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This from,"Memories of my CZ Army Times 62-65” - David E. Corley"
My plan was to stay at the USO in Balboa 
and get a bus to Ft. Kobe the next day. A sence of tension and 
anxiety was in the air, there was some kind of a disturbance going on 
back toward the high school. I was familiar with the area and after checking 
into the USO I wondered down to the High School area to see what all the 
fuss was about. A large crowd of school students were protesting about 
the US flag. What I saw is what is on the front of the LIFE magazine 
pictured above some of these are looking back at me. There was 
nothing I could do here but get into trouble so I headed back to Balboa …....

"CZ_Riots_1964"
From the Internet
Panamanians hurled firebombs and fired shots at the Masonic Temple 
from nearby rooftops. The army was pinned down by sniper fire from several 
directions. Private David Haupt was shot in the head and killed, becoming 
the first American to die at the hands of Panamanians in the fighting of 
January 1964.

Still without orders to fire, the 4th Battalion continued to take
casualties. First Sergeant Gerald A. Aubin* and Staff Sergeant Luis Jiminez
Cruz* (a Puerto Rican) were shot to death. Twelve other American soldiers
were wounded by sniper fire along the boundary between Colon and Cristobal.
The order to use live ammunition was given on the afternoon of January 11.
* from Co. “B” 4th Bn 10th Inf

During the riots that ensued, the new Pan American building was burnt 
down, as well as the Braniff office and other U.S. businesses including 
a large Sears store. Mobs burned every American car they found, and 
U.S. residences in the city of Panama were looted. By Friday night, about 
20 Panamanians were dead and over 200 wounded, while the U.S. had 7 
dead and over 50 wounded. Snipers in the evening, I’m sure, added to the
 final tally of the casualties which is not available even today.

When the fighting was over, DENI investigators found over 600 bullets embedded
in the Legislative Palace. Santo Tomas Hospital reported that it had treated 324 
injuries and recorded 18 deaths from the fighting. Panama City's Social Security 
Hospital treated at least 16 others who were wounded on the first night of the 
fighting. Most of those killed and wounded had suffered gunshot wounds. Some 
of the more seriously injured were left with severe permanent brain damage or 
paralyzing spinal injuries from their bullet wounds.

After the fighting, American investigators found over 400 bullets embedded in the 
Tivoli Hotel. Years after the events of January 1964, a number of US Army historical 
documents were declassified, including Southcom's figures for ammunition expended. 
The official account has it that the US Army fired 450 .30 caliber rifle rounds, five .45 
caliber pistol bullets, 953 shells of birdshot and 7,193 grenades or projectiles 
containing tear gas. Also, the army claims to have used 340 pounds of bulk CN-1 
chemical (weak tear gas) and 120 pounds of CS-1 chemical (strong tear gas). The 
same account said that the Canal Zone police fired 1,850 .38 caliber pistol bullets 
and 600 shotgun shells in the fighting, while using only 132 tear gas grenades.

Yet the main body of American opinion blamed the clashes on Cuban agents.
Secretary of the Army Cyrus Vance claimed that the Panamanians had arrested
10 communist agitators for inciting the riots. The Panamanian government
denied it. Pressed for more details of alleged Cuban involvement, Secretary
of State Dean Rusk said that: "[u]ndoubtedly Castro and agents of Castro...
have taken a direct hand in one way or another." (38) Former president
Truman best stated the inherent paternalism in mainstream American
thinking: "The children you do the most for are the ones who cause you the
most trouble, and Cuba and Panama are perfect examples of that." (39)




