Panama 7

Jan 17, 1991

The war in the middle east is still going on hot and heavy.  Air strike after air strike I keep hearing. I keep wondering what the ground troops are doing. Have they moved to their tactical assembly areas, to their area of operations.  I wonder what they are feeling.

I was at the the 549th Mps for a short while exchanging hand receipts.  Said good by to Bob V. and saw a little CNN.

The war gets closer.  Another unit got activated today for Desert Storm.  The 2175th MPs.  Part of them are here with us now.  They don't know it yet.  They are scheduled go go home Sunday.  The Panama duration provost marshal commands their unit.  He will be leaving.  There are only a few of us that know what is happening.  It is hard to watch these guys being excited about returning home and knowing that they will soon be leaving again and they haven't a clue.  I hope the bombing turns the tide so it will all be over soon.  Not for me but for them and their families and mine.

Myself, Johnson, and Rodriquez and a PNP went to town today on a pretend PNP patrol.  We stopped in the town plaza, drank a beer, dodged a real MP patrol and then went to the house of another PNP local, a shack really, 1 bed, 1 table, 4 chairs and a small kitchen with antiquated appliances.

There was not much communication except a translation or two.  We sat on the front porch, drank beer and looked at he gravel street, looking for the MPs.

A neighbor came by and invited us to her back yard that touched the lagoon.  And there we sat drinking more beer, watching the fish jump out of the water and the small boats returning from day of fishing.  No one could understand anyone else hardly.

Later the owner fixed a combination of octopus, onion, Italian dressing, and liquid black pepper.  I was polite but let some one else finish my share .  The flavor was good but the texture undesirable.

We leave base camp tomorrow - Camp Thomas - tomorrow at 0945.  The long tedious procedure of coming home will begin.