News Desk |
Guantanamo Bay is synonymous with rampant allegations of abuse and torture. Forty-one people are still being held at Guantanamo on suspicion of terrorism. President Obama promised to shut down this facility which at one point housed hundreds of inmates, most without charges. However, Obama failed to fulfill his pledge.
Most of the inmates being held in the facility are Muslims. Former prisoners who were once detained here tell horrifying tales of abuse, torture, and misbehavior.
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New York-based photographer Debi Cornwall was allowed rare permission to visit the base. The photos she took, tell the tail of two different lifestyles on a single island.
Life of Inmates in Guantanamo Bay
Life of US Military Personnel
For the military personnel and their families who have been stationed in Guantanamo Bay, the experience is one unlike any other. It is unique compared to any other US Naval base in the world because troops aren’t permitted to leave the base and travel around within Cuba.
Because of their geographical limitations, a great deal of effort has been put into building recreational areas for the guards and staff who live in the bay.
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They’ve erected a kiddie pool for officers’ children to splash around in the hot Cuban weather, private beaches, a golf course, a bowling alley, and even a recreational room complete with musical instruments for off-duty agents to ‘rock out,’ according to photographer Debi Cornwall.
‘There are two very different things going on at Guantanamo Bay,’ Cornwall explained. ‘There are the prisons, which are now synonymous with Guantanamo in the public consciousness, and then there is life on the other side for naval personnel stationed there.
‘For them, the focus is on the fun. As my military escort said when I first arrived: “Gitmo is the best posting a soldier could have, there’s so much fun here.”’ she continued.