This from,"Memories of my CZ Army Times 62-65” - David E. Corley"
I was awakened very early the next morning by a ruckus 
coming from the hallway. It was several men banging on doors 
announcing they were Military Police saying all military personnel 
have been put on alert. I opened my door and an MP there told 
me I needed to report to my company ASAP. I told him I was from 
Ft. Davis and said that the alert was for the whole Southern 
Command and that I needed to get out of there at double time. 
The train station is burning and the last train to Colon is about 
to leave. I hurriedly got my stuff and myself together and headed 
for the train station. I could see the smoke rising from the station 
fire. I saw the train had pulled away from the station fire and they 
were blowing it's whistle and about to leave. There was a mob 
headed toward the train and there were three more men and myself  
hopping on the train. Two of the men were soldiers and the other 
a construction worker. The train was pulling off as we got on 
board. It took the train awhile to get up speed and before it did 
part of the mob caught up with us and was trying to get on board. 
We soldiers and the constructing worker looked at each other with 
a smile knowing we all had the same thought and as the rioters 
jumped on board we grabbed them and threw them back off. 
After seeing several of their fellow mobsters laying out on the
 train track they changed their minds about commandeering the 
train. We congratulated each other for a good job and the train 
passengers clapped and cheered our actions.


"Panama_railroad_60s" 
The train I road from Balboa to Colon CZ.
..........
 
 





  

 



“MATS” Military Air Transportation Service airlift to the 
United States of 1,093 dependent wives and children of U.S. 
military and civilian personnel from the Panama Canal Zone 
during the crisis there 1964.

Charleston, S. C.  The Air Force said Thursday that 240 dependents 
of American servicemen stationed in Panama had a r r i v e d at the 
Charleston Air Force Base in the initial phase of a three day airlift 
removing 900 women and children from the riot torn isthmus. The 
first plane l a n d ed Wednesday night at 9:22. It brought 60 persons
including 31 children and 25 pregnant women. The other three 
planes, each carrying 60 dependents, arrived in pre-dawn hours 
Thursday. A spokesman for the Air Force said additional flights
carrying dependents were expected to arrive Thursday and Friday 
nights. Maj. Charles W. Wright, representing the A r m y 's Panama 
command, said many of the first arrivals quickly arranged to fly to 
their homes in this c o u n t r y . Those who could not make immediate
travel accommodations were lodged at the air base. Rioting which led 
to the evacuation still was fresh in the minds of the dependents. "Sure 
we were scared," said Mrs. Naomi Ann Jenkins of Longview, Tex., 
"but they (the rioters) did not hive a chance to get to us because the 
National Guard protected us." Mrs. Jenkins said she and some other 
dependents were taken from Panama City to the U. S.-controlled Canal 
Zone in a bus "that didn't stop for anything." Those who had fled 
Panama with only the clothing they were wearing were given blankets 
and clothing hastily airmen at Charleston Air Force Base. The American 
Red Cross also gave each of the adults an opportunity to telephone 
relatives or friends. They were processed at nearby customs office and 
then allowed to proceed to t h e i r homes or other places of lodging. 
Dependents without any immediate destination were given temporary 
lodging at the base here or at Fort Jackson, near Columbia, S. C. Mrs. 
Marsha Moris of Gibson, II., said the evacuation was voluntary, adding: 
"1 could not go back without risking my life." Mrs. Karen Jacobs of 
Minneapolis said aw armed mob broke into her Panama City apartment, 
shouting: "Kill the gringos." The 24-year-old wife of a soldier said police 
and Guardsmen scattered the mob. "We owe our lives to the La Guardia 
(Panamanian police)," said Mrs. Helda Hendrick of Kingston, N. Y. She 
said street mobs threatened to burn her car as she and her two young 
sons tried to flee from Panama City. "We had to leave everything even my 
new train set I got for Christmas," one youngster said. "Gosh, it was noisy. 
They kept shouting 'Go home, Yankee, go home." I wasn't scared, not really."
"ARMY APOLOGIZES TO THE WIDOW 
OF A SOLDIER KILLED IN PANAMA"

"The Riots That led to 
the giveaway of the Panama Canal"

This In Memory Of American Soldiers who died 
on January 9 and 10, 1964 defending their country 
in hostile action in the Panama Canal Zone.

"CLICK!"

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