Operation Acid Gambit:

[JJ_BPK]

Congratulations to the Big D guys. :lifter:D:lifter



Operation Acid Gambit: How Army Special Forces Rescued an American Hostage in Noriega's Panama,
Military.com, By Blake Stilwell


When the United States invaded Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, a special operations mission called Operation Acid Gambit was given the green light to begin at the same time as an aerial attack on dictator Manuel Noriega's command center, the comandancia.

For months, 23 members of the U.S. Army's Delta Force had been training to rescue American citizen Kurt Muse. Muse had been a prisoner in Panama City's Carcel Modelo prison for nine months but, as tensions mounted between Noriega's regime and the United States, he suddenly became Noriega's hostage.

Noriega vowed that the first bullet fired in a conflict between the countries would be the one that killed Muse. He even put a Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) soldier in front of his cell to ensure Muse died before he could be rescued.

Operation Acid Gambit required Army Special Forces to land on the prison roof, kill Muse's would-be executioner, fight their way to his cell, break open the lock and extract their "precious cargo" before taking him to the roof. There, MH-6 Little Bird helicopters would whisk them all back to the nearby Howard Air Force Base.

The mission was ultimately a success, but it was not without complications. At a 2022 event for the Silent Warrior Foundation called "Whiskey & War Stories," Muse and members of his rescue team (who asked to remain anonymous) talked about the operation and what happened that night.

https://www.military.com/history/operation-acid-gambit-how-army-special-forces-rescued-american-hostage-noriegas-panama.html?ESRC=eb_220727.nl



PS:

1) As this article was released LAST NITE, I have already met 387 verified members on the 23-man team. :p

2) In the attached little bird crash, 43 people have stepped forward and said they only got a little scratch from the landing but did receive 100% combat-related PTSD VA claim

3)On the picture of the APC, 16 have sent me a friend req on FB


All kidding aside, Great job by a bunch that doesn't get due credit..


ref: The last time this was discussed (https://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11416&highlight=Acid+Gambit)

[cbtengr]

A good read thanks for sharing.

[Box]

-I have already met 387 verified members on the 23-man team.

-In the attached little bird crash, 43 people have stepped forward and said they only got a little scratch from the landing but did receive 100% combat-related PTSD VA claim

-On the picture of the APC, 16 have sent me a friend req on FB


This sounds odd to some people because not very everyone understands the unique level of secrecy that shrouds the unit referred to in the article...

The BlackOps-Only model of the Cayuse helicopter was designed to hold upwards of 75 (the actual max capacity is STILL highly classified) fully combat-equipped Jedi Commandos complete with body armor, and high capacity 30 round magazine clip fully semiautomiatic assault weapons shooting specially made 5.56 ammo that was even more powerful than the venerable M-1 Garand. This formidable assault force was ferried around the battlefield in a series of pods located outside the aircraft.

For OPSEC reasons, the only pictures ever released to the public made it look like the 'Little Bird' could only carry three assaulters on each side but that was just to fool those stupid communists. Even the employees from Hughes aircraft division were sworn to secrecy with an NDA and a Pinky Promise to never disclose the actual amount of Jedi Warriors that would fit on those outboard benches.
...it was a LOT

It only takes a little bit of math to understand what would otherwise seem like a mathematically impossible logistics effort needed to put 387 commandos into a BlackOps that seems to have only had 23 members
-The "public knowledge" Little Birds only admits to a max capacity of six operators. That would require 4 of these magical helicopters. When you consider the fact that the REAL version of this Back Ops helicopter could actually carry upwards of 75 Jedi Warriors, that number of 387 becomes a much more reliable estimate. Keep in mind, that not all 387 of them would have been on the assault force, some of them would have been doing secret recon work or manning low visibility blocking positions throughout the city to keep reinforcements from trying to recapture the prison.

It's nuanced, but the article even mentions that when the rescue bird went down they took cover in the city and were quickly rescued by "nearby" APC.
...ha- because there is ALWAYS a nearby APC somewhere in third-world Latin American countries.
Nonsense, it was because there were close to 400 invisible commandos roaming the city for security.

This brings us to the picture of the APC. I don't understand the comment about 16 guys sending friend requests on fakebook.
-first and foremost: fakebook? Really? Shame on you.
-Secondly, I've looked at that picture several times this morning and I keep losing count somewhere around 45-50 operators with sharply defined facial features. Which 16 are you talking about?
...or is it possible that you just don't have the requisite security clearance to "see" the rest of the operators in that photo? A non-blackops clearance would only allow most people to see eight operators, in some cases, if you aren't cleared, you wouldn't even be able to make out their facial features.




Beyond that - it's a great thing when stories like this are published to help Americans remember the sacrifices and heroism of real patriots doing the deeds of our nation abroad.

[sg1987]

I was the driver of that 113. I was executed after the mission to maintain OPSEC.

[Box]

I was the driver of that 113. I was executed after the mission to maintain OPSEC.

...but you got better

and uh... thank you for your service?

[Gypsy]

Beyond that - it's a great thing when stories like this are published to help Americans remember the sacrifices and heroism of real patriots doing the deeds of our nation abroad.

Indeed.