Digital Intel

Throughout the history of the Panama Canal, the U.S. military was a critical and consistent part of the picture. The Marines were the first to arrive, but eventually almost all branches of the armed forces were represented there. Places like Albrook, Amador, Coco Solo, Clayton, Gulick, Howard, Kobbe, Quarry Heights, Rodman, and Sherman were household names to civilian and military alike.

As U.S. Army South (USARSOUTH), the Army service component command of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), goes through another historic change, we wanted to highlight it’s long standing connections to the Canal Zone and Panama, and some of the incredible history about the U.S military in Panama that you can find in our collection.

A brief(ish) history:

The Panama Canal Guard was the first to keep the waterway safe, serving during the construction and early years of operation (1907-1917). In 1917, the Panama Canal Department of the U.S. Army was established as a separate geographic command. It evolved into the U.S. Caribbean Defense Command during WWII, a “prototype unified command, to defend the Panama Canal and surrounding area.”

Left: Panama Canal Department Regulations that belonged to Major Walter F. Adams of the 14th Infantry. 1932. Gift of Brad Wilde. II.2020.1.20.

After the war, U.S. Caribbean Command became the theater command, and in 1963 it was renamed U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). In 1986, United States Army South (USARSOUTH) was activated as the Army component of USSOUTHCOM. USARSOUTH moved its headquarters from Panama in 1999, eventually settling at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

Right: United States Army Caribbean Service album of Captain Paul G. Krotts. circa 1949. Gift of Brad Wilde. II.2019.52.14.

U.S Army South and U.S. Army North are currently in the process of merging into a new command based out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the Western Hemisphere Command. I was unable to find a rendering of any insignia for the new command. Hopefully, it will still feature the Spanish galleon of the Panama years.

The printed publications, radio broadcasts, and televised programs that were produced by USSOUTHCOM and its predecessor organizations were indispensable focal points of news and community life at the Canal. Southern Command News, later the Tropic Times, was the flagship in print.

We are in the process of digitizing hundreds of issues of these newspapers!

Right now only the 1980s and 1990s are online, but in the coming months the 1960s-1970s will be available, so check back regularly. A huge thank you to Kboy Richie for helping with these publications!

Before USSOUTHCOM and Southern Command News, in the 1950s U.S. Caribbean Command printed the newspaper The Buccaneer (Caribbean Army News). These will be digitized soon too!

Left: Spillway, September 24, 1993

On November 11, 1999 Tropic Times printed its last issue. They celebrated the newspaper’s fantastic run with a commemorative t-shirt. Did you buy one?

Other military publications are being digitized as well, including P.C.A News, K-PASA, Panama Bulldozer, Engineer Bulletin, Commanders Digest, Plane Talk, Stock Item, Section News. A number of issues are from the Army and Navy in the WWII era. The March 1943 issue of the Panama Bulldozer touches on the1943 change from “left hand” to “right hand” driving that was covered in detail in our blog post Leaving Left-Handed Driving Behind.

In addition to newspapers, USCOUTHCOM was in television too. Most of you are probably familiar with the TV network SCN (Southern Command Network), but did you know about its predecessor CFN (Caribbean Forces Network)? Recognize anyone in the photograph?

You can find yourself, family, or friends online in some of our Armed Forces Telephone Directories from the later 20th century. Our entire collection of telephone books starting in the 1940s is currently being digitized and will be online soon too.

For a more detailed history on telephone service at the Panama Canal see our Hidden Treasures in the Telephone Book blog post.

Military intelligence (the insignia on the right) also had a long history at the Canal. The 470th Military Intelligence Brigade was activated at Quarry Heights, Canal Zone in 1944. You can learn more in our digital collection about the roles they played during significant events like World War II and Operation Just Cause. Martha Duncan, a U.S. intelligence officer with deep roots in Panama and the Canal Zone, played a vital role in the eventual apprehension of General Noriega. We had the privilege of sitting down with her for an oral history interview that is now part of our collection. She talked extensively about her childhood in Curundu and Chorrera, playing sports, the importance of family and community, and her career with the U.S. military. Her interview is in the final stages of going online so check back on our oral history page soon.

In the meantime, you can hear part of her story in a panel discussion we co-hosted on Operation Just Cause in 2019 that also included Joe Wood (Director of the Office of Executive Administration, Panama Canal Commission), Dick Morgan (General Services Director, Panama Canal Commission), Kurt Muse (Business owner), and Bob Rupp (Reserve Intelligence Officer). If that is not enough you can find her in Episode 2 of the Netflix show Spy Ops and the podcast True Spies, Episode 99, Catching Noriega.

The history of U.S. military in Panama and the Canal Zone is alive and well here at the Panama Canal Museum Collection, preserved alongside that of their civilian colleagues, and neighbors.

Left: Colonel Richard Barrere and Colonel Frank Mendez cut the 20th Anniversary cake for the U.S. Army Tropic Test Center. 1982. II.2022.63.1. Gift of Marcia Barrere.

What can you tell us about these military patches, pins, pendants, and print blocks from the collection? Did you serve or work in any of these areas? If so, share a story with us.

Stay tuned for more updates on the news treasures to discover online thanks to our digitization campaign A big thank you to everyone who has supported us.

This post is part of our fall series featuring the current digitization campaign. With the support of the community PCMC has hired someone to work exclusively on scanning treasures in our collection. Over the next few months we will be sharing highlights of what we have accomplished so far. We hope you enjoy the posts and explore all the new things in the digital collection.