Posted on 01/03/2026 3:58:05 AM PST by DFG
Well, on Wednesday, December 20th, I ordered U.S. troops to Panama with four objectives: to safeguard the lives of American citizens, to help restore democracy, to protect the integrity of the Panama Canal treaties, and to bring General Manuel Noriega to justice. All of these objectives have now been achieved.
At about 8:50 p.m. this evening, General Noriega turned himself in to U.S. authorities in Panama with the full knowledge of the Panamanian Government. He was taken to Howard Air Force Base in Panama, where he was arrested by DEA. A U.S. Air Force C - 130 is now transporting General Noriega to Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. He will be arraigned in the U.S. District Court in Miami on charges stemming from his previous indictment for drug trafficking.
I want to thank the Vatican and the Papal Nuncio in Panama for their evenhanded, statesmanlike assistance in recent days. The United States is committed to providing General Noriega a fair trial. Nevertheless, his apprehension and return to the United States should send a clear signal that the United States is serious in its determination that those charged with promoting the distribution of drugs cannot escape the scrutiny of justice.
The return of General Noriega marks a significant milestone in Operation Just Cause. The U.S. used its resources in a manner consistent with political, diplomatic, and moral principles.
The first U.S. combat troops have already been withdrawn from Panama; others will follow as quickly as the local situation will permit. We are now engaged in the final stages of a process that includes the economic and political revitalization of this important friend and neighbor, Panama.
An economic team under the direction of Deputy Secretary of State Eagleburger and Deputy Secretary of Treasury Robson is just returning from Panama. A team of experts has remained on hand there to assess the full range of needs. We will continue to extend to the Panamanian people our support and assistance in the days ahead.
Panamanians, Americans -- both have sacrificed much to restore democracy to Panama. The Armed Forces of the United States have performed their mission courageously and effectively, and I again want to express my gratitude and appreciation to all of them. And I want to express the special thanks of our nation to those servicemen who were wounded and to the families of those who gave their lives. Their sacrifice has been a noble cause and will never be forgotten. A free and prosperous Panama will be an enduring tribute.
Thank you all very, very much.
CORRECTION : 36 YEARS AGO TODAY
Interesting …
I was stationed there from 1969 to 1972 and the changes and growth to that country are nothing short of amazing.
Unfortunately, they're now under the umbrella of China.
I also recall this as being the debut of the F-117 stealth fighters from the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.
Thanks for serving and thanks for posting about the changes in Panama. I knew about recent contracts that Panama made with China. But I didn’t know about the tons of improvements made by Panama over the past few decades.
Now, it is a tourist attraction with restaurants and a yacht basin.....LOL!
https://citysightseeingpty.com/en/isla-flamenco/
I was stationed at Howard and Albrook from August 87 to December 22, 1989. We were flown out in the middle of the invasion in a blacked out C5 from Howard AB. Me, the Colonel‘s Wife and our than three month old daughter. Quite the story.
Colonel, USAF JAGC (Ret)
Thank you for your service.
You were involved in planning.
I wish. No, I just had the misfortune to be stationed there as the Area Defense Counsel when Bush The Elder started yanking families out because it was getting too dangerous.
I absolutely loved Panama, it was like an endless summertime job in the tropics that also provided room and board. It was a great experience for an 18 year old kid who grew up on a lake in northern Michigan.
We worked swing shifts in a comm center, and when I got off work in the mornings, I would grab breakfast in the mess hall then hop on my motorcycle and drive over to Howard then on to the beach and sleep a couple hours in the sun.
I especially appreciated that all the chores were done by native San Blas indians.
While on Flamenco, I would occasionally fish off the shore and give whatever I caught to the mess hall cooks who would prepare them for me.
I think I was on Flamenco for about 5 or 6 months before being transferred to Clayton.
Fondest memories were the day trips to Taboga Island where I would lay on the beach and did some snorkeling. A couple times I spent the night in the Army barracks at the far end of the island. At night, they would hang up a white sheet on the front lawn and via a movie projector, they would play movies. It was a fun atmosphere with folks walking up from the village to watch the movies.
The timing of Operation Just Cause was predicated (at least in part) on the need to launch Operation Acid Gambit, the rescue of American journalist (and former US Army soldier) Kurt Muse.
Muse was imprisoned for making anti-Noriega radio broadcasts. One of his captors made the statement that his orders were to kill Muse if there was a rescue attempt. When word of this reached the US, the threat was taken seriously and they arranged for the insertion of Delta Force commandos to be first action of Just Cause.
Larry Vickers was among the Delta Force rescuers and was awarded the Bronze Star medal for his actions.
I LOVE TRUMP’S USE OF TIMING
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