Northeast Gate Case Study

The Marine Corps Security Force Company hosted a fundraising fence line run at the Northeast Gate of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Oct. 15.
“Today we did a 5-mile run, all the way from the legendary Northeast Gate,” said MCSFCO’s senior enlisted leader, Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Joyuanki Victore. “We are raising money for our upcoming Marine Corps Ball. Event participants were able to see what most people are not as fortunate to experience, both Americans and Cubans alike, the chain-link barbed wire laced fence line that divides our territory and Cuba proper. The road along the fence line runs along the naval station’s perimeter all the out to Kittery Beach, which is a valuable sight to see for most Joint Task Force Guantanamo Troopers as only officers grade six and above have access to it.”
If you are an U.S. ambassador, a Cuban seeking asylum or have requested special permission from the Marine Corps Security Force Company, it is highly unlikely you will stand square in front of the only land based entry point of NSGB, the Northeast Gate.
“I actually conduct a history tour of the Northeast Gate, which dates back to 1898,” said Victore. “There is so much rich history that lies along barbed; the Cuban corpsman of 1902 started the written agreement with the base of NSGB and the Cuban government and the fence line is part of that.
The entire fence is 17 miles long and this is only a small fraction of that fence line that people get to see and experience.”
MCFSCO’s mission is similar to the JTF GTMO missions by maintaining a safe, secure, humane and legal environment for the Joint Detention Group operations; secure the base’s perimeter, allowing them to conduct their naval operations by blocking all the waterways and avenues of approach by attack, according their command mission statement.
Marine outpost towers, or MOPs, are staged along the fence line including exterior parts of the shoreline perimeter, continually rotating shifts in maintaining 24-hour observation. The most they can expect to see, as stated by a MCSFCO Marine, are CASs; people persecuted by their own country
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“It was great working with the JTF during the arrangement of this run,” said Victore. “Not only did we have fun with our neighbors on the island but we all mutually benefited from this experience as well. All of the sergeant majors with the rotating military police companies (of the Joint Detention Group) have lent their hand in anything they can do for me and my Marines here. In fact if it weren’t for them, this wouldn’t be possible. We were running low on transportation support and the JTF actually provided that for us without hesitation. Which we are all so thankful for, specifically the J4 logistics staff who willingly provided us the resources that we needed.” “You are a part of history,” is something most JTF GTMO Troopers are used to hearing, but very seldom are they actually able to experience that in as conceptual of running along the security line that divides our nation’s territory and that of our communist neighbors