I attended JOTC in Feb 1986, amazing place, went snorkeling on the weekend, saw 88 species of birds, earned the Expert badge...what a rare great experience and very tough training.
I always find myself coming back to these videos of ft.sherman, We stayed right where you stopped 2nd to the last house 88 to 94 our neighbors were the Slaughters, We we're the Ramos House Juan Ramos Sr. Was my father, I had an amazing childhood here great friends, Great Community, Even Upper Sherman was fun to visit, I remember every Sunday the hordes of blue crabs that would come out every Sunday Night I still can't wrap my head why did they abandon such a wonderful place ,it made me sad when we had to move knowing I'll never see my friends again, I know it will take millions to rebuild this but by the grace of God if I ever become a millionaire I will rebuild amazing place, This wasn't just a base for us this was home 😔
Our family was here mid 1980's for 4 years. Beautiful place. SFC Mark P Metzger. The Atlantic Ocean my front yard, the jungle my back yard. I worked for ACS as a wife and developed a boutique at Gatineau where locals could sell the crafts they made.
I was ßtationed there may 1990 to June 1991, beautiful place, couldn't think of a better place to do my time in the army, the jungle was my back yard, the panama canal and beach my front.
Fort Sherman indeed is beautiful. Lived 2 months, June to July 1989 there as part of Task Force Fort Ord in support of Operation Nimrod Dancer. We then moved to Fort Davis and on to Camp Rodman?(sic) on the Pacific side near the big bridge.
Wow,back tracking in my military career. Was there in 1978 as a Marine for jungle training and had prickly heat in last 2 weeks of training. Semper Fi.
Brings back memories. I lived there from Sept 1966 to Sept 1968.. Went to Cristobal HS in Coco Solo. Loved it I Lived in the house at 1:25. on the right side. We had a full time maid living on the ground floor and a San Blas Indian for landscape work. It was a good time.
Yes it was a very beautiful place to live. I was 6 when we moved there in 65. We stayed til I was 9. Totally loved and miss it. Beach in the back yard. Good old days.
Yes, it WAS a beautiful place... was not stationed there, was actually at Ft. Kobbe across the CZ on the Pacific Side from '96 through '99. Spent many days at Fr Sherman and loved every part of it... from Green Hell (Obstacle Course), to the Zoo, to Waterborne Operations and of course, jungle operations, this base was in the middle of paradise! Glad you had the opportunity to visit (albeit run down and looted!)
I can remember standing at that gate house for 8 hrs a day. I was there from 89-90 as a part of the 549th MP Co. down the road at Ft Davis. Its a shame to see what looters can do. But also at the same time good to see that parts of it are still of use.
I was there for just cause with Bco 4/17. The last month before we headed back to Ft. Ord was like a vacation. I learned to wind surf in the lagoon. Beautiful place when you weren't humping in the jungle.
Battery Pratt was always cool and cake duty though. At the Ft Davis MP barracks I can remember when they slaughtered the mascot and served him up. 549th '73-'74.
My husband at the time Sgt. Mark Metzger was stationed here as a Jungle Operations Training instructor in the mid 80's. We raised two children Billy and Melissa in this housing area for 4 years. It was a beautiful place to live. I often took other military wives into the free zone in Colon. Spent days on the beach and driving through the jungle to get groceries.
My dad was a jotc instructor in the 80s. He would take us, me and my sisters, on the course. We ate MREs and plants he knew wer safe for us to eat. Those wer the best yrs of my childhood. Living in Panama
I was stationed at Ft. Sherman from Sep 1965 to Mar 1967. my unit was the d btry 4th of the 517th Arty (air defense). A sister btry Alpha was M-42 dusters and D btry was hawk missile systems. Our mission was to defended the panama canal. The 517th deactivated in 1971 as I understand.
Lived right there on the beach in the cadre barracks from 90-92. Worked two minutes away on the airfield and served up aviation POL. Best assignment in my 26 years of active duty service. Will have to make a trip down there to reminisce.
