JOLLY GREENS IN THE CARIBBEAN
by Barry Kamhoot
A little known deployment in 1979 of Rescue resources was an integral
pawn in a high stakes
US
political situation in Nicaragua. The
details of this Communist take over of the Nicaragua government have long been
forgotten. The basic thrust was the Communist backed Sandinistas over
throw of the
US
friendly General Anastasio Somoza government. The concern of our
Government was for the American Embassy, and a mass genocide of the many
Americans living in Nicaragua, those
friendly to the
United States, and the Somoza family.
The ARRS piece of the
US
response was a classified short fuse deployment of four HH-53’s,
HC-130’s from the 55th and 41st Rescue Squadrons
and HC-130’s from the CA ANG. The 41st SQ/CC, L/C Butler,
aircrews and aircraft joined the 55th crews and HH-53’s at
Bergstrom AFB, TX for a non stop flight to Howard AFB, Canal Zone on 23 June 1979. The maintenance personnel and support
equipment and L/C Flournoy, the 55th SQ/CC followed by
C-130’s. Col Prince, the 39th
WG/CC deployed with the initial task force to be replaced by myself as
the Deployment Commander.
The bed down was assisted by an old Jolly pilot, Col Heeter, the
Howard WG/CV. An alert was established and evacuation planning continued
while the political process continued. In the meantime ANG C-130’s were
evacuating selected personnel from a remote landing strip on the Pacific
coast west of Managua, Nicaragua which
was identified as Gen Somosa’s secret hide-a way. The details of this
operation were never shared; however, on one of these shuttles Flournoy, Butler and I went along on the mission to
recon the site as a possible FOL for the potential Embassy evacuation.
About 75 people met this C-130 for a minimum ground time engine running
on load and were returned to
Panama.
As political tensions grew and the Embassy evacuation threat
elevated, we were tasked on 9 July to deploy two HH-53’s and a small
security force to Llano Grande, Costa Rica, an airstrip just across the
boarder from Nicaragua. We were not welcome and the Sandinistas were
sharing the same airfield. On 11 July we were politically kicked out of
the country. The flight back to
Panama
was over the Pacific as we were not permitted to over fly Coasta Rica.
No sooner back at Howard AFB, we were tasked to deploy to the USS
SAIPAN, a Navy helicopter aircraft carrier operating out of Guantanamo
Bay Naval Base on the 12th of July. We departed Howard AFB in
marginal weather in over grossed H-53’s carrying all the parts, guns,
bullets and maintenance personnel we were going to have for an
undetermined length of time on the ship plus a 30man Modified Infantry
Platoon of the 193RD Infantry Brigade.
As we approached the SAIPAN
and checked in as Air Force helicopters, the Air Boss
responded, “we will turn the ship into the wind and you approach
the boat at 1,500 feet from the blunt end to the pointed end and I’ll
talk you down.” The first time carrier landings went well and the
helicopters were chained to the deck before we know what happened. The
ship had a minimum crew as they were doing a maintenance shake down of
ship and only one aviator (Air Boss) and no aircraft were on board. The
ship’s track was north and south on the east coast on
Nicaragua
in international waters but close enough that we could make a round trip
flight to the Embassy in
Managua
without refueling. We were considered hostile by the Sandinistas and our
evacuation mission plan included the air cover by four ANG A-7’s for a
day and two AC-130 gunship for a night evacuation of the Embassy. The
Navy deployed a destroyer as escort for the carrier as we had an
unfriendly submarine tailing the SAIPAN and each night Cuban aircraft
over flew the ship.
Living on the ship was confining and the tensions ran high. The
security was very tight and there was no communication or contact with
the outside world. There are many stories of our time on the carrier,
too many to tell—we tested Capt Murphy and the Navy’s hospitality to the
limit. One instance being a female crew chief that deployed with us
before women were allowed on ships. This was a problem for the Navy and
the old black shoe XO had his knickers in a twist. Simply put, we were
forced to send her back to Howard. When
Alice departed,
the SAIPAN crew flew a banner that
read, “ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE”.
Weather and sea state were always a factor with new intelligence
daily. Our participation and variations of it depended on the option the
Ambassador elected. Late on the eve of the 28th of July, a
C-130 landed in Managua
and evacuated all but two of the Embassy staff left to keep the Embassy
occupied. Our evacuation mission was cancelled and on the 29th
SOUTHCOM Army C-47’s rendezvoused with the SAIPAN
for the redeployment of the Army Rangers, our equipment, personnel and
myself back to Howard AFB. L/C Flournoy became the OIC of the HH-53
aircrews who stayed on the
SAIPAN now ordered back to Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay. Unknown to Captain Murphy, Captain
of the USS SAIPAN and crew, the PJ’s painted two large green footprints
on the bow of the carrier that night while underway. The HH-53’s
launched prior to the ship reaching Cuba and after a SAW-WAA-DEE pass
down the port side of the ship with smoke flares strapped to broom
sticks billowing off the ramp, the Jollys headed for their home.
Fortunately the feared bloodshed in Nicaragua did
not happen. The Embassy was evacuated and General Somosa departed the
country without incident. I wrapped up the redeployment business at
Howard AFB and as the Vice Commander of the 39th Wing
returned to Eglin AFB, FL.
