Today marks the 31st anniversary of Operation Just Cause.
On the Atlantic side of the isthmus, the Panamanian Defense Forces, under the command of
Gen. Manuel Noriega, operated out of Fort Espinar. A year later, I had orders to Panama, and
would later be assigned to quarters on Ft. Espinar.
Noriega would be captured and become US prisoner #41586 (this was the headline of the
edition of the Miami Herald that reported his capture). He was sentenced to 40 years for
narcotics trafficking and money laundering. He passed away in May, 2017.
I did not have a role in the operation, but I knew some who did. I was a PO2 at the
time, stationed in Florida, in the orbit of Miami. Miami was pretty involved in the aftermath,
insofar as Gen. Noriega was brought to federal court there, plus of course South Florida has
a very large Latin American community.
At this point in my life, only a few other memories stand out for me about Just Cause.
The first was the horror of watching the SEAL team come ashore, courtesy of American news
media. Several of us huddled around a TV set in astonishment. I remember what seemed to be
"WTF?!" expressions on some of the operators’ faces as the team was greeted by news cameras
— and their lights. That's what I meant when I used the word "horror"; to us, it seemed as
though there was a massive hole in the operational security of the mission. Looking back,
though it seemed completely disgraceful to us at the time, I suspect there were reasons
for the publicity.
The second thing I remember is the condition of the PDF barracks on Ft. Espinar. The
building was riddled with large holes and appeared abandoned. I was told the damage was from
a firefight between the PDF and US forces. "Ni un paso atras" was painted on the building -—
it was a phrase from Noriega’s campaign of increasing hostility toward the US.
The third thing that comes to mind is Chief Don McFaul. I knew him as a PO1 in California
years before the operation. We actually stood watch together at one point. Chief McFaul fell
at Paitilla Airfield, and became the namesake of a training range in Panama and, of course,
USS MCFAUL DDG-74. If you look closely at the ship’s badge, you’ll see a shield resembling the
national flag of Panama, and a trident in the style of the one featured on the Special Warfare
insignia he earned and wore.
Rest In Peace, Chief McFaul.