Operation Just Cause - Working with Legs
 

Imagine if you will an eight man Strategic Recon Team from 2/7. All key members are experienced HALO Sky Kings. The Team in question recently had the top three finishers in certification in Panama. Came off an intensive six month training cycle in Panama. Knew the next operation would be in Panama. Team Leader is a WO with CCN experience. Team Sergeant former Batt Boy who supported the Iran Op. Two really good demo guys, one of the best commo guys in Group, and two cherry weapons guys that just joined the Team for what all thought would be the upcoming social event. And the medic, well, the medic...

So, this Team deploys to Panama for 7 months for 3rd Batt augmentation. Really good training, several run ins with the Dignity Battalions, etc. The Team is there for the short-lived coup in which Noriega is taken, but told to stand down. The Team then re-deploys to Bragg and goes to Ft. Bliss for a HALO-HAHO-HAMO train up. Because hey! Nothing's going to happen before Christmas right? Group CSM comes to Bliss - "Best training I've seen all year!" The Team then goes on block leave. Because hey! No way anything's going to happen before Xmas.

Then hey! Something happens before Xmas! The medic's gringa Minion of Satan, "Better wake up, there's shooting in Panama on the news."

Medic, "There's always shooting in Panama. Holy shit!"

So the medic goes to the Team Room just on the off chance another Team needs a fill. And his whole Team is already there! No call in nothing. Team Sergeant drove all the way back from NY. All night.

"SGM, we're ready."

"No birds."

Said medic lived across the street from the JSOC AF liaison officer.

"Bob, we need a ride to the dance."

"You and every other son of a bitch on Bragg. Wait one. I've got a C5A headed down in the morning."

"We'll take it!"

So the Team gets to the dance. Sent to Rio Hato to clear the way for the B Team. The war is won, but "they're going to guerrilla warfare and try to drag it out!" B Team comes in and kicks out Team out of Noriegas beach house. BASTARDS!

Batallion Commander and CSM - "You have a mission. This Detachment will be the 7th Group QRF country-wide. We have A Teams deployed here, here and here. You have one MH 53 on stand by. Questions?"

Now medic knows SF doctrine and this ain't it. "Sir, let me see if I've got this straight. There are A Teams spread out all over this country. All of them bigger than ours. Everybody and their grandmother is worried about them going guerrilla and wiping out a Team."

"Right"

"And you and this came up with a plan."

"Right"

"And the plan is, in case something happens to 12 guys, to put 8 more in to die with them? That's the stupidest fookin' plan I ever heard."

"Righ...wait!"

So there we were with a mission.

Next day
 

Battalion CDR - " Do you guys have a sniper and a rifle?"

The medic, "Roger that! I am one of Longrange's Elite Fightin' Force! Just trained during our last trip. I can shoot a canary off a fence post at 300 meters!"

"Good, this guy, former Macho de Monte Captain, is the prime candidate for leader of the resistance. His mother lives here. Go there and shoot him."

So they plan. Plan is to take the Team (all eight of them) out on a patrol with the 7th ID (Light)(Mushroomhead). make a lot of noise infilling, walk around some, and make a lot of noise exfilling. Leaving the Sniper/medic and spotter (cherry 18B) behind to do a damn damn on the good Captain/G leader.

Off they go with an Apocolypse Now helo formation. Walk around 'till dark, then move and set up near a trail (might get lucky). Mushroomheads all around. One SF guy near each squad (might get unlucky). Our medic hero decides since he's the shooter, no guard duty for him and proceeds to rest eyes. About 0500, Medic Hero hears the safety click off on an M60 in his pos.

Mushroomhead Gunner, "Sarge, there's people coming up the trail."

"Ok, well let's get ready, but NOBODY shoot until I do."

"Sarge, here they come!" Clackers being picked up, safeties going click.

"Tell them to HALT! Sarge, sarge!"

"You tell them!"

"I don't speak Spanish!"

"Hold your fire you leg bitch! You shoot and I'll shoot you."

About that time a squad of Panamanian school girls, replete in in blue plaid skirts and bookbags, turns the corner on the trail. A good 10-12 of them.

Giggling. "Buenos dias." In Spanish "Oooh, that medic dude is cute! But he looks sneaky."

See, in that part of the world, its not uncommon for kids to have to walk 2-3 hours to get to school. And they leave early. Our A Team knew this and managed to avert what otherwise could have been a tragedy of historical and international proprotions.

Moral of the story - best to know your AO.

Great story! Thanks for sharing.

What ultimately happened to the Macho de Monte Captain?

Ah, but that's a whole other story.:D

Re: Next day
 

For some reason, that cracks me up. :D

Great story NDD.

I could read this forum all day and night.

Great story, and well written, too.

Solid

..........

Re: Operation Just Cause - Working with Legs
 

Is that the beach house south of the Rio Hato runways with the island just off-shore?

If so, I was there in 2001. The runways are grown over, and a highway bisects them now. The only significant furniture remaining in the beach house is a large broken conference table as I recall. I don't know if the table dates back to Noriega's time, or if it ame after he was evicted.

A cross was put up on the island, where the locals told me that Noriega fed people to the sharks at night.

That's the one. The highway was there IIRC, they closed it to land the aircraft. The conference table was there and probably the same one. I don't know how it was broke.

The cross was on the island, I think the shark thing is local rural legend.

Pineapple Face
 

When I was at Rio Hato with 2/7 SFG during Just Cause / Promote Liberty, the locals called Noriega "Pineapple Face," I thought that was funny. I remember rummaging through that beach house, it was nice and almost everything in it was destroyed anyway. I also remember shooting at that island with a .50 cal trying to set that pavillion on fire with the tracers. The 7th ID tried to hit it with mortars from a mile away but miscalculated and almost hit our camp. Sometimes the bad guys would try to sneak up on us at night in their boats, using the shadow of the island for concealment. Flares would go up and they would go away for a couple nights. I really don't have any thrilling stories to tell about Panama, but it's nice to know that that little conflict hasn't been forgotten.

I've always fondly referred to those clowns as the "crushed beer can patch".

SOB's tried to kill me at Rio Hato when they shot at movement outside their perimeter.. Since they were too late to relieve 2/75 in place, they set up their own "secure" perimeter, which just happened to be inside the secured 2/75 perimeter... so now I'm laying on my back in my 6" grave watching green tracers come in my perimeter through the head high elephant grass, and the red tracers from the "clowns" heading out...

Don't forget the great showing by the Stealth Fighter.... great marksmanship... moving your primary target to hit the comissary.... only about 1000m off target.

Noriega was at Rio Hato when we jumped, but hauled ass...

My JM leaned back in from his door check, and yelled out "DZ is Hot !!!". Red and Green Tracers crisscrossing behind his head and the "ting, ting" of the rounds hitting the bird after he spoke, was a great annunciation of his statement.

We lost two Brothers that first night..... SPC Philip Lear and PFC John Mark Price

RIP Brothers.

The Beach House
 

The Front Door was opened with a LAW, which sailed right through the glass door (if I remember correctly) and straight out the back door, narrowly avoiding the Ranger fire team that was approaching from the outside. C Co Boys hit the house, while B Co hit the barracks, and A Co went after the Rhino vehicles. We had a company from 3/75, can't remember if they secured the DZ or had another mission.

You do have a gift for story telling, Thanks

I laughed my ass off after reading this......the only thing better than reading it would have been watching it happen....;)

TS