The invasion was set just a few days after the death of a Marine Corspman was killed in Panama City after the Panamanian general assembly declared war on the United States, but the die was cast for the invasion months earlier.

George H.W. Bush, director of the CIA in the late 70s, was President then and Noriega was a known CIA asset, who was playing both sides of the trafficking of drugs and laundering of money.

The objectives of the invasion were this:

Quote:

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Bush further identified four objectives of the invasion:

Safeguarding the lives of U.S. citizens in Panama.
In his statement, Bush stated that Noriega had declared that a state of war existed between the U.S. and Panama and had threatened the lives of the approximately 35,000 U.S. citizens living there.

There had been numerous clashes between U.S. and Panamanian forces; one U.S. Marine had been killed a few days earlier.

Defending democracy and human rights in Panama.

Combating drug trafficking. Panama had become a center for drug money laundering and a transit point for drug trafficking to the U.S. and Europe.

Protecting the integrity of the TorrijosCarter Treaties. Members of Congress and others in the U.S. political establishment claimed that Noriega threatened the neutrality of the Panama Canal, and that the U.S. had the right under the treaties to intervene militarily to protect the canal.

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I was 4 when this happened, does anyone have any insight on what happened? I think it's well known at this point that the intelligence agencies were helping fuel narco-terrorism so that they could recoup black-box money to fund their operations...

Makes me wonder if GWB looked up at his old man's playbook for justification to invade Iraq, post 9/11.

I remember this was the first time F117s were used and became known to the public.

I actually remember having a poster of an F117 Nighthawk in my bedroom in the early 90s.

Looking back now that is pretty odd -- or sus, as the kids say it nowadays.

This is a good read about it in addition to any responses you get here.

https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Panama-Strongman-Murdered-Invasion/dp/1400248604/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=323JJ1IRHQA68&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vncecvf_P9WbixDltgN5_zJzPhEJim69pgHaByjgsJq2gM0o_W6vGbkc8_P0jE07VSHV35xSF2o_wu0a8PNb5XSTEc-Y_6wNLT7LI2zbWW9Juca_TFRwIC3DbUwi7bbY.TBz8m7fBJX2d6PAPI3hC4uqLbkdoBdnepmciCdNrMQk&dib_tag=se&keywords=ghosts+of+panama+mark+harmon&qid=1766636044&sprefix=ghosts+of+pan%2Caps%2C372&sr=8-1

Father in laws buddy has a bunch of stuff from Noriega's Office that they took when they extracted him.

TECHNICALLY, they didn't take anything but…

Gigem_94 said:

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I remember this was the first time F117s were used and became known to the public.

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Was is also the first combat use of Humvees?

CrackerJackAg said:

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Father in laws buddy has a bunch of stuff from Noriega's Office that they took when they extracted him.

TECHNICALLY, they didn't take anything but…

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The military was pretty worried about us looting things we found along the way and rode us pretty hard not to do it, telling us we would have to clear customs before boarding the plane to go home. And we did. Where our battalion commander got caught with a box of ammo in his ruck sack. lol For our efforts the Army did give all of us AK-47 bayonets as a souvenir so that was cool.

torrid said:

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Gigem_94 said:

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I remember this was the first time F117s were used and became known to the public.

---

Was is also the first combat use of Humvees?

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I know we had them down there and there wasn't much action from the end of Viet Nam til Panama.

I had a family member who worked for the 4th Psychological Operations Group back then.

She said she helped put together the play list for the music they blared at the Vatican Embassy 24/7 to get them to turn over Noriega.

EDIT: Supposedly, this Spotify Playlist is pretty accurate - if you ever want to drive someone out of your house.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VGlbfQvcSXggt2r2gYrun

Noreiga = Cara de Pina
He was so ugly from acne scars, Panamanians called him Pineapple Face.

Operation Acid Gambit - https://www.military.com/history/operation-acid-gambit-how-army-special-forces-rescued-american-hostage-noriegas-panama.html

Some details are now coming out.

Also, the SEALs had a few missions - Read somewhere the Patilla airfield mission was fubar but an officer wanted the large force for recognition and glory. Could have been done by a sniper team outside the airport, with a shot thru the Lear jet as recommended by Lt Cmdr Mike Walsh. They rejected his recommendations. Got 4 SEALs killed.

http://www.specwarnet.net/miscinfo/patilla.htm

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2025/05/video-fmr-delta-force-operator-shares-dangerous-hostage-rescue-story/

Queso1 said:

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Just another criminal we did business with until he was no longer useful.

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Good thought experiment… If you do business with a criminal, what does that make you?

