- description
- # Video Remarks by President William Jefferson Clinton on Vieques Navy Training
## Overview
This entity is a text segment extracted from a video transcript, titled "Video Remarks," delivered by U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton on January 31, 2000. The segment spans lines 338 to 364 of the source document and addresses the U.S. Navy’s training operations on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. It reflects on a tragic accident that occurred in April 1999, when a civilian security guard, David Sanes, was killed during a naval bombing exercise. The remarks were issued as a public address to the people of Puerto Rico and express both sympathy for the victims and the complexity of balancing military readiness with local concerns.
## Context
The segment is part of the archival collection titled [More Classics](arke:01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS), which includes a range of historical and cultural materials. The text was extracted automatically by a system process ("structure-extraction-lambda") from a larger source file and manually reviewed by an editor. The context of the speech is rooted in long-standing tensions over the U.S. military’s presence on Vieques, an issue that sparked widespread protests in Puerto Rico due to environmental, health, and safety concerns.
## Contents
The remarks begin with President Clinton expressing mourning for David Sanes and others injured in the 1999 accident. He acknowledges that the incident intensified existing grievances about naval training, including impacts on quality of life, public health, and environmental degradation. While recognizing the strong sentiment in Puerto Rico calling for an end to the exercises, Clinton emphasizes his duty as Commander in Chief to ensure adequate military training. He highlights Puerto Rico’s proud tradition of military service and notes the strategic importance of Vieques for Atlantic fleet operations since 1941. The text captures a moment of national dialogue on sovereignty, defense, and civilian safety.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-27T20:04:50.772Z
- description_model
- Qwen/Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507
- description_title
- Video Remarks by President William Jefferson Clinton on Vieques Navy Training
- end_line
- 364
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- 2026-01-27T20:03:33.679Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 338
- text
- PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON
VIDEO REMARKS TO THE
PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO
CONCERNING NAVY TRAINING ON VIEQUES
JANUARY 31, 2000
My fellow citizens: last April, there was a tragic accident at the Navy range on Vieques. I
mourned the loss to the family of David Sanes (SAN-ness), and the suffering of the others
injured that day.
~~The accident was the straw that broke the camel's back regarding the tagged practice.~~
That terrible accident focused attention on the longstanding concerns of the island about training
operations there. For many residents, it re-opened old wounds about the effect that training was
having on quality of life. These concerns cover a wide range of issues – from safety and health
to the economy and the environment. They reflect a distrust that, unfortunately, has been
building for decades.
The accident led to a strong view in the Commonwealth that the Navy should end its training
operations in Vieques. I understand that view.
At the same time, as Commander in Chief, I cannot send our servicemen and women into harm's
way if they have not been adequately trained. I know that Puerto Rico understands that as well
as anybody. Puerto Rico has a proud heritage of sending its sons and daughters to serve in the
Armed Forces of the United States. You have never turned your back on your duty to share in
the burden of defending our country. Some of you have even trained on Vieques.
Since 1941, every action that our Atlantic fleet has been involved in started with Vieques
- title
- Video Remarks