I arrived in the Republic of Panama during the Noriega years. The place was in turmoil and it was only a matter of time before the United States took some action. Usually, the Department of State has some plan in place for dealing with rouge leader's of other nations. Naturally, the Department of State has a sword for foreign policy and the U.S. military is its pointy end. Panama was a supposedly friendly nation. We had treaties in place of defense and trade. Everyone liked this peaceful coexistence, with a few exceptions. By the time I reported to my next command in August 1988, the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) had begun an adversarial relationship with the U.S. military in the Canal Zone (CZ). The day I took command of the Patrol Craft Fast number 9 (PCF-9) I was briefed that under no circumstances was I allow my craft to be boarded by the PDF. This lead to some very tense moments later on and with much weapons pointing by each side. The above photograph is the PCF-9. Most people call these "Swift Boats". Yes, the same type of boat that John F. Kerry commanded during Viet Nam. I was the Boat Captain and in charge of its maintenance, crew welfare, training, and fighting capability. She was a little hot rod of the river and coastal areas. She was officially a mark II which was an upgrade from the mark I's. This meant that she was a foot longer and 2 knots faster. The PCF-9 could reach 32 knots. She was well armed with a twin 50 caliber machine gun mount over the pilot house (which could spit a lot of death), a single 50 caliber machine gun over a 81mm mortar on the aft deck, two m-60 machine guns mounted port and starboard at just abaft of the deck house, plus two M-79 grenade launchers and some other small arms. She was dealing death and sowing destruction. It was my responsibility! The weight of command would be a heavy load, especially just before, during, and after "Operation Just Cause".
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Swift Boat Commander
I arrived in the Republic of Panama during the Noriega years. The place was in turmoil and it was only a matter of time before the United States took some action. Usually, the Department of State has some plan in place for dealing with rouge leader's of other nations. Naturally, the Department of State has a sword for foreign policy and the U.S. military is its pointy end. Panama was a supposedly friendly nation. We had treaties in place of defense and trade. Everyone liked this peaceful coexistence, with a few exceptions. By the time I reported to my next command in August 1988, the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) had begun an adversarial relationship with the U.S. military in the Canal Zone (CZ). The day I took command of the Patrol Craft Fast number 9 (PCF-9) I was briefed that under no circumstances was I allow my craft to be boarded by the PDF. This lead to some very tense moments later on and with much weapons pointing by each side. The above photograph is the PCF-9. Most people call these "Swift Boats". Yes, the same type of boat that John F. Kerry commanded during Viet Nam. I was the Boat Captain and in charge of its maintenance, crew welfare, training, and fighting capability. She was a little hot rod of the river and coastal areas. She was officially a mark II which was an upgrade from the mark I's. This meant that she was a foot longer and 2 knots faster. The PCF-9 could reach 32 knots. She was well armed with a twin 50 caliber machine gun mount over the pilot house (which could spit a lot of death), a single 50 caliber machine gun over a 81mm mortar on the aft deck, two m-60 machine guns mounted port and starboard at just abaft of the deck house, plus two M-79 grenade launchers and some other small arms. She was dealing death and sowing destruction. It was my responsibility! The weight of command would be a heavy load, especially just before, during, and after "Operation Just Cause".
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2 comments:
interesting read, I remember the weapons pointing alot, I was with the 1097th Boat Comp, assigned to Rodman, working with SBU and Seals, it is good to see you again.
I stumbled across your blog while trying to find a good picture of the Hunley. I worked in the engineroom from 84-87 and then cross-decked to the Lake and stayed on site until 90. Anyway enjoyed perusing your blog.
Thanks
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