On this day in 1990, Panama’s General Manuel Antonio Noriega, after holing up for 10 days at the Vatican embassy in Panama City, surrendered to U.S. military troops to face charges of drug trafficking.
Noriega was flown to Miami the following day, and crowds of citizens on the streets of Panama City rejoiced.
The U.S. launched its invasion of Panama on December 20, 1989. Although the killing of a Marine was the ostensible reason for the invasion, the operation had been planned for months before his death.
The move was the largest military action by the U.S. since the Vietnam War and included more than 27,000 soldiers and 300 aircraft.
The invasion began with a bombing campaign targeting Noriega's private vehicles and the PDF headquarters in Panama City. Several slums in the middle of the city were destroyed as a result
Twenty-three U.S. soldiers were killed in operation, including two that were killed by friendly fire; 324 soldiers were injured. Casualties among the Panamanian forces were much higher, between 300 and 845.
Noriega received several warnings about the invasion from individuals within his government; However, he initially disbelieved them, and they grew more frequent as the invasion drew near, eventually convincing Noriega to go on the run.
Noriega used several subterfuges, including lookalikes and playbacks of his recorded voice, to confuse U.S. surveillance regarding his whereabouts.
The last two days of his flight were spent partly with his ally Jorge Krupnick, an arms dealer also wanted by the U.S
On the fifth day of the invasion, Noriega and four others took sanctuary in the Apostolic Nunciature, the Holy See's embassy in Panama. Having threatened to flee to the countryside and lead guerrilla warfare if not given refuge, he instead turned over most of his weapons. He requested sanctuary from Archbishop José Sebastián Laboa, the papal nuncio.
Prevented by a treaty from invading the Holy See's embassy, U.S. soldiers from Delta Force erected a perimeter around the Nunciature. Attempts to dislodge Noriega from within included gunning vehicle engines, turning a nearby field into a landing pad for helicopters, and playing rock music at loud volumes (Van Halen cassette tape provided by Special Forces Sergeant John Bishop).
After ten days, Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990.
He was detained as a prisoner of war and later taken to the United States.
On July 10, 1992, the former dictator was convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
#ThisDayInHistory
January 3, 1990
I was stationed in Panama during Operation JUST CAUSE... as I recall, the songs Special Ops played almost continuously were "I Fought the Law" (Clash version), "Welcome to the Jungle" (Gun N' Roses), and "Wanted Dead or Alive" (Bon Jovi).
Van Halen would definitely do it for me too.