He was an ugly chap, no doubt. I am not sure we'll ever get a 'full' accounting of his activities back in the 80's but I do think this ancient piece paints a fair-ish picture. He was more clever/smarter than his general image/memory nowadays would indicate, imho.

Fun factoid/conspiracy going back to 1981 and before, when his predecessor's plane crashed into a mountain after, supposedly, the CIA had moved a beacon to facilitate this 'tragedy.' (The CIA hated Omar Torrijos Herrera/had attempted to overthrow him earlier, though of course the Tito-admiring strongman found a willing pal in Jimmy Carter to give the canal away to. Jimmy never met a strong man he didn't love.)

Investigative author Cillian Dunne found documented proof that the CIA & DEA were working with Manuel Noriega - the dictator of Panama who doubled as a major drug trafficker.

He exposes how our intelligence agencies support criminal acts abroad to gain influence in foreign… pic.twitter.com/VMGbLhQFpd

— Danny Jones (@JonesDanny) November 2, 2025

There aren't many countries in South/Central America where 'we' haven't installed/overthrown at least 3 different governments, and played a significant role in the drug trades etc.

LOYAL AG said:

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torrid said:

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Gigem_94 said:

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I remember this was the first time F117s were used and became known to the public.

---

Was is also the first combat use of Humvees?

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I know we had them down there and there wasn't much action from the end of Viet Nam til Panama.

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Grenada?

Father in law was a loadmaster on C-5s and C-130s…….he "disappeared" for a few days after a quick call up. The Wife and her sister asked him about it when he got home, and he just smiled.

redacted? night stalkers dont quit

so was Noriega a pre-Maduro, or did the US do him dirty?

i suppose it all depends. Seems like he was playing nice in controlling The Canal, but when it wasn't useful, he was deposed.

BadMoonRisin said:

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redacted? night stalkers dont quit

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yes sir. They played a major role in the success of the overall mission.

moses84 said:

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Operation Acid Gambit - https://www.military.com/history/operation-acid-gambit-how-army-special-forces-rescued-american-hostage-noriegas-panama.html

Some details are now coming out.

Also, the SEALs had a few missions - Read somewhere the Patilla airfield mission was fubar but an officer wanted the large force for recognition and glory. Could have been done by a sniper team outside the airport, with a shot thru the Lear jet as recommended by Lt Cmdr Mike Walsh. They rejected his recommendations. Got 4 SEALs killed.

http://www.specwarnet.net/miscinfo/patilla.htm

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2025/05/video-fmr-delta-force-operator-shares-dangerous-hostage-rescue-story/

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You gotta have some big balls to go on a mission named Acid Gambit.

From memory and on my phone

On at least two occasions prior the DEA wanted to arrest Manuel Noriega and both times were told to stand down.

He was untouchable until he told the CIA he didn't want to allow the training of a group of fighters (can't remember at the moment who) in his territory and that he couldn't support US efforts against one of his friends.


I am also confident as an aside he was one of our main if not primary representatives for dealing with Cuba for years.

fc2112 said:

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I had a family member who worked for the 4th Psychological Operations Group back then.

She said she helped put together the play list for the music they blared at the Vatican Embassy 24/7 to get them to turn over Noriega.

EDIT: Supposedly, this Spotify Playlist is pretty accurate - if you ever want to drive someone out of your house.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VGlbfQvcSXggt2r2gYrun

---

The original Rickroll...heh. I remember the blasting of music, but did not know Never Gonna Give You Up was on the list.

Yes, he was pals with Castro undoubtedly. Another part of Jimmy Carter's man crush on him.

Quote:

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Manuel Noriega spied on Fidel Castro for the United States and briefed the CIA both before and after a Havana meeting that prosecutors allege was held to settle a cocaine squabble, a CIA agent testified Monday.

Donald Winters said he met with Noriega every 10 to 15 days while serving as the CIA's senior agent in Panama from 1984 to 1986. The deposed Panamanian dictator frequently provided information about Cuban and Central American affairs, Winters said.
…
Noriega met again with Winters after his return from Havana and reported on several key 'talking points' contained in the paper, Winters said.

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More at the link. I figure if a Donald Winters-equivalent had been 'in charge' still for the CIA in the late 80's/early 90's the Company would have handled the situation differently. William Webster just passed away this year, but is an under-covered official from the era who had been both Jimmy's FBI director and George HW Bush's CIA director, covering up scandals in each tenure, among other things.

