Operation Just Cause – Up Close & Very Personal

Panama City slum burns - US Military stops fire and recue

Having spent most of my time in Panama in rural areas away from the City, I never got a sense of lingering animosity towards Americans. Sure, I hear questions about American gun violence, our constant wars and why we would elect a raging racist lunatic as President. But, that is more puzzlement than animosity or dislike. Besides, we came out looking like the Good Guys when we gave Panama the Canal and all its trappings, right?

Any civilians on the streets were sent to holding camps
Anyone fleeing the round-up was shot

This morning, I met a man who did hold a grudge and was determined to explain why, albeit in a very civil tone. His name was “Jimmy” Vegas, a former Colonel in the Panama Defense Force – a paramilitary wing of the National Police, as Panama officially had no military. To start with, his father was an MP with the US Army in the Canal Zone and left his mother and 3 sisters when Jimmy was 12. Beyond that, he was with the PDF during “Operation Just Cause” (which he simply calls The Invasion) and witnessed first-hand the many abuses and violence of the US Military invasion troops.

Panamanians could not understand the needless destruction

He felt the whole invasion was unnecessary, as there were many in the PDF who would have been very willing to help the CIA or Special Forces capture Noriega. In fact, he was part of the attempted coup 2 months before the invasion, but was never discovered. He says the biggest US blunder was a lack of intelligence – not knowing where Noriega was at any given time. Noriega and the PDF knew well in advance that the Invasion was coming and he moved 2 or 3 times a day. Jimmy was told of the Invasion 3 days before it came and was given orders to “stand-down” and give no resistance to US Forces. Why Noriega did not escape, either by boat or air, puzzles him.

He does not begrudge the US for wanting to capture Noriega, but feels that the way they did it was horribly and unnecessarily wrong. While there were some tactical strikes to destroy Noriega’s boats and aircraft, Panamanians were aghast at the huge 29,000+ force that attacked the City with tanks, gunships and RPGs. He watched as thousands of civilians were rounded up and sent to holding camps – basically anyone who was out on the streets, old ladies and children included, many of whom were beaten if they resisted. Some were shot for fleeing.

Just as bad was the property destruction caused. Jimmy was at the PDF HQ when it was attacked. While he escaped with just a broken hand, the attack caused fires to spread rapidly through the shantys of an adjacent poor neighborhood. Even worse, fire and rescue were prevented by the US Military and hundreds of civilians died or were injured and thousands left homeless. There were also 2 civilian apartment complexes that were attacked by gunships for unknown reasons. Many more were injured there.

As the walls closed in on Noriega, he fled to the Vatican Embassy for shelter and the US Military famously used loud rock music to drive him out. No one in the area could sleep for days. Thus, Jimmy views the transfer of the Canal to Panama, not as a gift, but as something paid for by the destruction, deaths and disabilities needlessly caused by the US.

While my “Peace Corps Card” got me off the hook, he was insistent that I let my fellow Americans know what “really” happened – which obligation I have now fulfilled.