A sad sight

Inflexible Six · 07-27-2012, 08:29

Barracks at Ft Sherman, Panama

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a53...ortSherman.jpg

(sorry, the image didn't link...please delete)

Link restored by Richard

Hacksaw · 06-19-2013, 05:53

The second house on the left was my old home, 618A I think. All those places were renovated between 1997 and 1999. Turning that place over exemplifies the stupidity of our foreign policies....thanks Jimmie.

ntuit1 · 06-27-2013, 04:55

Great memories of that place. Remember coming out of the aircraft in Sep '79 and looking down. On first glimpse, Gatun looked like a mowed field in the middle of the jungle. Lol...moments later you can't see your buddy 10m away on the ground. Some knucklet lost his weapon in that grass. Had helicopters hovering for hours trying to find it.

One of the best obstacle courses there at Sherman, too.

kgoerz · 06-27-2013, 07:56

I heard the economy in Panama has been booming . New roads, high rise buildings, tons of construction. You can cross over on the new highway in 30 minutes.

**Joker** · 06-27-2013, 15:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgoerz

I heard the economy in Panama has been booming . New roads, high rise buildings, tons of construction. You can cross over on the new highway in 30 minutes.

It's a facade (much like Dubai). Get away from the main drags of 1/2 empty buildings into the slums...

**PRB** · 06-27-2013, 17:23

Too bad all the way round...much like Tolz was for the 10th Gp guys...that great place away from the flagpole.
I went thru the jungle expert school sometime in '73 (of course after my tour in RVN, that made sense) and got the worst sunburn of my life prior to day one on one of the beaches, can't remember the name but lots of beer etc....
Humping my ruck with those blisters was a great "stupid is as stupid does" few days.
To bad we've given up our Colonies.....

longrange1947 · 07-27-2012, 09:39

Not sure sure, but that may be housing and not barracks.

ChuckG · 07-27-2012, 10:07

Looks like quarters to me. Hard to believe that they would let it got to hell like this, but everyone there at the time said that this is what would happen.

Richard · 07-27-2012, 10:14

I have memories of passing back and forth through "The Zone" pre- and post-Carter and the PCC, and its return to the Panamanian Government; the changes which began taking place due to their neglect of the infrastructure were almost immediate and I can imagine what the areas look like today.

And so it goes...

Richard

**PRB** · 07-27-2012, 11:10

Grass looks cut though...maybe sched for tear down....Bubba H lives down there now. I'll ask him whats up with the Post.

Inflexible Six · 07-27-2012, 11:38

Thank you for restoring the link.

IIRC those were the quarters.

UWOA (RIP) · 03-03-2013, 23:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckG

Looks like quarters to me. Hard to believe that they would let it got to hell like this, but everyone there at the time said that this is what would happen.

I've got older pictures of the place when I went back in '96 to do research for my second novel. Sherman was the only active post on the Atlantic side as I remember. Both Davis and Gulick were closed and turned over to the Panamanians.

I have a forty-two foot sailboat that I keep in Florida and spend some time on the sailing forums ... one of which provided info that the area where the barracks used to be for JOTC (near the theater) is now a marina. It's the only place where cruisers feel safe while making arrangements for a canal crossing. I went into Colon in '96 and it was pretty ugly then, from the 'cruiser' traffic it's gotten a lot worse.