Howard AFB, Canal Zone, (TAC) Republic of Panama Aug. '77 - July '80

 Wow ! Three years of rest and recuperation awaited me on this assignment. Just lay back and let it happen. Didn't happen. Everything was wore out and required massive amounts of labor and time. May be the new command and mission had something to do with it. However, I wouldn't have changed anything. The canal and the history was worth it. 

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Mid November '78 Thanksgiving was in the air along with something else. Some 900 folks east of here in a place called Guyana drank poison kool Aid and met their demise. Howard AFB received orders to help cleanup this mess. Howard  Personnel and C130s on the ground in Jonestown. I was not involved but It ruined a lot of folks Thanksgiving. I'm not making light of this disaster only shaking my head in disbelief. 

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Traffic was backed up one morning going to work. A three toed sloth was on the ground and crossing the road. We all know that they are exceptionally mobile when in trees, however, when on the ground their speed can be compared to a snail. They received vast amount of adoration and were treated by all base personnel exceptionally well, or folks wasn't in a big hurry to get to work.

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Bass Fishing - Gatun Lake

I have truly found paradise. Two co-workers and I boated up the canal to Gatun Lake for some Peacock Bass fishing. Anchoring below low hanging tree limbs a menagerie of wild life was reacting to our presence .Primates, birds of many colors to include parrots and parakeets was turning the silence of the lake into a symphony. Gary reminded me that we were there to fish and not bird watch. In the meantime Cecil was boating a four pound Peacock Bass from thirty feet of water.

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Panama was one of the few foreign countries that could use US currency legally. I was not a big fan of gambling, however, occasionally I would venture to a casino in the city and play the nickel slot machines. The nickels dispensed in winnings have been in country since the digging of the canal. My collection covered a large part of American history.

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Miraflores Locks

When time permitted I would take my lawn chair to the Miraflores Locks. Especially when the QE2 was transiting the canal. When snug in the lock, I think there was about a three inch clearance on each side. I could almost shake hands with the passengers and they seemed to enjoy looking at me as I did looking at them.

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Air Force 1 - On Ramp - Howard AFB

Things was happening in Washington. Plans were being made to give the canal to the Panamanians. The Canal Zonians were not to happy about this. We have not been involved at this point. But that will change. 

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I received a work order to send our electrical line truck to Amador for the purpose of drilling a hole for a flag pole. The flag to be flown was the Panamanian flag. I forwarded the work order to the exterior shop foreman. Shortly he called me and said one of his airman refused to drill the hole. I told him to send the Airman to my office. Upon arriving I closed the door, unsure of how to handle this problem. I had never had anyone to refuse to work. I ask the Airman why he refused to complete the work order. He proceeded to explain to me that he was a fourth generation Canal Zonian. He had lived there his entire life and his conscious would not allow him to be a part of giving up his home. He further stated he knew disobeying an order was serious and he was willing to accept the consequences of his actions. Right or wrong I called the foreman and directed him to put someone else on that job. That was the end of it.

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I took great pride in my wife's  ability to grow some long stem flowers out our back door. They were something to behold. These things had grown to a height of two feet and healthy . As always in the morning , I prepared for work and looked out  the  back door with coffee in hand. Her flowers was crawling on the ground in route to the jungle across the street. Close investigation revealed an army of cutting ants had discovered this delicacy and returning the flowers to their jungle home. I replaced with rocks.

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The Aircraft Arresting crew was becoming extremely frustrated with pilots deliberately using the Meat Ball  as a touchdown target. This was creating a lot of extra work for us and keeping the tower folks agitated. My answer to problem was to write an article in TAC ATTACK magazine about not using cable for touchdown. To my amazement it was published, however, apparently no one read it. The problem continued.

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I made MSGT (E7). There was a problem, I didn't have the two year retainability to put it on. The answer was to extend my enlistment . That's what I did. The extra money would come in handy for my retirement. 

The National Lottery was a major event throughout Panama. Howard AFB was no exception. The preferred method of determining the winning numbers was to unfurl a closed leaf of the Elephant Ear plant. Deep inside an array of numbers was scattered about ( you had to look very closely). These numbers was played by the player. It was not uncommon to see lots of folks on their knees working in their flower garden prior to a drawing.

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Bridge of the Americas -  Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal - My two sons fishing in the canal - Painting by: Gary

Closing out my Howard AFB experience. In route to England AFB, Louisiana to complete my time in the Air Force.