By Army Maj. Cindi King
South Carolina National Guard
COLUMBIA, S.C., Dec. 19, 2014 - The South Carolina National Guard bid farewell last year to its final serving member from the Vietnam War, leaving a generation of soldiers with vastly different combat experience after numerous deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
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There are however, currently serving members who deployed in combat to other regions, sometimes overlooked after 13 years of continuous deployments for the Global War on Terror following the 9/11attacks-- including Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the invasion of Panama, an operation mounted to bring President Manuel Antonio Noriega to trial on drug trafficking charges. It was a time when relations between both countries had already begun to deteriorate because of political and human rights abuses carried out by the Noriega regime as well as the death of an American Marine at the hands of the Panamanian military. The operation began on Dec. 20, of that year when President George H.W. Bush ordered more than 9,500 soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen to join the already 13,000 U.S. forces stationed in Panama.
Guardsmen Recall the Panama Operation
The South Carolina Army National Guard still has three members who deployed in support of Operation Just Cause a quarter-century ago.
"I was a young infantry specialist serving in the 1st Ranger Battalion at Hunter Army Airfield," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Rudy Fontanez, supply specialist, Company A, 218th Combat Support Battalion. "We had been training weeks before using a scenario of an airfield seizure. We had no idea at the time that was the rehearsal for what we were going to be asked to do in Panama."
Fontanez served on active duty from 1987 to 1991, joining the South Carolina Army National Guard in 1992.
The Ranger battalions would rotate for block leaves. According to Fontanez, troops with his unit were preparing to begin their scheduled block leave for the holidays, when they were unexpectedly called back to their units with leave cancelled.
Just Before Christmas
"It was right before Christmas, so as soon as we reported, within two days we had an operations order, conducted rehearsals, and were ready to go," Fontanez recalled.
His unit parachuted into an airfield in Panama under cover of darkness from a C-141 aircraft with nearly 3,000 other Army Rangers, taking small-arms fire that wounded some of those aboard.
"There was a lot of chaos on the ground, as you can imagine," Fontanez said. "Once we came in, we secured the airfield for follow-on units to arrive."
The Rangers' assignment was to stay until the airfield was in the control of other U.S. units to begin their operations and movement. Soon after this mission, Fontanez's unit would prepare to deploy to the Middle East and the first Gulf War which drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
The 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina was another unit that deployed to Panama. The senior noncommissioned officer from the Recruiting and Retention battalion in the South Carolina Army National Guard, Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Elvis, was a paratrooper in the 82nd when he was alerted to mobilize for Operation Just Cause.
"I was a SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) gunner and specialist in B Company, 4th Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division," Elvis recalled. "We were just getting ready to go on Christmas block leave and were standing in line in the chow hall when we got the notification."
Elvis said an announcement came over the loudspeaker for an Alpha alert, in which everyone had to report as part of the reaction force. This was not uncommon for units designated for first response. He said they knew it was not a typical emergency deployment readiness drill when they saw live ammunition.
"Many in the ranks left for work on Dec. 18, saying goodbye to their families not knowing they would be mobilizing," Elvis said.
Paratroopers Arrive
On Dec. 20, 1989, almost 1,000 paratroopers from Elvis's unit jumped-in via C-141 aircraft through the darkness into a civilian airfield in Panama and immediately received small-arms fire.
"I remember seeing the tracer rounds all around us and thinking what have I gotten myself into," Elvis said. "We saw a lot of contact after we hit the ground, as our follow-on missions after securing the airfield were to conduct patrols, pull security and conduct checkpoints."
Once the order was given to transition from air to ground operations, the use of armored vehicles was critical to get into the fortified areas around Noriega's headquarters.
Maj. Dave King, the South Carolina Army National Guard Director for the State Partnership Program with Colombia, was a young lieutenant in 1989 and a member of 4-6th Infantry Battalion, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. His unit had deployed to Panama in September of that year as part of an ongoing rotation of U.S. forces securing the Panama Canal.
Combat Deployment
"Back then as an infantryman the expectation of actually seeing combat did not seem likely, unlike today's soldiers who know they will be called to deploy," King said. "It was mid-December when we knew we were going to be part of the invasion."
King's team augmented other units with mechanized infantry assets for the night-time assault on Noriega's headquarters. The battle at the headquarters is remembered as the bloodiest of the operation, with four U.S. soldiers killed and more than 60 wounded.
"We lost two soldiers in our battalion, Cpl. Ivan Perez and Pvt. Kenneth Scott," he said.
Noriega Surrenders
It was Jan. 3, 1990, when Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces. The dictator was put aboard a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and flown to then-Howard Air Force Base in Panama, where he was arrested by officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Shortly after word spread about Noriega's surrender, civilians in Panama began celebrating in the streets.
"The civilians we met were so grateful we were there," Fontanez said. "I remember while we were patrolling on New Year's Eve, we ran into a small group of locals who insisted we take a moment to celebrate the New Year with them."
Elvis said the U.S. troops' presence at the checkpoints was very much appreciated by Panamanians. "We had regulars who would visit us and bring us drinks, baked goods and food to show their appreciation," Elvis recalled.
Elvis said he learned a valuable lesson in Panama that he always shares with his soldiers today: to always be considerate of the local people when deploying to another country. He said it was Christmas Day and he thought it would be great for his soldiers to be able to call home to wish their families Merry Christmas. These were the days before cell phones, so their easiest option was to enter a hotel to borrow the telephone.
"We did not think about us going in a hotel with all of our tactical gear and how our live weapons would impact the guests," Elvis said. "We had to reassure everyone we just wanted to use the phone and were not trying to seize the hotel."
Panamanians Welcome U.S. Troops
King said another important lesson Operation Just Cause taught him was the importance of squad- and platoon-level infantry training. He said when operating in an urban combat environment, the skills of small-unit tactics is crucial.
During Operation Just Cause, 23 U.S. service members were killed and more than 300 were wounded. Still, Pentagon planners, including former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Edward C. Meyer called the mission one of the best-conceived operations.
A Quarter-century After Operation Just Cause
The members of the South Carolina Army National Guard who saw combat during Operation Just Cause said they have no special plans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the mission.
"I can't believe it's been 25 years," Fontanez said. "I never really thought about it. As the years go by, the memories seem to fade about those days."
"I still run into soldiers from years ago from active duty," King said. "One of my young soldiers became a Command Sergeant Major, who I saw again during combat operations in Iraq. It was quite fitting he served at the beginning of his career in combat with the 4-6th Infantry in Panama and was winding it down as the battalion command sergeant major of the same unit in Iraq."
With little fanfare about Operation Just Cause over the years, these soldiers still recall those moments as young troops going to combat for the first time. Each has had follow-on deployments to the Middle East.
"We didn't have cell phones or the Internet in Panama to know what was going on everywhere," Fontanez said. "I heard more about the operation from talking to family who were watching CNN."
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