THE QUEST FOR NORIEGA : Ord GIs Proud of Panama Mission : Military: A small contingent returns. ‘They love Americans. They love what we did,’ a soldier says.

A small contingent of the 14,000 U.S. troops who invaded Panama returned home to California on Tuesday, saying they had accomplished their mission of helping to install a democratic government.

Fifty-six Army soldiers of the 7th Light Infantry Division based at Ft. Ord, the first uninjured troops to leave Panama since the U.S. invasion on Dec. 20, landed aboard a C-141 transport at 6:45 a.m. after a brief stop at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio.

The soldiers, among 141 that left Panama on Monday, said they were well received in Panama.

“Now they have a democratic government--it’s what they want. They love Americans,” said Sgt. John Grauer, 29, of Fresno. “They love what we did.”

Spec. 4 Ralph Santos, a 19-year-old from Los Angeles, said the reaction of Panamanians boosted the spirits of the troops.

“Overall, the morale of the soldiers was greatly increased. The infantry guys were treated like heroes by the Panamanians,” said Santos, who speaks Spanish and was called on at times to interpret for military police.

“In some ways I was expecting more of a negative reaction,” he said.”

Most of the returning soldiers were from field artillery and air defense batteries that provided protection for infantrymen in Panama City, at a Panamanian army base at Rio Hato on the Pacific coast and in the city of David on the Costa Rican border.

“Their military mission is finished,” said Pentagon spokesman Maj. David Super. “It’s just a continued tailoring of the military force in Panama as the need for combat troops is diminished. The growing mission down there now is for nation-building and civil affairs.”

Because they are artillery defense units, many of the troops carried M-60 machine guns as well as the standard M-16 automatic rifles.

Second Lt. John Jaskwhich said the artillery units were called in to assist infantry troops but did not have to fire any weapons other than flares to light up the sky for attacking troops.

Some of the artillerymen, however, flew into the Rio Hato area while fighting was still intense, and the sound of gunfire made them nervous, the soldiers said.

“The flight crew told us it was pretty hot. The plane was getting shot at when we were coming in,” said Jaskwhich.

“I’m just glad to be back to celebrate a little Christmas,” he said.

As the C-141 flew into Monterey, soldiers breakfasted on bologna and cheese sandwiches, chips and sodas. Some played cards, while others touched up their camouflage makeup.

The hulking, gray-and-green four-engine jet landed at the Monterey airport about three hours after it had lifted off from the Texas base. The plane was taxied to the tarmac opposite the terminal, several hundred yards from a small group of civilians who had gathered to watch.

The soldiers, still in full battle dress, left the plane and boarded buses for the short drive to Ft. Ord.

Jim Davis, a spokesman at Ft. Ord, described the mood there as “very up, very up.”