This was fun. Cool mission, cool name, cool story. Its kind of a test moving into some more recent events (relative to most of our topics). I hope you enjoy.

Operation Just Cause: A guy with a grapping hook a parachute and a glider suit shooting everything.

I’m an actual Panamanian who lived through this invasion when I was 12. Still Grateful for the US removing Noriega, he was a very evil man. Yes, I know the US supported him before, that doesn’t excuse his choices towards extreme sociopathy. Noriega had numerous opportunities to do the right thing. Instead he chose murder, torture and antagonizing the US. I’ve had a lot of hate directed at me in these comments by people who seem unable to accept the fact that the US was on the right side of history in this case. By removing Noriega they changed my life and the lives of all of my family and loved ones for the better. So thanks USA! You are Great!

Gotta love the aesthetic of the 1980s and 90s gear.

Congress: “How’d you know he’s dealing drugs?” CIA: “Cause we smuggle it in!” 🐇

"Why are we invading Panama?" "Just 'cause."

I was a young infantry lieutenant in the 101st when our battalion got a call to come in from the field and deploy on short notice to Elgin AFB in November 1989. We were the OPFOR for the dress rehearsal for Panama. My platoon got a special mission to play OPFOR for what I later learned was the dress rehearsal for the rescue of Kurt Muse. That was back when those guys were talked about in hushed tones, if at all, and very few people outside the community had seen them in action up close. Watching the little birds come in and land on the roof with the operators jumping off the skids blowing the door, grabbing the guy they had representing Muse and leaving in under 10 minutes was awesome! Thanks for bringing back some good memories.

The term 'Precious Cargo' is commonly used for any such mission where there is going to be a hostage rescue, prisoner rescue, or even classified material, intelligence or any piece of equipment that is to be acquired by Special Operations forces. It is not a unique code name for Kurt Muse, but is referred to in the operations plan and noted on the 'execution checklist', which is a timeline of the operation, having multiple pages and numerous alpha numeric steps. Once each of these steps is accomplished, the alpha numeric step is often relayed via SATCOM to the command network frequency. That way, operational commanders can keep track of the progress of the operation and change or modify steps if unforeseen events, losses or breakdowns occur. It is also noteworthy that the execution checklist has a very strict timeline and several pages of preparatory steps or events might occur or be necessary before the actual 'H hour' begins. These involve getting the players, assets and equipment in place to actually begin the meat of the operation. For instance, Just Cause involved thousands of troops, from SEALS to DELTA to Rangers, to Airborne soldiers that had their own script and series of events to put them in their target area. Hundreds of aircraft flew from the US down to Panama, performing aerial refueling, electronic jamming and surveillance, command and control, etc.. They evaded radar sites in Cuba and had to deconflict altitudes to avoid possible midair collisions and to sequence the different assets so that they all could arrive over their targets precisely at the same time, which was 0100 Hours on that dark December evening. It's amazing to me that it was thirty one years ago. Time passes fast.

Panamanian here. There is some real 1989 field footage in here I'm seeing for the first time, great video. This happened when I was 9. Watching an AH-64 Apache silhouette at night for the first time, turning towards my street after messing up some random nearby target is easily the scariest shit I've ever seen and heard. Being a kid I wasn't allowed to see much more, but man, you never forget the sound. Thankfully, through Christmas eve and Christmas day onwards, things were pretty quiet. I remember helping out in building barricades at street entrances. The first few days, all the Humvees had dark plastic bags over their headlights and rolled with their lights off at night. Fastback Humvees with .50 cal guns, manned by jungle camo'd troops, dark tactical makeup, with the bushy "leaves" (and sometimes real foliage) on their helmets, rolling up and down is downright terrifying to watch on your own neighborhood. One or two would randomly stop, and leave a bunch of field supply bags with dehydrated food, gum, toilet paper, and chewing gum...and then all of the sudden you want the Humvees to pull up near your barricade. Damn troops even took away my nanny too (she went willingly with some G.I. though so it's OK, haha). Overall it felt like a cleansing, a rebirth. After they took Noriega away, there was no reason to be afraid in Panama anymore.

Unsung hero, Don Fox, the "Little Bird Pilot" whose skill and courage maneuvered the damaged helicopter safely down and protected Muse until rescue. The true "Quiet Professional".