Shimmy beach to you right. My family was the second to the last to leave. I NEVER wanted to leave. Paradise was Ft. Sherman. Our house was in the upper housing in the jungle past the airfield theatre and white hill a great place to raise kids...save the drug smuggling. American tax dollars built it up til we left with improvements. This makes me sick to see it after seeing the improvements. Tax payer dollars hard at waste. But of course the marina is kept up.... Thanks for the return tour. I had lived at Ft. Davis while Noriega was in power then returned afterwards. Never a dull moment. I miss Panama to this day.
I was stationed at Fort Davis, and we were the OPFOR for JOTC. I loved Sherman, Davis, France Field, Coco Solo. what a great time to be down there in the 1970's.
They were all central A/C after 86-87ish before that was windows open and that's it. My dad was an instructor at JOTC from 86-89. Thanks for the memories. Living in Ft Sherman was the best time of my childhood.
I was there around that time from my childhood aswell I stayed Second to the last house my neighbor was Mike slaughter great friend, I remember the hordes of blue crabs that would come out every Sunday, I remember going to school and seeing the streets flooded with squished crabs, I remember going to upper Sherman to the community school and doing karate do, this place was truly amazing to be on a base we are fortunate to experience such paradise, oh not to mention waking up and the beach is in front of your living room
@@valeriegordon8241 oh wow we were the Ramos House my father was Juan Ramos, I remember one time I poked my friends eye at the park accidentally and everyone knew, I remember there was 2 asain brothers that lived 2 houses down from me and they got into some trouble for using karate on someone and I never heard from them, there's so many memories I have and it's incredible how I can vividly remember them this was paradise
Your comment that it must have been killer duty is interesting, being one who actually had duty there while in the Army early 1970s. I can understand how one might imagine that, tropical setting and all. The reality, however, is that the barracks were sparsely and somewhat haphazardly furnished because they were transient quarters. They were used to train different groups who would come in from around the world / various U.S. military groups, as well as British troops and troops from various other nations as well - even the French Foreign Legion. It was the Jungle Operations Training School (JOTC) barracks for trainees while taking the Jungle Warfare School (in my time). And so troops saw fairly little time to laze around and enjoy the scenery. Much of the time was rather spent deep in the rainy jungle sliding up and down muddy hills, getting giant ants down the back that fell from the trees when one grabbed a hanging vine,, avoiding the occasional king cobra, slithering through swampy water like a snake while trying to keep an M-16 dry, and trying to surgically remove black palm spikes from one's hand that one got while sliding down a muddy jungle hillside. That said, I do remember also catching a little time to swim in that ocean - and promptly getting stung by jelly fish. Beautiful? Yes. Killer duty? LOL In a manner of speaking. Depends on how you look at it and what your definition of is fun, I guess. : ) Regardless, I think most JOTC students would have gladly gone back for seconds. But don't imagine Hawaiian music when trying to imagine that actual experience. Listen rather to "Run Through The Jungle" (CCR) while watching some jungle training videos.
I was stationed at Fort Davis in the 70's and we were tasked many times for OPFOR for JOTC. I loved that side of the canal. They used to say Colon was dangerous but we used to walk around downtown all the time and never had any issues. I loved the place.
Yes, I'd guess in those times it was a little safer in Colon and that having the U.S. military money in the area helped it to be that way. We went downtown Colon with no trouble but in large groups and yes, it seemed OK from that vantage point. Taking a current Goolemaps tour, however, it seems things may have grossly deteriorated. I don't know when the last time was, for example, that a gallon of paint was applied to the exterior of ANY downtown building in Colon. I think if you tried selling paint brushes there you'd starve to death. Shame, because I'd like to visit again. @@howardhazelwood4470
sure the barracks were not so homey but who the heck was staying inside in the area! unless they were those who flat out did not like it there otherwise home was to sleep at.
