Key West — Florida Keys Historical Military Memorial

Key West — Florida Keys Historical Military Memorial. . Once called the "Gibraltar of the Gulf of Mexico, Key West occupies a vital strategic position in defense of the United States. In 1822, Lieutenant Matthew Perry, U.S. Navy, raised the American Flag over Key West, taking formal charge of the island in the name of the United States., This memorial is a time-line of significant military engagements in which Armed Forces members from the Keys participated. , , Each pedestal recounts the military actions depicted in the time-line beginning with the Antipiracy Campaign. Next came the Second Seminole War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World War I, World War lI, the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Drug War., With the arrival of the antipiracy squadron in 1823, Just one year after Key West was first settled, military units have maintained an almost continuous presence on the island and military personnel have been an integral part of the community. In four successive wars, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and World Wars I and Il, the Key West base underwent rapid expansion in size, facilities, and personnel, reaching a peak of over 6,000 acres and more than 15,000 military personnel in World War Il. In each of these conflicts, military forces based in Key West played a vital role in training and in operations against the enemy on land, sea and in the air., The presence of a large number of ships, aircraft, and submarines together with extensive shore facilities at Key West at the outbreak of the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962, was a key factor in the success of the blockade, which averted a nuclear war., The unique situation of Key West at the gateway to the Gulf of Mexico and the western Caribbean ensures that the U.S. military will always be here, ready to answer the call to duty in any future conflicts or crisis., Committee , Chairman Jack King, Sr. , Vice Chairman George N. Gee , Bruce Amsterdam, . William M. Barry . Edward M. Block . Bud Brewer . Frank Butler . Lawrence S. Cotton, Jr. . Stephen P. Dawkins . Robert W. Elliott, Jr. . Edward B. Knight . Harry F. Knight . James S. Lloyd . Ross McKee . Joseph G. Pais . Mark Rossi . Edward A. Spehar . Gayle Swofford . John W. Viele , Honorary Member Edwin O. Swift III, Monroe County , Commissioners , Mayor Charles “Sonny” McCoy . Mayor Pro-Tem Dixie M. Sephar . Murray Nelson . George Neugent . Humberto “Bert” Jimenez , County Administrator James L. Roberts, City of Key West , Commissioners , Mayor Jimmy Weekley , Tom Oosterhoudt . Meridian McCoy . Edwin A. Scales . Harry L. Bethel, Sr. . Jeremy Anthony . Carmen Turner , City Manager Julio Avael