Having spent most of my time in Panama in rural areas away
from the City, I never got a sense of lingering animosity towards Americans.
Sure, I hear questions about American gun violence, our constant wars and why
we would elect a raging racist lunatic as President. But, that is more
puzzlement than animosity or dislike. Besides, we came out looking like the
Good Guys when we gave Panama the Canal and all its trappings, right?
This morning, I met a man who did hold a grudge and was
determined to explain why, albeit in a very civil tone. His name was “Jimmy”
Vegas, a former Colonel in the Panama Defense Force – a paramilitary wing of
the National Police, as Panama officially had no military. To start with, his
father was an MP with the US Army in the Canal Zone and left his mother and 3
sisters when Jimmy was 12. Beyond that, he was with the PDF during “Operation Just
Cause” (which he simply calls The Invasion) and witnessed first-hand the many
abuses and violence of the US Military invasion troops.
He felt the whole invasion was unnecessary, as there were
many in the PDF who would have been very willing to help the CIA or Special
Forces capture Noriega. In fact, he was part of the attempted coup 2 months
before the invasion, but was never discovered. He says the biggest US blunder
was a lack of intelligence – not knowing where Noriega was at any given time.
Noriega and the PDF knew well in advance that the Invasion was coming and he
moved 2 or 3 times a day. Jimmy was told of the Invasion 3 days before it came
and was given orders to “stand-down” and give no resistance to US Forces. Why
Noriega did not escape, either by boat or air, puzzles him.
He does not begrudge the US for wanting to capture Noriega, but
feels that the way they did it was horribly and unnecessarily wrong. While
there were some tactical strikes to destroy Noriega’s boats and aircraft,
Panamanians were aghast at the huge 29,000+ force that attacked the City with
tanks, gunships and RPGs. He watched as thousands of civilians were rounded up
and sent to holding camps – basically anyone who was out on the streets, old
ladies and children included, many of whom were beaten if they resisted. Some
were shot for fleeing.
Just as bad was the property destruction caused. Jimmy was
at the PDF HQ when it was attacked. While he escaped with just a broken hand,
the attack caused fires to spread rapidly through the shantys of an adjacent
poor neighborhood. Even worse, fire and rescue were prevented by the US Military
and hundreds of civilians died or were injured and thousands left homeless.
There were also 2 civilian apartment complexes that were attacked by gunships
for unknown reasons. Many more were injured there.
As the walls closed in on Noriega, he fled to the Vatican
Embassy for shelter and the US Military famously used loud rock music to drive
him out. No one in the area could sleep for days. Thus, Jimmy views the
transfer of the Canal to Panama, not as a gift, but as something paid for by
the destruction, deaths and disabilities needlessly caused by the US.
While my “Peace Corps Card” got me off the hook, he was
insistent that I let my fellow Americans know what “really” happened – which
obligation I have now fulfilled.
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