"The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October
1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded
the island nation of Grenada, 100 miles (160 km) north of
Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it
resulted in military occupation within a few days.[9] It was triggered
by the strife within the People's Revolutionary Government, which
resulted in the house arrest and execution of the previous leader and
second Prime Minister of Grenada, Maurice Bishop, and the establishment
of the Revolutionary Military Council, with Hudson Austin as
chairman. The invasion resulted in the appointment of an interim
government, followed by elections in 1984."

United States Invasion of Grenada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Grenada

"in a news release dated october 28, the fcc has high praise for radio
amateurs and the role they played in the recent grenada situation.
the commission waived some of its rules to facilitate communication
by mark barettella, ka2ork, and other assisting operators. in the
commissions words, quote, at all times the paramount interest of this
agency was the safety and welfare of the medical students on the
grenada campuses. mr. barettella and the amateur operators assisting
him provided valuable services in relaying information as to the
safety of the medical students and their families and as to the
general situation existing at the grenada station, unquote ar"

30 Years Ago: Grenada Invasion https://groups.google.com/g/rec.radio.amateur.moderated/c/sG_LBr7veiM/m/gmyThhjECCQJ

"73 Magazine also had a nice story about this: 'An invasion on 20
meters?' Those were the words Steve Mendolsohn WA2DHF heard with
disbelief when he answered the telephone at a little after six on the
morning of Tuesday. October 25th, 1983, Over 2000 miles away on the
island of Grenada, Mark Baratella KA20RK had been up for three hours,
making ham radio history. Operating from his second-floor room at the
Grand Anse campus of Saint George's Medical School, Mark had become an essential link between the island and the rest of the free world."

Ham Radio and the Invasion of Grenada https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/1n4fvm/ham_radio_and_the_invasion_of_grenada/

"We would like to thank Frank (sic) Maia for permission to quote these
excerpts from his excellent article in the November 15, 1983 edition of
his publication"

"Reporters on the island had been taken off before the invasion and none
were allowed in. The amateur radio hookup to Grenada provided the first
news of it."

AMATEUR RADIO & THE GRENADA INVASION...the real story https://www.monitoringtimes.com/mtsubscriber/mtGrenada_invasion.pdf

"WASHINGTON -- An American medical student in Grenada, communicating via amateur radio, said today students at the St. George's Medical School
are in good condition and awaiting evacuation.

'This is KA2ORK, Mark, we have enough food presently to last us as long
as we're not here forever,' a report monitored by ham radio operator Ted
Seely of Alexandria, Va., said at 11 a.m. EDT."

An American medical student in Grenada, communicating via amateur radio https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/10/26/An-American-medical-student-in-Grenada-communicating-via-amateur/2974435988800/

"The spokesman, William Russell, said the commission's Wednesday warning
to ham operators to stay off unauthorized frequencies was an effort to
keep those frequencies open for Mark Barettella, a ham operator in
Grenada who was providing reports on the situation at the St. George's University School of Medicine, where he and some 500 other students from
the United States were enrolled."

U.S. DEFENDS WARNING ABOUT GRENADA RADIOS https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/28/world/us-defends-warning-about-grenada-radios.html

"Federal Communications Commission officials said yesterday that they
were reiterating their standing rules Wednesday when they sent an
advisory to amateur or 'ham' radio operators and commercial broadcasters
that the amateur frequencies could not be used for active
newsgathering."

FCC Defends Ruling on Ham Radio Use https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/10/28/fcc-defends-ruling-on-ham-radio-use/8a9e0aa9-9e52-4aba-b18a-a335564613b8/

"Student Mark Baratella's continual radio contact with United States and
his peers' praise of him noted. [BARATELLA - dismisses being hero.]"

ABC EVENING NEWS FOR 1983-10-27
https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/programs/81380


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