U.S. Southern Command Vacates Its Post in Panama
The U.S. military’s Southern Command staff and their families packed their bags for a new home in Miami on Friday, slipping out quietly after an often-controversial 81-year presence in Panama.
The last 250 of a 980-strong contingent of the Pentagon’s front-line operations in Latin America and the Caribbean boarded two chartered planes at Howard Air Force Base near the Panama Canal and bid a discreet farewell to Panama.
“It’s the end of a long era,” said Southern Command spokesman Bill Ormsbee, who has chosen early retirement to remain in Panama.
In a ceremony Thursday, the American flag was lowered for the last time over Quarry Heights in the Panama Canal area.
Friday’s departure was low-key and somber. Officers and their families wore civilian clothes.
The relocation of the Southern Command was marked with mixed feelings by Panamanians. Many are concerned that the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops under the 1977 bilateral Panama Canal treaties will leave a gaping hole in the economy. The United States plans to relinquish control of the canal by Dec. 31, 1999.
Out of eight principal U.S. bases in the 10-mile buffer zone guarding the Panama Canal, five have yet to be returned to Panamanian control, with most expected to switch hands in 1998.
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