@@machtr True that. We were almost never in or at the barracks. I did catch a little time to try to swim just outside the barracks in the Atlantic but the jelly fish had other ideas.
WOW! Saw a video of a Panamanian tour guide and she was saying that the US would not fix the places up and stated it was too remote to use for housing for Panamanians. Well I lived there in the early 60's in one of the units you drove past on the right. White beach just out front. tennis courts and the houses as you are showing were upgraded from when we were there. We had large windows, but only with screens and no air conditioning. There were shutters inside which folded up to cover half the window to keep the rain from blowing in during rainy season.
My dad was stationed there 61-64 but had his first heart attack there at age 40! Likely stress raising two teen age daughters in such a remote place with GI's as our life guards when we were at the beach which was every day. We were shipped home after his near death experience. Not fun having a heart attack and then waiting for a ship to get into the canal before you could cross to get to a hospital! He was medically discharged once they finished holding him for a long time at Walter Reed while we lived with out grandparents until he was discharged. Took almost a year for his discharge to come through. You know the Army.. Hurry up and wait.
@@cannonfodder4812 light infantry! I remember patching a couple of you guys up, IV's and jungle foot (trench foot) and some of those company and battalion runs; monday morning runs with more alcohol than water in the bloodstream :). Spent about 6 months working @ Fort Davis TMC while they moved Coco Solo clinic out to Fort Sherman at the end of 93'. Wish i had extended (S1 offered before reassignment orders) and done my whole first hitch down there!
@@Silvrwind1 yeah i remember having to get my feet patched up after a night road march in the rain, we were all so torn up, they pulled us out of the woods to the hangar on Sherman. Same night Sgt. Smith got hit by a drunk driver.
Sgt E-5 11 Bravo weapons squad. My memories. 5 days and nights in the bush. Hearing men scream day and night. 1 was swarmed by killer bees, is was trained there by i Vietnam vet as a tracker. Shagris river, Mahingus swamps. Deadly. A marine before us was killed, attacked by sharks and piranha crossing the river we had to swim. I contracted some sort of foot fungus it was uncuriable. the black palm needles would break off in my skin and almost impossibile to get out. snakes, scorpions, and ant hills if army ants, long range naviagtion, we came into contact with 2 tribes men, barefooted, in loin cloths and spears. the prickly heat was unbearable. Lots of heat causualties. Got my head stuck in a spider web at night. Weirdest poisonous insects always attacking us. I would sleep on the ground at night. Guys got jungle rot. It rained 2 days straight. My Lt. From west point was a prick and a pussy. Got relieved of command. Idiot. My battalion 4/17th of 3rd Brigade 7th ID set the all time record on the green hell obstacle course. Came back 2 America and civilians tell me army guys were boy scouts. Strange how much time and money is spent on people learning how to kill each other. All you have to do is go into the jungle. Find that cat, of a paw print identified as a a black panther, and ask him what its like and does it take to survive a few hundred years on this earth where something or someone else always trying to kill you? Like him. More men broke, were injured or crippled for life( then medically)or psychologically) chaptered out, Dx'd in these types of training exercises. Only 4 out of 10 of us lasted the full 3 yrs in my combat platoon. Spent the next 38 yrs trying 2 get even my VA medical benefit card. What i fool believes. No wonder few people are dumb enough to volunteer 2 the shittiest job in the world like this. Then 2 be called an idiot by my President 4 sacrificing my opportunities and life 4 a country like this that couldn't care less 4 us. Thank god this world is not my home. Oh also they told me 2-3 hours of paper work was 2 too much time 2 process my paperwork so i couldn't get a home loan 2 have a place to live in this God forsaken country either. Maybe the beasts in the jungle... Understand this life better than civilized educated humans do.
We did nobody any favors pulling out. That's what people have a hard time understanding sometimes. While we were there the forts and facilities had a purpose (beyond being targets for looting and vandalism), military families had a nice life, and the local economies (especially Colon where Fort Sherman is concerned) were boosted / less slummy like Colon is now.
