One decade before Panama reclaimed its canal, hell broke loose in the capital as General
Manuel Noriega abused his power and imbued a regime contrary to the principles of democracy.
Known as a drug dealer and money launderer, Noriega menaced the peace of not only his country
but also the entire continent. And when he openly declared a state of war against the United States,
the nation’s top brass believed it was time for the illegitimate ruler to face his crimes.
On the night of December 19, 1989, SEAL Teams stormed into the capital with one
objective in mind: to seize the dictator. They then targeted Noriega’s private jet and boat
in two extremely dangerous missions to cut every possible escape route.
Cornered, the General sought refuge in the Vatican’s embassy.
Soldiers and priests alike were surprised by the clever maneuver,
and unable to take Noriega by force in such a delicate diplomatic scenario,
the American forces were forced to use a few creative and controversial measures…
Promises
In 1903, the Central American nation of Panama
achieved independence from Colombia with the help of the United States.
In exchange for their help, the US was granted rights to construct an unparalleled
and ambitious piece of engineering that would transform worldwide commerce: the Panama Canal.
Additionally, the continental superpower would also manage and control the facility, which would
provide a generous income for the Americans in the following decades. However, the locals
eventually began to resent the poor dividends they received, with violent protests soon arising.
Diplomatic negotiations ensued, and Presidents Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos signed an agreement
in 1977 that promised a future in which Panama would gradually retake control of the canal.
That process would formally end until the year 2000.
Still, the internal conflicts in the region did not allow for a peaceful transition
into what could have been a prosperous environment for the country's growth.
Instead, a controversial figure would emerge and inflict terrible pain on the general population,
just as it had happened in some neighboring countries.
General Manuel Antonio Noriega was President Torrijos’s right hand. Having received training
at the School of the Americas, a US training facility for military elements in Latin America,
he then became the Director of the Intelligence Service for the National Guard. Needless to say,
he was also linked to several torture practices and disappearances under Torrijos’s presidency.
Moreover, Noriega worked closely with the CIA,
providing useful information about leftist uprisings in Central America,
and especially after the Cuban Revolution and the rise to power of Fidel Castro. However,
the General worked as a double agent, and would sell US secret data to their Cuban counterparts.
The ruling situation escalated in 1981, when Torrijos perished in a mysterious plane crash,
positioning Noriega as one of the most powerful men in Panama.
Even more, he was also one of the richest, with known collaborations with drug dealers
and his involvement in arms trafficking for the anti-communist guerillas in the region.
As Noriega consolidated his position, his true self and intentions became evident,
and even a respected journalist who exposed him perished in mysterious circumstances,
to which the population responded with massive protests.
Then, in 1987, previous regime supporter President Ronald Reagan
demanded the removal of the dictator and imposed economic sanctions on the country.
Noriega was indicted on drug dealing and money laundering but refused to give in
and instead promoted an anti-US sentiment among the Panamanians.
However, this was only the beginning of his eventual fall.
Just Cause
Panama ran elections in May of 1989, but the apparent democratic facade fell when the
opposition’s candidates were brutally beaten in a moment that was televised for the entire world.
Then-President George H.W. Bush immediately demanded that the dictator step back,
but Noriega continued to refuse.
On December 16, a Panamanian soldier shot an American Marine,
and the US government could not let the aggression pass. Three days later,
26,000 American troops received orders to storm into Panama.
President Bush then addressed the nation: (QUOTE) “My fellow citizens, last night I ordered U.S.
military forces to Panama. [...] Many attempts have been made to resolve this crisis through
diplomacy and negotiations. [...] Last Friday, Noriega declared his military dictatorship to be
in a state of war with the United States. [...] General Noriega's reckless threats and attacks
upon Americans in Panama created an imminent danger to the 35,000 American citizens in Panama.
As President, I have no higher obligation than to safeguard the lives of American citizens.”
Operation Just Cause was thus born,
and it called for the invasion of Panama but giving priority to Noriega’s capture.
A joint Delta and Navy SEAL plan was subsequently laid with two parts.
The first mission called for the destruction of a ship in which the dictator could escape,
and the second involved Noriega’s Learjet stationed at Patilla Airfield.
