An American military mission, the M3, was located there. ![]() Fort Bundy was located there, but it crossed over to parts of Vieques, a fact which would become important in the future. In 1957, it was upgraded to Naval Station status. Meanwhile, it continued as a source of employment for the citizens of Ceiba. From then until 1957, the base went through many shifts, being opened seven times and closed eight times. The base had been inaugurated, but scaled down to maintenance status with a public works office in 1944. With war in the European and Pacific theatres, they saw an airbase in the Caribbean as necessary. When Adolf Hitler and Nazi-led Germany began to invade other European countries, the US, led by then President Roosevelt, entertained the idea of a Naval air station in Ceiba. It took many years for the United States Government to become convinced of the need for an air base in Ceiba. ![]() While Puerto Rico is a commonwealth, its territorial rights belong to the United States, which made it perfectly feasible, and ideal, for the American government to build an airplane base in Ceiba. This was during the World War I era, and the United States could benefit from an air field in Ceiba. When he returned to Washington, D.C., he expressed a liking for the terrain where the base now is. Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, toured Puerto Rico, visiting Ceiba.
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