I was stationed at Fort Davis 92-94, Colon was a slum then aswell. We had protestors calling for us to leave, but only on the week days. On the weekends they disappeared like clock work lol
Awesome place! I was there from 1981-1984. Best duty station I ever had bar none. Everyone knew the entire place would go to hell once we turned everything back over. BTW we should have NEVER turned it back over. Carter screwed the USA on that deal. We bought, engineered and built the best parts of that country. It was purchased with no expiration date by the freeing of Panama from Colombian control and making Panama its own country.
I was there from 1952 to 1954 at Fort Sherman. I didnt realize the camp had only been built in 1952 or so i read somewhere. It was a nice duty station .
Was the most beautiful base I've ever been to. I attended JOTC at Ft Sherman. Tough school located in the center of paradise.
One month here. Jungle training. June 1984. LOVED THIS PLACE!! U.S.M.C. 1/9. thanks for the memories.
I attended JOTC in Feb 1986, amazing place, went snorkeling on the weekend, saw 88 species of birds, earned the Expert badge...what a rare great experience and very tough training.
Beautiful post ...use to teach at the NCO Academy there 90-92 ... shame how they let the post go down after transition ....
Was there in 96' for JOTC with the 10th Mountain and loved every second of it, sad to see it abandoned but the memories will last forever!!!
Crazy to see that old bus stop. It had a soda and beer machine at the bus stop back in the day. I remember that exact one.
I always find myself coming back to these videos of ft.sherman, We stayed right where you stopped 2nd to the last house 88 to 94 our neighbors were the Slaughters, We we're the Ramos House Juan Ramos Sr. Was my father, I had an amazing childhood here great friends, Great Community, Even Upper Sherman was fun to visit, I remember every Sunday the hordes of blue crabs that would come out every Sunday Night
I still can't wrap my head why did they abandon such a wonderful place ,it made me sad when we had to move knowing I'll never see my friends again, I know it will take millions to rebuild this but by the grace of God if I ever become a millionaire I will rebuild amazing place, This wasn't just a base for us this was home 😔
Our family was here mid 1980's for 4 years. Beautiful place. SFC Mark P Metzger. The Atlantic Ocean my front yard, the jungle my back yard. I worked for ACS as a wife and developed a boutique at Gatineau where locals could sell the crafts they made.
I was ßtationed there may 1990 to June 1991, beautiful place, couldn't think of a better place to do my time in the army, the jungle was my back yard, the panama canal and beach my front.
Fort Sherman indeed is beautiful. Lived 2 months, June to July 1989 there as part of Task Force Fort Ord in support of Operation Nimrod Dancer. We then moved to Fort Davis and on to Camp Rodman?(sic) on the Pacific side near the big bridge.
I lived there from 84 -89. Best duty assignment I ever had.
Ed Jaro I believe this is the same time we were there. Metzger was our name.
Ft.kobbe kobbe beach 87 89
Wow,back tracking in my military career. Was there in 1978 as a Marine for jungle training and had prickly heat in last 2 weeks of training. Semper Fi.
Brings back memories. I lived there from Sept 1966 to Sept 1968.. Went to Cristobal HS in Coco Solo. Loved it I Lived in the house at 1:25. on the right side. We had a full time maid living on the ground floor and a San Blas Indian for landscape work. It was a good time.
Yes it was a very beautiful place to live. I was 6 when we moved there in 65. We stayed til I was 9. Totally loved and miss it. Beach in the back yard. Good old days.
Was there in 1973-74 hotter than hell in the winter and rained the rest of the year. Beautiful and deadly.
lol, what memories! I was in a warfare class there in May 1981...worst time of my life
Wow. What a ghost town.
Yes, it WAS a beautiful place... was not stationed there, was actually at Ft. Kobbe across the CZ on the Pacific Side from '96 through '99. Spent many days at Fr Sherman and loved every part of it... from Green Hell (Obstacle Course), to the Zoo, to Waterborne Operations and of course, jungle operations, this base was in the middle of paradise! Glad you had the opportunity to visit (albeit run down and looted!)