I’m Panamanian, we lived through this in 1989, 12 years old. Noriega was a bad bad man. Grateful to the US for removing him.

I know a SEAL who was pinned down on the runway that night. He was part of a junior team & it was his 1st mission. Hearing his account was horrifying.

My uncle was In Panama as a green beret .. he never talked much about it all he said was that he would trade bottle caps for lobster.. there was a boy who was a fisher man whom collected bottle caps so he made a deal with him. He would gather the bottle caps from the other soldiers and trade them .. so every day the had lobster for dinner lol Rest In Peace Tio Renee Aguinaga

7:16 “the heavily armed aircraft succeeded in redirecting attention...” I nominate this for the Understatement of the Decade Award.

I was with the 3/504 PIR, and this was my first operation with the unit. We were there under the guise of "training" and doing mock runs, until the night of Dec 19th they handed out live ammo, noted the chaplain was "over there" if we wanted to say any words, and we would be loaded up and hitting Gamboa right at midnight on Dec 20th via amphibious assault. Was the most surreal moment of my life.

Larry Vickers was a part of Acid Gambit if I remember correctly.

Kurt's book, "Six Minutes to Freedom" was good. I got to hear him recount the experience after finishing some training. Interesting reading and an interesting speech. Left out of this presentation was the full MH-6 story. After it was shot up and unable to fly, the pilot was able to get enough power out of the motor and lift from the rotors to slide or drive it down the roads for a while even clearing a wall by pulling full collective and getting enough lift to hop over it. They continued this ride until the bird couldn't continue and then took refuge in the building.

Mike Durant wrote about this mission in his book about 160th SOAR.

6:40 *guy on the left When your custom made character is in a cutscene.

My dad says he cant stand the way you speak while I am addicted to your videos because it's like your personally debriefing me on important missions I needed to know.,to put my existance into perspective xD

Raul Menendez was the real target but none of those involved would ever declassify that

Additional info, I served in 1/82 AVN. The Apaches were from my battalion and were covertly inserted in late October 1989. The troops sanitized their BDUs removing unit patches, and ditching the maroon berets for patrol caps. They forward deployed company only operated at night. The 82nd practiced the invasion early in 1989, I participated in the practice for the seizure of Omar Torillos International Airport. But, I wasn't picked to go on the trip when the balloon went up.

I served with guys from the 82nd who had no clue they were deploying to Panama. They were literally just training, and since their gear was ready to go it went from a training mission to a real mission. Remember them saying their wives had no clue that when they turned the news on that it was their husbands jumping into Panama that they saw on the TV. They still thought their husbands were doing a training exercise.

I participated in the almost forgotten Operation Just Cause. Thank you for the comprehensive history lesson!

Was with A-1-75 Ranger Regiment for this Operation. Time flies...

My Uncle took part of the invasion of Panama. he said the amount of drugs they ended up finding was astronomical.

"So you're telling me i just have to stand guard and shoot the prisoner if anyone shows up? I mean, sure, sounds like an easy gig"

This is one of the BEST short Doc channels.

I knew a guy stationed at Bragg involved in psyops during this operation. He said they played a lot of Metallica. Lol

Hughes H-6 helicopter. 55 years and STILL in frontline service with US Special Forces.

Larry Vickers was one of the operators and he has a video talking about the mission.

I joined the Army not long after operation Just Cause, quite a few of the officers and NCOs I met were veterans, some of them wore what was a highly coveted accessory, a gold star on their jump wings. I remember our "Black Hats" in jump school talking together about their qualifications, some were Rangers, others were Master Parachutists or HALO qualified, but one of them had done a combat jump in Panama, and that gold star was envied by all. During my days in the Army, I once met a former Ranger and combat medic who had 3 of these stars on his jump wings, an accomplishment I think no other person has achieved. Prior to Just Cause the Army always denied the existence of Delta Force. The Navy Seals have always done the high-profile operations when a good demonstration of power and headlines were as important as the operation itself. Most of the things Delta Force have done are unknown and never reported.

So the moral of the story is, when you are the darling of the CIA, and on first name bases with the POTUS, don't rock the boat, just enjoy life and all the US has to offer.

The Little Birds were used throughout the night in the later Blackhawk Down event in Mogadishu, Somalia. They literally flew all night long keeping the skinnies from getting to the Delta guys who were pinned down. They were nimble and could fly down the street and take out just about anything there. Great aircraft, well-trained men saved the day.

