HQ$History - United States Special Operations Command

second pass, one pilot saw movement in the trees
and, believing they were PDF soldiers, fired
upon the Rangers, killing two and wounding
four. The movement of the Rangers into the tree
line had not been radioed to the AH-6 pilots.
Having secured the military complex on 20
December, the Rangers conducted follow-on missions
out of Rio Hato for the next three days. At
2200 on 20 December, Company A, 2nd BN left
Rio Hato aboard special operations helicopters
and, at 0230 on the 21st, took over security for
the American Embassy in Panama City. That
Rangers used this type of jeep at Rio Hato.
same day, the Rangers participated in one of the
early surrender missions—what became known
as the “Ma Bell” Campaign—when COL Kernan
brought the PDF leaders of the Penonome
Prison and 6th Military Zone Headquarters to
Rio Hato to discuss their forces’ surrender.
Later, with an AC-130H circling overhead, the
3rd BN’ Company A accepted the surrender of
the town’s garrison; then, the Rangers demonstrated
a “dry run” assault on the prison, showing
the Panamanians what would have happened
to them if they had resisted. Word of this
display of force and surrender quickly spread
throughout the remaining cuartels in the countryside.
After relocating to Howard AFB, the
Rangers, in conjunction with SF soldiers, conducted
the “Ma Bell” surrender of David, a major
city in western Panama.
The Rangers also performed stability operations
in areas around Panama City. In response
to civil disturbances and continued PDF and
Dignity Battalion (Noriega’s paramilitary sup-
42
porters) activities, the 2nd BN, 75th Rangers set
up operations in Area of Operation (AO) Diaz, an
area containing the towns of Alcalde Diaz and
Las Cumbres, on 27 December. With the assistance
of PSYOP forces, they created a visible
American presence by establishing checkpoints
and blocking positions, and running “saturation”
patrols and night ambushes. While in AO Diaz,
the Rangers rounded up former PDF and
Dignity Battalion members and seized several
caches of weapons. The American presence of
Rangers, PSYOP, and CA soldiers stabilized the
area and allowed the new government
to reestablish control.
The Rangers came out of
Panama with a number of lessons
learned. The tactical plan
was well prepared, coordinated,
and rehearsed, enabling the successful
completion of their missions.
JUST CAUSE validated
the Rangers’ mission essential
procedures and techniques, and
their responsiveness to contingencies.
Lessons learned included
recognizing the importance of
intelligence gathering and management;
planning logistical support
for follow-on missions;
emphasizing training and equipping the regiment
for military operations in urban areas; and
enhancing the regiment’s interaction with conventional
and joint forces through the use of liaison
elements.
Task Force WHITE
On 19 December 1989, TF WHITE, the NSW
component of the JSOTF, established operations
at Rodman Naval Station on the west side of the
Panama Canal. The task force consisted of five
SEAL platoons, three patrol boats, four riverine
patrol boats, and two light patrol boats (22-foot
Boston Whalers), which were divided among
four task units. Each task unit had its own H-
hour mission: Task Unit (TU) Papa, the largest
unit, was to deny use of the Paitilla Airfield; TU
Whiskey was to destroy a Panamanian patrol
boat in Balboa Harbor; TU Charlie and TU
Foxtrot were charged with securing, respectively,
the Atlantic and Pacific entrances to the
Panama Canal.