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Count the hours...he’ll be in Panama by Friday afternoon. No one is going to stop him.

I was there in 1988 and watched the coming “fall of Noriega”.

There is a great story here...before things had gone south with the local US military....Tony had this great relationship and lots of American base privilege. In fact, Tony had a personal car with the base decal. So his daughter came home to visit during this period, and had missed out on all the uproar going on since summer of 1986.

The daughter borrowed “dad’s” car one night with girlfriends and went out partying. As she came back late into Panama City...she took the old shortcut through Albrook Air Base. She drove up to the gate and drove straight through. In the old days...no one would have said nothing.

But this was a different time.

So Albrook security police came on with cars and chased her through the base and finally pulled her over at the end of the base near the exit gate.

The Air Force guys did their duty....never grasping who exactly they were messing with. So around 2AM....there’s a call to the night guy for the Panamanian forces...some gal saying to be Tony’s daughter. He came and picked her up.

Around 5AM, as GI’s woke up and tried to drive to work...dozens and dozens of them...were pulled over and arrested for traffic violations...and toted off to detention.

There are a thousand stories on Tony...and he’d make a five-star movie if they’d do a true-to-life story on the guy. Even the Torrijos moment up in David where Tony changed the history of Panama in a 10-second thinking process....would be great for an audience to view.

“Around 5AM, as GI’s woke up and tried to drive to work...dozens and dozens of them...were pulled over and arrested for traffic violations...and toted off to detention.”

I was one of them - they arrested 12 of us for riding motorcycles while in uniform, which was not against the Treaty. The PDF guys that waved me over as I left the Bridge of the Americas headed to Howard were extremely apologetic, completely respectful and you could tell they hated what they were ordered to do. Speaking Spanish helped a lot, I suspect. 4 hours later, after a tongue lashing that just pissed us off (and made the Embassy douche who came to “get us released” really nervous), they let us go. I finally got my bike back, sans one front blinker - apparently, the cops had a great time transporting our motorcycles to the impound lot.

Ah, memories - thanks, Pepsi!

Colonel (then-Captain), USAFR

I am here in Panama now.

Tony would not last a week upon his return. Someone would take him out. He knows far too much for some very, and I do mean very, wealthy people to have him running around the country.

My bet is that when he is released from France, he goes to visit Hugo for a while.

Good story by the way.