I wanna see a US Operation named “Fluffy Bunny”.

Our troops, special forces and others, are amazing. Their courage, ability, and gusto to go and win a battle are the what sets them apart from all other warriors. May the freedom they fight for forever reign.

Talks about Green Berets, shows Marines training. Got to love stock footage. I served with a CSM who was in Panama. AC-130. C-130 is just a transport.

Military Police units assigned to USARSO also conducted Bushmaster patrols in addition to the infantry units already tasked. I was on quite a few of them.

Thank you Darks, Docs I'm on as treasure hunt, finding all you're previous uploads and watch them. Keep on sending please .

Six Minutes to Freedom👍. SgtMgr James Sudderth was a Delta operator and he was injured when the Helo came back down onto his foot. He was a great man and a friend. Sadly he passed very young after retirement, and is resting peacefully in Arlington.

Exactly what I needed

RIP ENC Don McFaul. He was one of the SEALs killed at the Panamanian Airport while on mission to destroy Noriega's plane. I served on DDG-74 USS McFaul from 2012-2016 and was proud to serve on a ship that bares his name.

i remember a Navy Seal talking about how during this operation, his unit was overwhelmed and they were taking fire and so they jumped in the ocean to escape / get extracted. He was struggling to swim a bit because he got shot in the arm. Rather then panic, the other guys in his unit joked to stay away from him, beause with his arm bleeding he would be attracting sharks. Often it is that kind of reaction under stress that is the most effective, rather then being overly serious in a situation where you can't prepare for or have total control over.

I enjoy these, some I was aware of, some I learned about here. My one criticism is with the use of stock footage ("B Roll"). For instance when you were talking about using C-130s and showed footage of a drop from a Starlifter. I do love the work you do and hopefully will enjoy many more of these.

I love his voice it's a perfect mix of "here's the facts and emotion" I also absolutely love the speed and small brakes he takes between a few words. It really makes it fun to watch this video. : )

Should have included the fate of Noriega.

My buddies and I took part in Operation Acid Gambit the other weekend. Our main objective was a little different, but it was still a great success.

This was really well done. I'm not usually interested in military stuff but this was interesting.

I can almost hear Guns and Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” blaring from a loudspeaker... 😉

That's some black ops stuff right there

11:04 says “no bubbles”. 11:08 “I see bubbles...” I’m no JARHEAD, ( no disrespect) and never served. (THANK YOU, to those who PRESERVE our FREEDOMS!!!) My DAD, is a NAVY VET. Salute. I fully enjoy this channel, and the amazing OPS, you cover. I like the narration, fits it well. Enjoy your day, peeps!!! THANK YOU VETERANS.❤️ I’m an AMERICAN!!! 🇺🇸

I never never knew any of this. It's crazy to think how efficient they are.

A lot of these guys went on to fight in the Battle of Mogadishu. A few perished in combat. Also - the 2 AC130s hovering above were code named Iron Maiden and Bad Company - cool.

Love the more recent history, dont' listen to the people criticizing your voice style.

I love how at 2:39, he talks about preparations and rehearsals being conducted in the spring of 1988 for an Army operation, but then throws in random footage of modern day Marine recruits doing MCMAP training at MCRD San Diego. 😂

That was a very gripping account as told by D Docs on a level of dramaticism that was captivating

"Operation Just Cause" Rico Rodriguez: I'm on the way

I'm probably one of the few veterans who during the Carter years. It was a time when military budgets were cut to the bone. We weren't at war with anyone. We couldn't have afforded to.

My first Squad Leader was with 3rd Ranger BN on this operation. I learned quite a bit from him as new soldier and infantryman. Thanks SSG Mike Griffin aka Griff

for people wondering "No More Mister Nice Guy," by Alice Cooper, and "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath was the music of choice and "Welcome to the Jungle," by Guns N' Roses, and "Wanted Dead Or Alive," by Bon Jovi :D

The darkest part of all: they didn't like Rock and Roll music.

“Hudson who is Nexus Target?” “It’s him Woods Nexus Target is Raul Menendez”

It’s crazy how many times you mention my home town or it’s surrounding areas. Living here can feel so monotonous but then you hear about legit black ops being trained here and all then low fly overs, gun fire and bombings at night take on a new meaning. Thank you.

