Operation Just Cause

[Joker]

Happy Operation Just Cause 30th Anniversary! Some of us participated...

From COL Roach:

With the Anniversary of JUST CAUSE just around the corner on the 20th December, it seems like an appropriate time to mention Operation MA BELL, which was an unplanned, and largely unknown, improvisation by 7th SF Group soldiers during Just Cause.

In December 1989 I was a student at the Army War College in Carlisle PA, so I was not directly involved in Just Cause. But am proud to say that I have several friends (Roy Trumble, Kevin Higgins and Gil Perez among them) [he added Dave McCracken to this list] who were not only "involved" but were the brain trust that developed the idea of Operation Ma Bell, and were also leaders of the small teams that traveled out of Panama City to make contact with isolated Panama units, and convince the Panamanians to surrender, rather than fight to the death.

Within the first week, the US Military Invasion Force had control of Panama City, but there were still about a dozen isolated Panamanian Army Garrisons in the "Interior".

"Big Army" is a sledgehammer rather than a surgical scalpel, so the Task Force, Division and Brigade Staffs were busy developing their plans for an all-out assault on those Isolated Panamanian Army Garrisons, which would include Air Strikes and artillery fire as part of the preparation before ground troops would assault the garrisons. The results would have been hundreds of Panamanian casualties and several dozen US casualties.

But members of 7th SF Group had trained for years with the Panamanian Army and pushed the idea that if they were allowed to travel out to the Isolated Garrisons that they could convince the Panamanians to surrender. Some of the US Military Senior Officers were dismissive and just wanted to 'get on with the Military Operations'.

But cooler heads prevailed (not all Senior Military Officers are blockheads), and the small 7th SFG teams ventured forth and made contact with the garrisons. And not surprisingly Operation Ma Bell convinced 11 garrisons to surrender.

By the way, the name Operation Ma Bell came about because most of the phone lines were down in Panama, and only local phone service was available in the "Interior". So the SF Teams would travel to the closest town to the Panamanian Cuartel, and then call the local commander on the phone. That solution didn't come from the "Top Down". It was a "bottom-up" solution - "How in the hell do we solve this problem?"

Overall Operation Just Cause resulted in 250-300 Panamanians dead. (Different sources show different numbers) But if the "Big Army" Assault plans had been carried out against those isolated Panamanian Army Garrisons, there would have been several thousand more Panamanians dead.

I am very proud that Roy Trumble, Kevin Higgins, and Gil Perez [and Dave McCracken] were able to propose this concept, and then pull it off with such amazing success.

Also attachment on the radio station hit (semi true -- only from the perspective of a select few).

[7624U]

Thanks.... I was the 1/504's Commanders RTO not a fun time to be a PFC on the Radio with everyone spread to hell all over the DZ and then later for our Air Assault on Tinajitas.

[miclo18d]

I too was a PFC and jumped on Torrijos Intl Apt with Cco 3/75. Woke up this morning thinking about this when I saw the date and told my wife that at this time (0600) we were waiting for the sun to come up eating breakfast next to a dead PDF soldier. The 82nd Bn had just jumped in and were trying to find their assembly points. Hilarity ensued.

[Golf1echo]

Thank you Joker...to Stop for a moment and think back to that time and just prior, very humbling on many levels. Had just gone through phase 2, Charlie course months earlier where we covered Nicaragua’s incursions into Honduras. Last night I watched several different perspectives on Just Cause... interesting. Refreshed many anecdotal stories and memories of friends involved... Respect for those of you who served, we were all rooting for you!

[Badger52]

Happy Anniversary to all who were there.

I recall the first time reading of what Joker shared at the top and chuckling to myself...
"Well... of course. Just call 'em up."

[TOMAHAWK9521]

31 years ago. It took me a while to get over being annoyed of having ETS’d about month before the operation finally got the green light after staging and being stood down so many times. Ah, well.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by TOMAHAWK9521

Ah, well.

I think we've all got a few of those in our system.

I said 'bye to a friend a couple weeks ago who jumped in with the 82nd. He fought a long battle with Ca and told me not long ago "welllllll, it was kind of a kluge but I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

So Bobby, AMF, and we'll have one on you and here's to Operation JUST CAUSE.

[1stindoor]

I was in language school and had just taken off for Christmas leave. I called back to 7th SFG to be told, "Oh, you're in 1st Bn...enjoy your leave."

[Golf1echo]

Before we move on I thought we could cover some of the war crimes that were committed by some of our soldiers and society in general at the time. Surely it was the saddest chapter in what today we call porn stashes...
I submit a couple but clearly big media has begun to censor some of the more horrific examples...

[sg1987]

Once my son was looking thru some old photo albums and spotted some pics of me in old BDU's. I stuck out my chest in anticipation of questions about my military exploits. Instead he exclaimed...."wow dad , you had quite a porn stashe!"

[tom kelly]

Popular trend with the crowd at PADDY'S IRISH PUB; 2606 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC. is the "MOLESTER MUSTACHE".

[abc_123]

Wow I have a funny story. In early 1991 I was a young Engineer Lieutenant going thu Ranger School (the first time). Did the medical red-cycle thing in Florida and then a drop. Was back at Benning in the lame/lazy platoon that was there to do the outprocessing walk of shame out of the 4th RTB.

We're in a formation with a 4th RTB Corporal in charge letting us know how fucked up we were, lazy, weak, unfit, unmotivated etc. etc. I'm in the last rank listening to all this.

Next to me was a SPC4 (Rgr Rgmt) from my platoon in Florida who was also getting dropped for some reason (I don't remember what).

At the end of the Corporal's ass-chewing he said, "You don't have what it takes to be Rangers." At which time the SPC4 commented (loudly), "that's bullshit.". The Corporal in front did the usual... "Who said that!, Who said that !"

The SPC4 next to me shouted back, "I said that. And that is total bullshit." "I have a CIB, a Ranger Scroll on my right shoulder, Combat Jump Wings and a Purple Heart that say I'm a Ranger. Where's yours?"

Hilarity ensued.

I don't remember his name (sadly), but that SPC4 was GTG .

[miclo18d]

Originally Posted by abc_123

Wow I have a funny story. In early 1991 I was a young Engineer Lieutenant going thu Ranger School (the first time). Did the medical red-cycle thing in Florida and then a drop. Was back at Benning in the lame/lazy platoon that was there to do the outprocessing walk of shame out of the 4th RTB.

We're in a formation with a 4th RTB Corporal in charge letting us know how fucked up we were, lazy, weak, unfit, unmotivated etc. etc. I'm in the last rank listening to all this.

Next to me was a SPC4 (Rgr Rgmt) from my platoon in Florida who was also getting dropped for some reason (I don't remember what).

At the end of the Corporal's ass-chewing he said, "You don't have what it takes to be Rangers." At which time he commented (loudly), "that's bullshit.". The Corporal in front did the usual... "Who said that!, Who said that !"

The SPC4 next to me shouted back, "I said that. And that is total bullshit." "I have a CIB, a Ranger Scroll on my right shoulder, Combat Jump Wings and a Purple Hart that say I'm a Ranger. Where's yours?"

Hilarity ensued.

I don't remember his name (sadly), but that SPC4 was GTG .

I went to Ranger School about a year after Just Cause and it was a running dare from Rgr Batt to call cadence and say, “RI, RI, look at me! I’m a PFC with a CIB!”

I didn’t have balls enough to do it....I wanted my Tab.