I can remember standing at that gate house for 8 hrs a day. I was there from 89-90 as a part of the 549th MP Co. down the road at Ft Davis. Its a shame to see what looters can do. But also at the same time good to see that parts of it are still of use.
I was there for just cause with Bco 4/17. The last month before we headed back to Ft. Ord was like a vacation. I learned to wind surf in the lagoon. Beautiful place when you weren't humping in the jungle.
I was there in 86 for Jungle training with 7th Inf. Light, HHC, 4/17 Inf. "Buffalos" from Ft. Ord, I loved the place.
Battery Pratt was always cool and cake duty though. At the Ft Davis MP barracks I can remember when they slaughtered the mascot and served him up. 549th '73-'74.
My husband at the time Sgt. Mark Metzger was stationed here as a Jungle Operations Training instructor in the mid 80's. We raised two children Billy and Melissa in this housing area for 4 years. It was a beautiful place to live. I often took other military wives into the free zone in Colon. Spent days on the beach and driving through the jungle to get groceries.
My dad was a jotc instructor in the 80s. He would take us, me and my sisters, on the course. We ate MREs and plants he knew wer safe for us to eat. Those wer the best yrs of my childhood. Living in Panama
I was stationed at Ft. Sherman from Sep 1965 to Mar 1967. my unit was the d btry 4th of the 517th Arty (air defense). A sister btry Alpha was M-42 dusters and D btry was hawk missile systems. Our mission was to defended the panama canal. The 517th deactivated in 1971 as I understand.
I went thru here in July 82(Jungle warfare Training School)C/ 3/7 Inf. 197th Inf. Bgde.
Lived right there on the beach in the cadre barracks from 90-92. Worked two minutes away on the airfield and served up aviation POL. Best assignment in my 26 years of active duty service. Will have to make a trip down there to reminisce.
Shimmy beach to you right. My family was the second to the last to leave. I NEVER wanted to leave. Paradise was Ft. Sherman. Our house was in the upper housing in the jungle past the airfield theatre and white hill a great place to raise kids...save the drug smuggling. American tax dollars built it up til we left with improvements. This makes me sick to see it after seeing the improvements. Tax payer dollars hard at waste. But of course the marina is kept up.... Thanks for the return tour. I had lived at Ft. Davis while Noriega was in power then returned afterwards. Never a dull moment. I miss Panama to this day.
used to drive to devil's beach to hang out. I loved it there. was stationed there 79-82. What a great time to be there.
I was stationed at Fort Davis, and we were the OPFOR for JOTC. I loved Sherman, Davis, France Field, Coco Solo. what a great time to be down there in the 1970's.
They were all central A/C after 86-87ish before that was windows open and that's it. My dad was an instructor at JOTC from 86-89. Thanks for the memories. Living in Ft Sherman was the best time of my childhood.
M Wrench same time we were there. Metzger was the name.
