United States invades Grenada, October 25, 1983
On President Reagan’s orders, American troops invade the former British colony, an island in the south Caribbean. On October 19, Marxist commandoes overthrew the government, and there are fears that the new Grenadian leaders are aligned with Fidel Castro. The Cuban dictator has long sought to spread communism throughout the Western Hemisphere. Under the pretense that the lives of eight hundred Americans attending medical school in Grenada are at risk, eight thousand American Marines, Navy SEALS, and Army Rangers invade the island. Unfortunately, Reagan has lied to the British. His advisers have told Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s foreign secretary there would be no attack.