Love your voice, tons of info really fast.

Thank you for sharing the story behind this story. Thank you to all of our service members for doing the things we will never appreciate. We love you.

Most likely the first Declassified successful hostage rescue by delta force

0:43 that green glowing eyes effect from the nvgs is damn scary! Imaginr being a supersticious taliban, fighting Marines or US soldiers, people who you already fear, and suddnly, you look into the night and barely perceptible, you see a pair of green glowing eyes only for all hell to break loose seconds later. That shit would be so fucking scary tbh

Noriega: I have your hostage. George Bush Sr.: We have Van Halen.

I love this dude's VO. It's the perfect cadence and tone.

Missions like these are truly fascinating and seem impossible. Special Ops make terrible foes!

I was stationed at Ft. Kobbe/Howard AFB during this time. C Co. 2/187ABN. Rodman NWS was across the street from us. Crazy times I will never ever forget. Thank You for covering this.

Well done vid. Cut to the bone to just concentrate on the essentials. Thanks! Commentators: Life is not a computer game replay.

If you watched chuck norris _delta force_ you know the whole story

Love this channel, makes me forget about everyday life and fall asleep. Wish videos were longer. Usually takes me 20 minutes to sleep. Great voice, interesting subjects.

I’m glad delta and the seal are on our side. 👍🏻 May those lost Rest In Peace

I love your formula my man. New sub to the channel.

Regarding another military mission by British operatives, one of them said that their missions have the lamest names while the U.S. missions have the coolest names. He wished that they could name their missions with the cool names like ours. You have to admit our mission names are pretty cool. I remember how people in Noriega's compound were nearly driven crazy by the heavy metal music they were blasted with. Also, the military men nicknamed Noriega "pineapple face" due to it's heavy scarring from childhood skin problems. He really, really hated that.

I worked with a guy who was part of the operation. He had some very interesting stories.

I love this channel. I love your othe channel as well. I watch when ever I have free time

What a great story. Loved it ty

I remember larry vickers talking about this in a documentary. He also has a video talking about his car-15 he used, really cool gun.

Larry Vickers was on this mission

Nothing better than watching a video about an army operation, only to see endless clips of marines and helos that aren’t what is being described.

I remember most of this. I really like your interpretation. Thanks.

You've got to admit, that's a pretty badass mission name. Ranks right up there with "Neptune Spear"

The part of the operation to capture Noriega should have been called Pineapple Prostate Exam.

Great show. Thankyou.

Excellent job in narration.

When the US Military has their stuff together, they do amazing things.

Great vid! Just one correction. I used to crew the MC-130H Combat Talon II. The previous version is just the Combat Talon. I was corrected by some legacy crew members when I said Combat Talon I. I immediately bought my crew a round at the bar we were at and never made the mistake again.

If anyone wants to hear this story from the Unit guy Named Dale Comstock it's pretty crazy and how calm he acts about it laughing etc...He was the kid who blew the door to the prison so the team could pull it off!!! He is a baddass dude and has alot of great stories about life and battles....

My buddy's dad served there. He was the most intense person I ever met in my life. He was a green barrette. When he spoke to you, he was literally 2" from your face. Probably about 5'6". Dude was kinda scary as fuck lol

With regards to the airfield, Chief Engineman Donald McFaul was Platoon Chief. He died dragging a wounded teammate to safety. His legacy is the Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer USS McFaul (DDG-74.)

👎I was trying to watch all these commercials but the damn show kept interrupting.

I was stationed in AK when this operation happened. One of our guys lost his family in Panama. The regime executed them. I never saw him again.

I came across this channel because of history channels warfighters so glad I did !!!!!

The way you talk is hilarious. It's like you had so much coffee before doing the voiceover.

I was a kid in fort clayton Panama before this time. I remember the hueys and getting on a c 130. God bless our people that do this for country to get everybody out of harm's way. Nothing but love for our men.

I was in Panama TDY shortly before the invasion and had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. If I had known my thoughts and actions would have definitely been different. Later I was part of the pre invasion exercise Market Square held at Pope AFB. Even then we didn’t realize what was to come until it came.

Boss this, I used to have to be very lucky to catch stuff like this as a kid in the 90s on discovery channel ha