Puerto Rican Ports Authority and DynCorp expanded the company’s role in Aguadilla for “repairing of military helicopters to then be donated by the U.S. Army” for operations in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. Moreover, other documents showed that DynCorp has tried to hire “assessors” in Puerto Rico for work in the Middle East.
Rafael Hernandez Airport used to cover part of Ramey Air Force Base, and is currently the “home base” to the U.S. Coast Guard and Puerto Rico Air National Guard.
Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, Iraq Suppliers, University of Puerto Rico, GlobalSecurity.org
Source (Spanish)- El Diario/La Prensa
Image- U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard station at Aguadilla, Puerto Rico)
In yesterday’s “Daily Headlines” we mentioned how Puerto Rico’s governor called for the return of National Guard troops from 
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