I was there around that time from my childhood aswell I stayed Second to the last house my neighbor was Mike slaughter great friend, I remember the hordes of blue crabs that would come out every Sunday, I remember going to school and seeing the streets flooded with squished crabs, I remember going to upper Sherman to the community school and doing karate do, this place was truly amazing to be on a base we are fortunate to experience such paradise, oh not to mention waking up and the beach is in front of your living room
Talino....we knew the Slaughters also. We lived across the street down 2 houses. My son 4/5 years old was Billy Metzger
@@valeriegordon8241 oh wow we were the Ramos House my father was Juan Ramos, I remember one time I poked my friends eye at the park accidentally and everyone knew, I remember there was 2 asain brothers that lived 2 houses down from me and they got into some trouble for using karate on someone and I never heard from them, there's so many memories I have and it's incredible how I can vividly remember them this was paradise
I went to Jungle Training 1985 there
Your comment that it must have been killer duty is interesting, being one who actually had duty there while in the Army early 1970s. I can understand how one might imagine that, tropical setting and all. The reality, however, is that the barracks were sparsely and somewhat haphazardly furnished because they were transient quarters. They were used to train different groups who would come in from around the world / various U.S. military groups, as well as British troops and troops from various other nations as well - even the French Foreign Legion. It was the Jungle Operations Training School (JOTC) barracks for trainees while taking the Jungle Warfare School (in my time). And so troops saw fairly little time to laze around and enjoy the scenery. Much of the time was rather spent deep in the rainy jungle sliding up and down muddy hills, getting giant ants down the back that fell from the trees when one grabbed a hanging vine,, avoiding the occasional king cobra, slithering through swampy water like a snake while trying to keep an M-16 dry, and trying to surgically remove black palm spikes from one's hand that one got while sliding down a muddy jungle hillside. That said, I do remember also catching a little time to swim in that ocean - and promptly getting stung by jelly fish. Beautiful? Yes. Killer duty? LOL In a manner of speaking. Depends on how you look at it and what your definition of is fun, I guess. : ) Regardless, I think most JOTC students would have gladly gone back for seconds. But don't imagine Hawaiian music when trying to imagine that actual experience. Listen rather to "Run Through The Jungle" (CCR) while watching some jungle training videos.
I was stationed at Fort Davis in the 70's and we were tasked many times for OPFOR for JOTC. I loved that side of the canal. They used to say Colon was dangerous but we used to walk around downtown all the time and never had any issues. I loved the place.
Yes, I'd guess in those times it was a little safer in Colon and that having the U.S. military money in the area helped it to be that way. We went downtown Colon with no trouble but in large groups and yes, it seemed OK from that vantage point. Taking a current Goolemaps tour, however, it seems things may have grossly deteriorated. I don't know when the last time was, for example, that a gallon of paint was applied to the exterior of ANY downtown building in Colon. I think if you tried selling paint brushes there you'd starve to death. Shame, because I'd like to visit again. @@howardhazelwood4470
sure the barracks were not so homey but who the heck was staying inside in the area! unless they were those who flat out did not like it there otherwise home was to sleep at.
@@machtr True that. We were almost never in or at the barracks. I did catch a little time to try to swim just outside the barracks in the Atlantic but the jelly fish had other ideas.
WOW! Saw a video of a Panamanian tour guide and she was saying that the US would not fix the places up and stated it was too remote to use for housing for Panamanians. Well I lived there in the early 60's in one of the units you drove past on the right. White beach just out front. tennis courts and the houses as you are showing were upgraded from when we were there. We had large windows, but only with screens and no air conditioning. There were shutters inside which folded up to cover half the window to keep the rain from blowing in during rainy season.
My dad was stationed there 61-64 but had his first heart attack there at age 40! Likely stress raising two teen age daughters in such a remote place with GI's as our life guards when we were at the beach which was every day. We were shipped home after his near death experience. Not fun having a heart attack and then waiting for a ship to get into the canal before you could cross to get to a hospital! He was medically discharged once they finished holding him for a long time at Walter Reed while we lived with out grandparents until he was discharged. Took almost a year for his discharge to come through. You know the Army.. Hurry up and wait.
complete bs!
not usa
I think the videos saying they were fixed up and then vandalized are the truth
The Panamanians stripped out everything useful the minute the base closed and they took control of it.
cap
100% cap
look at howar hospital and you´ll know
Stationed there 92-94 right out of 91B AIT ( Medic training ), best assignment i had in 24 years. Your video was a trip down memory lane, thanks!
Damn, i was there 92-94 also, straight from Basic aswell but 11b, B Co 5-87th on Davis.
@@cannonfodder4812 light infantry! I remember patching a couple of you guys up, IV's and jungle foot (trench foot) and some of those company and battalion runs; monday morning runs with more alcohol than water in the bloodstream :). Spent about 6 months working @ Fort Davis TMC while they moved Coco Solo clinic out to Fort Sherman at the end of 93'. Wish i had extended (S1 offered before reassignment orders) and done my whole first hitch down there!
