Every Day Is Special: October 25 – Thanksgiving Day in Grenada

October 25 – Thanksgiving Day in Grenada

Posted on October 25, 2015

To me, this is a tricky one:

This public holiday commemorates the day that the U.S. and Caribbean military forces did a military intervention in Grenada.

You could say it was an invasion. You could say that it was a liberation.

At the time, the U.N., Britain, and Canada criticized the invasion/whatever-you-want-to-call-it. It was called by some a “flagrant violation of international law.”

And yet, many people in Grenada welcomed the invaders/liberators, and several officials of Grenada and other Caribbean nations requested the intervention, and the nation apparently really does celebrate the anniversary!

The background is complex, and I do not intend to do the history justice – instead, I will simplistically say that an elected government was taken over by communists in a coup, that no elections were held and no adversarial political parties were allowed for four years, and that that communist government was taken over in another coup by even more hardline communist forces. After the second coup, several government officials were executed, and the island was put under martial law.

When U.S. and Caribbean Regional Security System forces invaded, on this date in 1983, the former democratic constitution was put into place again. The U.S. troops withdrew less than two months after the intervention, and soon elections were held.

Ahhh! Beautiful!

Grenada is a great tourist spot. Its capital, St. George's, is seen by some as the most beautiful port town in the entire Caribbean. Grenada also has some wonderful beaches, great dive spots, amazing waterfalls, and of course – what Grenada is known for – a surprisingly large position in the world spice market for such a small island!

Check it out:

St. George's University