Operation "Just Cause", the US Invasion of Panama It has been called an invasion by some, an intervention by others. The fact remains then President George H. W. Bush unleashed the full weight of the United States military sending approximately 27,000 US service members to the Isthmus of Panama on the night of December 19, 1989 to take down the dictatorship of General Manuel Noriega while the rest of the USA got ready for Christmas.
For the paratroopers of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 508th Infantry, Ft. Kobbe, Republic of Panama preparations for the operations had started long before that muggy night in December.
Panama is an amazing country with some wonderful people. For so many who either served there with the US military or as a member of the PanCanal Company it represented a place and people they would come to love. Not too many negative comments among those folks.
During the many months leading up to Operation "Just Cause" (OJC) the Red Devils would participate in numerous "Sand Flea" operation which were simply the US military exercising their freedom of movement as defined in the Canal Zone treaties signed by President Carter with Gen. Omar Torrijos in 1977. While the initial treaty meant for the PDF and US forces to work together to defend the canal against any threat, under the Noriega regime those same forces parted company and would often find themselves toe to toe in countless incidents. For the 1/508th those freedom of movement exercises were executed in moving forces onto Ft. Amador proper via various vehicles, sometimes Blackhawk helicopters, sometimes trucks. Each trip to Amador would insure that only hundreds of meters across the field members of the PDF 5th Compania would be standing ready or at least appearing so.
Ft. Amador sets on the Pacific side right along side of the canal in the shadow of the Bridge of the Americas. Amador at one point was a wholly US owned and operated base housing barracks, theater, Naval Headquarters, Yacht Club, Officers Club, golf course and dependent housing. As of 1989 the barracks area had been turned over to the Panamanians and housed the PDF 5th Compania with US dependents still in the housing area. This made for some interesting times during the Sand Fleas. Quite often times there were shots fired back and forth across the open fields. The night of the invasion "When Harry met Sally" was posted at the Amador theater. Connected to Amador are a chain of islands where the PDF Special Forces HQ'd.
"Sand Flea" exercises were often done in conjunction with stateside units that were in country to insure that operational support was in place should the need arise. Air assets from 7th ID home stationed at Ft. Ord, CA gave the Red Devils the ability to move quickly onto Ft. Amador to counter any actions taken by the PDF 5th Compania. 7th ID units were rotated out and back to home station from time to time. In addition to 7th ID air resources a mech battalion from 5th ID from Ft. Polk, LA was located at Camp Gator along the canal between the Cocoli housing area and the Marine Barracks on the opposite side of the Hwy 1 from Howard AFB. Each move into Amador brought a bit of anxiety with the Red Devils as the PDF had towed twin 23mm anti-aircraft gun as well as V-100 and V-150 Cadillac built vehicles. The V-150 had a 90mm gun that could prove to be a huge threat. Often times when going into Amador troops would see someone sitting on the AA gun tracking the aircraft which made for an uncomfortable ride. Because of such potential threats there was always a C-130 Spector gunship circling overhead.
In addition to the "Sand Flea" exercises the Red Devils spent a lot of time on the range both putting rounds down range as well as endless exercises of actual assaults on a mock-up of Amador.
While this was going on with the 1/508th downtown Panamanian citizens had to deal with the brutality of the Noriega regime. Every Sunday morning on one of the Panama TV stations Noriega's propaganda machine would crank up and show 3 hours of all the wonderful things happening across the country and of often there was forever the highlight on the "Yankee aggression", most of the times showing troop movements during the "Sand Fleas".
May '89 elections had been voided by Noriega and protests were met by the water cannons of the Blue Smurfmobiles. Photos would surface thru free press in Panama of President and Vice-President elect being beaten and bloodied in the streets of Panama City.
October 1989 would see a coup attempt against Noriega. Officers within the ranks of the PDF decided action was needed to replace the MAN(Manuel Antonio Noriega) or Pineapple face as many referred to him as. The coup got off to a robust start, however it lost steam rather quickly when the US decided not to become involved other than some minor actions to block PDF unit movement. The Red Devils of the 1/508th would move onto Amador and block the 5th Companie from moving downtown to help Noriega. From our vantage point across the bay at Amador one could see some of the fighting happening downtown in and around the Comandancia between forces loyal to Noriega and those supporting the coup. We would later liberate many of them from jail during OJC.
December 16, 1989 would start like so many in the hot, humid placed called Panama and life going on for Americans as normal as possible. Late that evening a couple + one (Lt Paz, USMC) would find themselves at a PDF checkpoint in Panama City. For whatever the reason the driver chose to speed away from the checkpoint and the PDF would open fire on the vehicle. One round went through the trunk lid of the vehicle and stuck Lt. Paz who was a passenger in the backseat. He would die from that wound and become the first casualty of what would be designated Operation "Just Cause."
Units both in country as well as across the US had practiced for D-Day December 20, 1989. The 82nd Abn would be jumping and assaulting mock-up buildings, Rangers jumping and taking down airfields, 7th ID air landing and building assaults...lots of time practicing for when the day came, if it did.
The troopers of the 1/508th would get serious on the morning of December 19, 1989 when oporders were given out along with a basic load of ammo. It is quite the experience to watch young men who only a few days prior were at "the club", Howard NCO club, partying, now preparing to go to war.
1/508th would have a mech platoon from 5th ID to provide heavy weapons support plus a gun section from D Btry with a 105mm cannon which would be emplaced near housing on Amador.
HHC would send ground elements of it's AT and Scouts Platoons ahead of the assault elements into Ft. Amador. Their missions would be to secure the front gate as well as provide Anti-tank security both on Amador proper as well as the long causeway leading out to the islands where PDF Special Forces were stationed.
A and B Co's would air assault into Amador, on board 7th ID Blackhawks, providing the main force manpower to hit the PDF barracks.
C Co would be opcon to the 4/6th Inf (Mech), 5th ID for the assault on the PDF HQs, the Comandancia located in the Chorilla area of Panama City. 4/6th, with their Charlie Rock augmentation, would move across 4th of July Avenue after word elements of the US Army's Delta Force had rescued American citizen Kurt Muse from the jail just across the street. The HQ's initially was assaulted by members of the Ranger Regiment received a serious pounding by a Air Force AC-130 gunship. During the fight C Co would suffered several wounded and it's only two killed-in-action (KIA), SGT Michael DeBlois and PFC Vance Coats.