Reminder that USAID (a CIA proxy from the get go) functionally was enlarged tremendously early in Reagan's presidency (1981). Money and safeguards (always inadequate) rapidly spiraled out of control (at least back then it was nominally in the name of 'fighting communism'), and Iran Contra was just bait vs. what all was really going on.

What did I tell you about us fighting The Ghost Of Ronald Reagan. https://t.co/vrR1ABcf53 pic.twitter.com/j719K5PLuw

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) February 22, 2025

Ronald Reagan, George Soros, & The Secret CIA History Of The 1980s pic.twitter.com/xOhLz207BB

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) September 27, 2023

moses84 said:

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Operation Acid Gambit - https://www.military.com/history/operation-acid-gambit-how-army-special-forces-rescued-american-hostage-noriegas-panama.html

Some details are now coming out.

Also, the SEALs had a few missions - Read somewhere the Patilla airfield mission was fubar but an officer wanted the large force for recognition and glory. Could have been done by a sniper team outside the airport, with a shot thru the Lear jet as recommended by Lt Cmdr Mike Walsh. They rejected his recommendations. Got 4 SEALs killed.

http://www.specwarnet.net/miscinfo/patilla.htm

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2025/05/video-fmr-delta-force-operator-shares-dangerous-hostage-rescue-story/

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I believe development group was there as well.

Wheatables02 said:

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moses84 said:

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Operation Acid Gambit - https://www.military.com/history/operation-acid-gambit-how-army-special-forces-rescued-american-hostage-noriegas-panama.html

Some details are now coming out.

Also, the SEALs had a few missions - Read somewhere the Patilla airfield mission was fubar but an officer wanted the large force for recognition and glory. Could have been done by a sniper team outside the airport, with a shot thru the Lear jet as recommended by Lt Cmdr Mike Walsh. They rejected his recommendations. Got 4 SEALs killed.

http://www.specwarnet.net/miscinfo/patilla.htm

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2025/05/video-fmr-delta-force-operator-shares-dangerous-hostage-rescue-story/

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I believe development group was there as well.

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I met some Green Berets there. And a few we speculated to be Delta based attire and grooming.

Hey Nav said:

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I was in the lead C-130 that dropped Rangers on Torrijos-Tocumen. Thank goodness is was about freezing when we took off into the night from Georgia - we were very very heavy.

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Read that was a 7 hour flight then the drop was at 500 ft. Wow. Great job!

LOYAL AG said:

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Wheatables02 said:

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moses84 said:

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Operation Acid Gambit - https://www.military.com/history/operation-acid-gambit-how-army-special-forces-rescued-american-hostage-noriegas-panama.html

Some details are now coming out.

Also, the SEALs had a few missions - Read somewhere the Patilla airfield mission was fubar but an officer wanted the large force for recognition and glory. Could have been done by a sniper team outside the airport, with a shot thru the Lear jet as recommended by Lt Cmdr Mike Walsh. They rejected his recommendations. Got 4 SEALs killed.

http://www.specwarnet.net/miscinfo/patilla.htm

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2025/05/video-fmr-delta-force-operator-shares-dangerous-hostage-rescue-story/

---

I believe development group was there as well.

---

I met some Green Berets there. And a few we speculated to be Delta based attire and grooming.

---

https://www.navysealmuseum.org/naval-special-warfare/operation-just-cause-navy-seals-panama

Cuba threatened to shoot down any US aircraft that entered Cuban Airspace. We were supposed to pick up fighter escorts out of Florida but for some reason they were unable to launch. Maybe tanker support? I can't remember, I was thrown on the mission last second. Of course, we had to clip a portion of Cuban Airspace without fighters. We had a couple of out of regs non crew members in flight suits on board. I asked them who they were. The response: "whoever you want us to be". They did their thing and we did ours. I assumed they were Delta or some other secret squirrel types.

BadMoonRisin said:

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so was Noriega a pre-Maduro, or did the US do him dirty?

i suppose it all depends. Seems like he was playing nice in controlling The Canal, but when it wasn't useful, he was deposed.

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I'm old enough to remember this. I also remember the rock music blasting and the incredible collections of shoes his wife had.

annie88 said:

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I'm old enough to remember this. I also remember the rock music blasting and the incredible collections of shoes his wife had.

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I mean, it still stands to be questioned. Was Maduro put up by our own country to launder money through?

I think the answer is unequivocally yes.

I think that's why you are seeing insane leftist cry about his ouster.

Trump is severing the funding of the left -- we just never knew it was through foreign bank accounts, money laundering through ukraine, and having stupid ******s in Minnesota complete the circle.

You're thinking of Imelda Marcos of the Phillipines.