Minefield Maintenance Team GDF, NAVSTA, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

• Unique Role: The Minefield Maintenance Team of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station (NAVSTA) was one of the few U.S. military units tasked with the upkeep of active defensive minefields on American soil during the Cold War. • GDF Meaning: "GDF" stands for "Ground Defense Force," a joint Navy and Marine security detachment responsible for base perimeter defense, including minefield operations. • Historic Division: The minefields at Guantanamo Bay physically separated U.S. territory from communist Cuba, making the Maintenance Team's work a daily exercise in high-stakes Cold War tension. • Dangerous Duties: Team members regularly patrolled, repaired, and replaced anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, often under the watchful eyes of Cuban soldiers just yards away. • Symbolic Significance: The minefield and its caretakers became a symbol of the "Iron Curtain" in the Western Hemisphere, with the Maintenance Team playing a visible role in deterring defections and incursions. • Unusual Incidents: Stories abound of wildlife—especially iguanas and banana rats—triggering mines, leading to both hazards and dark humor among the Team. • International Spotlight: Guantanamo’s minefields were featured in news reports and documentaries as one of the world’s longest continuously maintained minefields until their partial removal in the late 1990s. • Training Rigor: Only specially trained personnel could join the Maintenance Team, requiring expertise in mine warfare, EOD (explosive ordnance disposal), and hazardous environment safety. • Memorable Nickname: The team was sometimes dubbed the “Boom Boom Boys” by fellow service members due to their risky, explosive-laden daily routines. • Legacy: After the U.S. began removing many of the mines in 1996, the Maintenance Team’s former members became living witnesses to a unique chapter in Cold War and military history.