In photos: remembering the 1989 invasion of Panama
I was a 28-year-old freelance journalist working for US and British media when President George H. Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in December 1989 to dismiss the dictator General Manuel Noriega. <a href="https://www.univision.com/univision-news/latin-america/the-invasion-of-panama-30-years-on-the-extraordinary-tale-of-two-enemies-who-became-friends" link-data="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000147-f3a5-d4ea-a95f-fbb7f52b0000","_type":"ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20"},"cms.content.publishDate":1578346531597,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000152-f0a2-dc82-a57a-f3e6882d0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.content.updateDate":1578346531597,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000152-f0a2-dc82-a57a-f3e6882d0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"link":{"attributes":[],"item":{"_ref":"0000016e-ec44-da23-a36f-efdcbbf90002","_type":"4f8e492c-6f2f-390e-bc61-f176d3a37ab9"},"_id":"0000016f-7cc8-dab6-af7f-fdc8874c0001","_type":"c3f0009d-3dd9-3762-acac-88c3a292c6b2"},"linkText":"For two weeks Panama was the center of attention of the world's media.","_id":"0000016f-7cc8-dab6-af7f-fdc8874c0000","_type":"809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288"}">For two weeks Panama was the center of attention of the world's media. </a>
December 22, 2019 08:52 AM
January 06, 2020 04:35 PM
TIME-and-Newsweek.jpgThe Panama crisis was front page news for more than two years, culminating in the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama and the arrest of dictator gen Manuel Antonio Noriega.AP
Democratic Alliance Coalition presidential candidaDemocratic Alliance Coalition presidential candidate Guillermo Endara (C) waves to a crowd along with his vice-presidential running mates Ricardo Arias Calderon (L) and Guillermo Ford (R) after casting his ballot 07 May 1989 in Panama City. In front are (L-R) Victoriana Endara and Dora Diaz Ford.CAMILO JIPSION/AFP via Getty Images
Guillermo Endara, future president of Panama, 1989Guillermo Endara, future president of Panama, on his way to the hospital after he was beaten by pro-Noriega mob in Panama City, May 10, 1989Scott Wallace
May 10, 1989Journalist David Adams (left) looks at the dead body of Manuel Guerra, a bodyguard for presidential candidate Guillermo Endara after pro-Noriega paramilitaries attacked an opposition march on May 10,1989.Wesley Bocxe
David fishing croppedDavid Adams on a fishing trip near Contadora Island two days before the invasion of Panama, December 1989.David Adams
AC-130 Spectre gunshipSeveral AC-130 gunships were used in the invasion of Panama on the night of December 19-20, 1989 to destroy and military headquarters of Gen Manuel Noriega in downtown Panama City. Critics say the use of excessive force was partly responsible for the destruction of the surrounding El Chorillo neighborhood which burned down.U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Julianne Showalter
Panama invasionFlames engulf a building in Panama City during the 1989 U.S. invasion. About 500 Panamanians were killed, as well as 23 U.S. service members during the invasion by 26,000 troops.U.S. Department of Defense
Panama invasion troopsIn this Dec. 26, 1989 file photo, U.S. soldiers take aim while searching suspects detained outside the home of a business associate of Manuel Noriega in Panama City.Ezequiel Becerra/AP
Juantxu's last photoPhoto of invasion casualties in the Panama City morgue.Juantxu Rodriguez/Courtesy of El Pais
PANAMA-USA-INVASION-US ARMY-SOLDIERSUS soldiers man their security position outside the Vatican embassy in Panama City where Panamanian General Manuel Noriega sought asylum, during Operation Just Cause, December 25, 1989.MANOOCHER DEGHATI/AFP via Getty Images
Jose Sebastian Laboa in PanamaVatican ambassador Jose Sebastian Laboa walks through the gate past American soldiers into the embassy compound in Panama City where Gen Manuel Noriega sought refuge during the invasion, Jan. 1, 1990. Noriega surrendered two days later.Matias Recart/AP
Ines Lozano with soldiersInes Lozano standing with U.S. troops outside the Spanish embassy during the invasion of Panama, December 1989.Ines Lozano
The Devil's Advocate'It took a Devil's Advocate to persuade the general.' Article by David Adams, published Jan 3, 1990, in The Independent.
Executive Hotel croppedDavid Adams with staff at the Hotel Ejecutivo in Panama City in 2016. Gisela Velasquez (left) and Carlos Correa (right).David Adams
with Cisneros 2David Adams (right) on a reporting trip with the head of US Army (South) Gen Marc Cisneros during the invasion of Panama. Photo taken on the roof of Gen Noriega's beach house in Farallon.David Adams
with CisnerosDavid Adams reporting during the invasion of Panama, December 1989. Seen here with Gen Marc Cisneros (center), the commander of the US Army (South) and Col Eduardo Herrera of the Panama Defense Forces.
Wedding Adams-Lozano with Arias Calderon croppedThe wedding of David Adams (left) and Ines Lozano (right) at the Iglesia del Carmen August 9, 1991. In photo, the Vice President of Panama, Ricardo Arias Calderon signing the wedding book.Ines Lozano
Noriega busA bus with graffiti that recalls the era of the strong military man, General Manuel Antonio Noriega. It reads: "He who does not know the past is destined to repeat it." Portobelo, Panama, 2016.David Adams