| In 1983, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop of Grenada was placed under arrest by General Hudson Austin and Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard– both avowed Marxists. The United States feared that Grenada would become another Cuba. Under the guise of an invitation by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, US troops intervened and took control of the island. There were 1,100 American citizens on the island, including a large number of medical students. Ensuring the safety of those Americans was one of the professed goals of attack. Sixteen Americans were killed and 77 were injured in the military action. |
