22 November 2002
Oliver North Heads 'Cold War Cruise'
By IAN JAMES
The Associated Press

North, the retired lieutenant colonel at the center of the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal, said those who step off the ship in Grenada will be paying tribute to U.S. troops who helped ``reverse the communist takeover.''

``It's a great opportunity for Americans to see a piece of modern history,'' North said by telephone from Washington. ``The idea of a 20th anniversary cruise seemed kind of appropriate.''

The Freedom Alliance, a charity founded by North, is organizing the weeklong cruise departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 1. Princess Cruises' M.S. Sea Princess is to stop at Grenada along with Aruba, Venezuela, Dominica and St. Thomas.

Passengers include Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., former Attorney General Edwin Meese, and National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre, North said. Former President Reagan's eldest son, Michael, also is invited.

Some question the propriety of lauding an invasion they say was unnecessary, especially one that killed 58 people. Twenty-four Cubans, 18 Americans and 16 Grenadians died.

``There are a lot of mixed feelings,'' said Kecia Lowe, a doctor who as a teenager woke up on Oct. 25, 1983, to see a U.S. aircraft carrier on the horizon. ``To hear the bombs dropping, it was all very traumatic for me.''

Thousands of soldiers, Marines and paratroopers stormed the island in what the Reagan administration called ``Operation Urgent Fury.''

Six days before the invasion, the country's charismatic Marxist leader, Maurice Bishop, was killed by a firing squad in an internal power struggle.

Reagan said the invasion was to restore order, protect Americans - including several hundred medical students - and halt expansion of Cuban influence on the island.

Some Grenadians welcomed the U.S. troops; others resented them. North said he played a ``small role'' while an aide to Reagan's National Security Council.

``It helped change the world for the good,'' he said. ``It begins the whole cascade of collapse for the Soviet empire.''

About 80 people have reserved spaces so far, and proceeds will benefit scholarships for children of U.S. servicemen killed in the line of duty, North said.

North, a former Marine, was accused of organizing the 1980s scheme to funnel money to right-wing Nicaraguan guerrillas through secret weapons sales to Iran. He was convicted of three felonies, but cleared on appeal.

North then made an unsuccessful run for the Senate. He now hosts a radio talk show and a TV program, ``War Stories'', on Fox News Channel.

His Dulles, Va.-based charity has held annual cruises for years. The conservative group's Web site promotes the cruise as a ``unique commemorate event'' to ``celebrate the 20th anniversary of the liberation of Grenada!''

But Kennedy Roberts, a university instructor, said the visitors may be surprised by the country's growing ties to Cuba.

``Ironically, a lot of policies of the revolution are being revived,'' he said. When the visitors ask who built the new hospital, ``we're going to proudly say, 'the Cubans.'''