HQ$History - United States Special Operations Command

The Paitilla Airfield assault force, TU Papa,
had a 62-man ground force comprised of three
SEAL platoons (Bravo, Delta, and Golf platoons),
Air Force CCTs to perform liaison with
an AC-130H gunship, and a command, control,
communications, and mortar element. A 26-
man support team included surveillance forces,
a signals intelligence team, a PSYOP team, and
boat crews.
At 1930 on 19 December, 15 combat rubber
raiding craft, carrying the ground force,
launched from the Howard AFB beach, eight
miles from Paitilla, while two patrol boats left
from Rodman Naval Station. At 2330, with the
rubber boats waiting off the airfield, two SEALs
swam ashore to reconnoiter the landing site and
mark the beach with a strobe light.
At 0045 on the 20th, coming ashore near the
end of the runway, the ground force heard firing
and explosions from the attack on the
Comandancia. The element of surprise had been
lost. The SEALs hurried up the trail, through a
hole in the security fence, and formed into platoons
near the southern end of the runway.
Learning of a report that Noriega was about to
arrive in a small plane, Delta platoon set an
ambush halfway up the runway for a few minutes,
before advancing toward the tower. The
other two platoons, Golf and Bravo, had moved
up the grass apron on the west side of the runway.
By 0105, the SEALs were in front of the
three northernmost hangars. Panamanians
guarded the middle hangar, which
housed Noriega’s jet, and the hangar
to the north. Golf platoon was in the
lead, with one of its squads moving
toward the northern edge of the tarmac.
After an exchange of demands
between the Americans and guards,
a SEAL opened fire on a PDF guard
who had assumed a firing position.
A short but fierce firefight ensued,
and within a matter of a minute or
two, eight SEALs were wounded,
five seriously. The Golf platoon
commander called for assistance on
his radio, reporting heavy casualties.
The ground force commander
ordered other platoons to reinforce
these SEALs. Two SEAL reinforcements
were wounded as they maneuvered to
engage the PDF in the hangars. The combination
of SEAL fire discipline and superior firepower
soon took effect, however, and after three
firefights, the remaining PDF defenders withdrew
at about 0117.
The SEALs reported the airfield was secure
at 0146, and a medical evacuation (MEDEVAC)
helicopter finally arrived at 0205 to recover the
wounded. By 0315, the SEALs had set up a
more defendable perimeter on the southeast side
of the airfield. The reaction platoon from
Rodman arrived a few minutes later. An AC-
130H gunship, unable to establish reliable communications
with the ground force, was replaced
by an AC-130A at 0324. At dawn a patrol conducted
a reconnaissance of the hangars, while
other SEALs dragged airplanes onto the runway
to block its use. The relief force did not arrive
until 1400 on the 21st, when five CH-47 helicopters
delivered a Ranger company. The SEALs
left aboard the same helicopters. A planned 5-
hour mission had turned into a 37-hour operation.
Four SEALs had died and eight others
were wounded.
Subsequent to the operations at Paitilla
Airfield, TU Papa conducted several search and
seizure missions looking for arms caches and
Noriega followers. The unit was disbanded on 1
January 1990, and members returned to the
United States the next day.
TU Whiskey’s H-hour mission was to destroy
the Panamanian patrol boat docked in Balboa
Manuel Noriega’s disabled jet.
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