Joyful Shouts, Hugs Greet 700 Paratroopers Back From Panama
A contingent of about 700 82nd Airborne Division troops arrived home Monday to shouts of joy and hugs of relatives, but the bulk of paratroopers from Ft. Bragg remained in Panama.
“There are hundreds of thousands of Panamanians that will be forever grateful to you for bringing them freedom--for the rest of their lives--for bringing them peace and bringing them prosperity,” Gen. Edwin H. Burba Jr. of Command Forces in Atlanta told the soldiers.
One soldier was coming home to the son he’s never seen. Kristi Harris waited for her husband, Spec. 4 Carlie Harris, carrying 4-day-old Carlie Jr. Their 7-year-old son, Patrick, also was there.
She said no special celebration was planned for the missed Christmas holiday because her husband’s homecoming “is probably Christmas enough.”
The 3rd Battalion soldiers were among about 4,000 from Ft. Bragg sent to Panama as part of the Dec. 20 invasion that toppled dictator Manuel A. Noriega.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
