October 25, 1983: The United States invades Grenada to put down a Marxist coup d'etat. For the first time in U.S. military history, journalists are initially denied access to the battlefield as a matter of policy. After protests by the press, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff appoints a commission headed by retired Army Major General Winant Sidle to recommend changes for press coverage of future conflicts. On August 23, 1984, the Sidle Commission proposes the creation of the Department of Defense National Media Pool, which would have access to war zones at the early stages of a conflict.