@@Silvrwind1 yeah i remember having to get my feet patched up after a night road march in the rain, we were all so torn up, they pulled us out of the woods to the hangar on Sherman. Same night Sgt. Smith got hit by a drunk driver.
Sgt E-5 11 Bravo weapons squad. My memories. 5 days and nights in the bush. Hearing men scream day and night. 1 was swarmed by killer bees, is was trained there by i Vietnam vet as a tracker. Shagris river, Mahingus swamps. Deadly. A marine before us was killed, attacked by sharks and piranha crossing the river we had to swim. I contracted some sort of foot fungus it was uncuriable. the black palm needles would break off in my skin and almost impossibile to get out. snakes, scorpions, and ant hills if army ants, long range naviagtion, we came into contact with 2 tribes men, barefooted, in loin cloths and spears. the prickly heat was unbearable. Lots of heat causualties. Got my head stuck in a spider web at night. Weirdest poisonous insects always attacking us. I would sleep on the ground at night. Guys got jungle rot. It rained 2 days straight. My Lt. From west point was a prick and a pussy. Got relieved of command. Idiot. My battalion 4/17th of 3rd Brigade 7th ID set the all time record on the green hell obstacle course.
Came back 2 America and civilians tell me army guys were boy scouts. Strange how much time and money is spent on people learning how to kill each other. All you have to do is go into the jungle. Find that cat, of a paw print identified as a a black panther, and ask him what its like and does it take to survive a few hundred years on this earth where something or someone else always trying to kill you? Like him. More men broke, were injured or crippled for life( then medically)or psychologically) chaptered out, Dx'd in these types of training exercises. Only 4 out of 10 of us lasted the full 3 yrs in my combat platoon.
Spent the next 38 yrs trying 2 get even my VA medical benefit card. What i fool believes. No wonder few people are dumb enough to volunteer 2 the shittiest job in the world like this. Then 2 be called an idiot by my President 4 sacrificing my opportunities and life 4 a country like this that couldn't care less 4 us. Thank god this world is not my home.
Oh also they told me 2-3 hours of paper work was 2 too much time 2 process my paperwork so i couldn't get a home loan 2 have a place to live in this God forsaken country either. Maybe the beasts in the jungle... Understand this life better than civilized educated humans do.
It was amazing. I've got pictures of us doing PT on Shimmy Beach, looked like paradise.
Graduated from JOTC Ft Sherman in 98
got my jungle expert patch their in march 1981 good training
Spent time there in 1974 -1975 ... went through the training at JOTC ....Sad to see it gone
I was there in 71, for 13 months, I was a member of the 475th transportation group.
SAD, SAD SAD...
Must of been?
the group should still be there, if it wasnt for billy bob clinton
We did nobody any favors pulling out. That's what people have a hard time understanding sometimes. While we were there the forts and facilities had a purpose (beyond being targets for looting and vandalism), military families had a nice life, and the local economies (especially Colon where Fort Sherman is concerned) were boosted / less slummy like Colon is now.
I was stationed at Fort Davis 92-94, Colon was a slum then aswell. We had protestors calling for us to leave, but only on the week days. On the weekends they disappeared like clock work lol
October '74
11b4p 82nd 1/504
àtended JWTC 1960 with Delta CO. 2nd BG 10th Inf. from Ft. Davis. was in cz 28 months.
Awesome place! I was there from 1981-1984. Best duty station I ever had bar none. Everyone knew the entire place would go to hell once we turned everything back over. BTW we should have NEVER turned it back over. Carter screwed the USA on that deal. We bought, engineered and built the best parts of that country. It was purchased with no expiration date by the freeing of Panama from Colombian control and making Panama its own country.
I was there from 1952 to 1954 at Fort Sherman. I didnt realize the camp had only been built in 1952 or so i read somewhere. It was a nice duty station .