As SEAL Team 4 secured the airfield, SEAL Team 2 executed a combat swimmer attack and sabotage
of Presidente Porras, Noriega’s heavily armed gunboat. The team of four divers was
transported by combat rubber raiding craft to the insertion point 150 yards from the target.
The divers then split into pairs and went into the water using Draeger rebreathers to
avoid exhalation bubbles. They then attached the explosives and began the exfiltration.
However, Panamanian Defense Force guards suddenly opened fire, and the SEALs had to take cover under
the pier. Forced to remain in the area, they witnessed firsthand how the ship was destroyed.
On their way back to the rendezvous point, a large ship approached them overhead,
and they were compelled to take cover once again. At 40 feet underwater and under greater pressure,
the increased toxicity of the pure oxygen in their rebreathers seriously endangered their lives.
Fortunately, no one experienced ill effects,
and all the divers were picked up and transported to safety.
Meanwhile, three SEAL Platoons were deployed to Punta Paitilla Airfield to disable Noriega’s
personal Learjet as well as other selected aircraft. Moreover, they had to hold the facility
until conventional forces relieved them five hours into the coordinated activities.
They then sailed on their raiding craft to begin the infiltration at nightfall.
The SEALs reached the southern end of the airfield at 11:15pm and quietly moved ashore
as the sounds of artillery fire from battles in and around the capital filled the air.
They then headed to the PDF hangars to the northwest, moving at top speed.
Knowing that the jet had been put away in a hangar, two squads took position within
100 feet of the target, but were suddenly met with heavy bursts of fire. Eight out of nine
men were wounded, and the house guards then engaged the invaders from across the airfield.
Faced with lethal cross-fire, many men lost their lives while others were wounded and trapped. Soon,
Navy SEAL Don McFaul realized that his peers were not responding to orders,
as they were exposed to the enemy and injured.
Decisively, McFaul came to their help, but as he pulled a fellow SEAL to safety,
he was mortally wounded. The hero laid himself on top of a teammate
and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart medals for his actions that day.
Nifty Package
Five days into the invasion, the phone rang at the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See.
Papal Ambassador Monsignor José Sebastián Laboa answered,
and he was surprised to hear General Noriega on the other end of the line.
The dictator was asking for sanctuary, threatening to flee to the countryside and begin a war.
Laboa pondered whether he might be able to convince the dictator to capitulate
to the Americans and therefore accepted. Noriega then took refuge in the de facto
embassy for the Vatican, and many claim that he spent most of his time reading the Bible.
Meanwhile, American forces set up a perimeter around the building, unable to trespass the
facility and violate international diplomatic law. To make matters worse, negotiations between
the United States and the Vatican stagnated. For one, the Americans could not have Noriega
taken anywhere but the United States, but the Vatican would not let go of a refugee.
The US Army believed they had no choice but to turn to psychological warfare tactics,
and started blaring disturbing noises at deafening levels and gunning the engines
of armored vehicles against the building’s fence.
They also tried rock music, including songs by the Clash, AC/DC, and Guns N’ Roses.
The songs were played loud and in a loop, aimed to wear the dictator’s spirit down.
But after direct complaints from the Vatican to President Bush, the tactics eventually stopped.
From the inside, Laboa continually strived to appeal to the man and get in his head,
arguing that no country would ever grant him refuge. Moreover, he stated that if he did not
surrender to the Americans, the Church staff would evacuate the building and establish a
new embassy at a Catholic High School, leaving the dictator to face the Americans on his own.
On January 3, the General attended Mass and took Communion. Allegedly, Laboa’s homily about the
thief on the cross who prayed to God to change his ways brought tears to the dictator’s eyes,
and he then wrote a letter to his family and another thanking the Pope.
Dressed in his uniform and still with the Nuncio’s Bible in his possession,
three priests escorted him into the night after 10 days of psychological harassment.
Upon reaching the front gate, Noriega was forced to the ground and taken to a helicopter.
Sergeant Scott Geist, who confronted the former dictator,
would later claim that Noriega looked like: (QUOTE) “A broken man.”
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