By: JOHN McCARTHY/V.I. Free Press Staff
FREDERIKSTED — While the USS Gettysburg (CG-64) sits at the Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility with its sensors trained on the Caribbean horizon, a different kind of surveillance is happening on the ground. For the residents of St. Croix, the cruiser isn’t just a “shield”; it’s a lightning rod for a community that has seen this script before.
As part of Operation Southern Spear, the Navy’s presence is officially about “interdicting narco-terrorists,” but for many in the West End, the view from the pier looks more like a staging ground than a safeguard.
The Military ‘Gems’: A Community Divided
The reactions from “de people dem” highlight a deep rift between the strategic goals of the Pentagon and the lived reality of Crucians:
- The Strategic Skeptics: Longtime observers like Wilfred Schouten Sr. and Maurya McClure aren’t buying the “defense” narrative. McClure notes that the U.S. has always viewed the territory as a “strategic military location” rather than a home to be defended, while Schouten pulls no punches, labeling the current administration’s foreign policy as “imperialistic.”
- The OpSec Watchdogs: Not everyone is happy with the transparency. Local observers like Ed DeMatteo have pointed out that the very act of discussing the ship’s tactical stance on Facebook is a “gaping hole in OpSec,” while others like Brian Lindholdt dismiss the visit as “old news,” noting it’s the third time the “boat” has been here in six months.
- The Economic & Cultural Clash: While Chris Kachel hopes for a boost to the local economy from “former military personnel” visits, others like Kyle DeWeese are less enthusiastic, citing a distaste for the “frat boy culture” that often follows a massive naval presence into the bars of Frederiksted.
Echoes of ‘89 and the Maduro Shadow
The timing of this buildup is eerie. Just as No. 2 Michigan (a school record 21-1) looks to repeat the magic of their 1989 National Championship run—the same year Just John first landed on St. Croix—the geopolitical stakes are reaching a fever pitch.
With rumors swirling about “Maduro raids” launching from regional staging areas and the USS Stockdale currently on the front lines in Haiti, the Gettysburg’s presence in Frederiksted is a reminder that St. Croix is, and perhaps always will be, a “Forward Operating Base” in the eyes of Washington.
THE AFTER-ACTION REPORT: Eye of the People
While the Navy counts its missile cells, the digital street-side of St. Croix is doing its own counting. The recent naval buildup has turned the West End into a geopolitical “Decision Space” where the tech of the future meets the ghosts of the past.
- OpSec vs. Open Feed: For local observers like Ed DeMatteo, the ship’s tactical posture is a “gaping hole” in military secrecy, suggesting that in 2026, Facebook is a more powerful surveillance tool than the ship’s own Aegis radar.
- The Strategic Shadow: Commenters like Maurya McClure and Wilfred Schouten Sr. aren’t blinded by the billion-dollar hardware. To them, the island remains a “strategic military location” first and a home second—a sentiment that suggests the Navy may control the horizon, but they don’t yet own the minds of the people living under it.
- The ‘God-Eye’ Reality: As the USS Gettysburg maintains its “nose-out” stance, it serves as a grounded version of the “God” AI—a entity that hears every prayer and tracks every movement. Whether that entity is meant to protect the residents or simply facilitate the next move in the Venezuelan Basin remains the $1 billion question at the pier.
As the sun sets over the Frederiksted pier, the Gettysburg reminds us that in the age of Elon Musk and “God” AI, privacy is a wive’s tale, and the ultimate disruptor isn’t just a rocket—it’s the voice of a people who refuse to be a mere staging area.
