Battle of Paitilla Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Paitilla Airport |
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| Part of the United States invasion of Panama and Operation Nifty Package | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
 Panama |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Cmdr. Tom McGrath Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Toohey |
Lt. Octavo Rodriguez |
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| Units involved | |||||||
| SEAL Team 4 |  Panama Defense Force |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 48 | 28-56 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4 killed 9 wounded |
1 private jet destroyed |
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The Battle of Paitilla Airport was a battle between members of the Panama Defense Force and SEAL Team 4, on the 20th of December 1989, in the starting hours of Operation Just Cause. The force consisted of forty-eight U.S. Navy SEALs (three SEAL Platoons: Golf, Echo, and Delta) under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Toohey. The team was tasked with destroying Manuel Noriega's private jet on the ground at the Punta Paitilla Airport, in Panama City.
Battle
Launched in the starting hours of Operation Just Cause, this operation was handled by SEAL Team 4. Consisting of 48 U.S. Navy SEALs (three SEAL Platoons: Golf, Echo, and Delta) under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Toohey (executive officer of Team 4 and former SEAL Team Six officer), this team was tasked with destroying Noriega's private jet on the ground at the Punta Paitilla Airport, a coastal airport in Panama City. The main force of SEALs landed just south of the airport at approximately 0030, shortly before the initial combat operations started within Panama City itself. Several reconnaissance teams were hidden on the north side of the airfield to provide real-time data on enemy movements. Once the SEALs landed, Lt. Cmdr. Toohey established a command post near the southern edge of the runway. At this time Cmdr. McGrath, a SEAL officer stationed on a patrol boat offshore coordinating several operations, passed on information implying that the aircraft was to be disabled with "minimal damage" (defined as shot out tires and cut control wires), rather than destroyed. This became a point of controversy after the operation, as the message was poorly worded and forced the SEALs to change their tactics at the last minute and approach the aircraft more closely than anticipated.
The three platoons then began advancing up the airfield, with Golf platoon taking up final assaulting positions outside the hangar at roughly 0105. At this point, Lt. Cmdr. Toohey received a message stating that PDF V300 Cadillac Gage armored cars were heading towards the airport. To counter the threat, a squad (Squad One of Golf Platoon) was ordered to move into ambush positions on a nearby road. As they stood up to move, the PDF soldiers stationed in the airfield immediately opened fire, killing two SEALs and wounding five others. The other two platoons moved to reinforce Golf, and within several minutes had secured the hangars, with two more SEALs killed and four more wounded. The SEALs then disabled Noriega's private plane by shooting it with an AT4 rocket. Shortly after, a MEDEVAC helicopter arrived and transported the injured SEALs to the Joint Casualty Collection Point at Howard Air Force Base. The SEALs held the area throughout the night, and disabled the runway for use by any PDF transport planes by rolling other aircraft onto it. The next day, the SEALs were replaced by a company from the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Aftermath
Due to the high level of casualties sustained (amounting to one-quarter of the assaulting force) and several inconsistencies regarding planning and command and control during the battle, the Battle of Paitilla Airport is considered one of the most controversial operations within Operation Just Cause from the US military perspective. The battle led to the death of four Navy SEALs:
- Lt. j.g. John Patrick Connors, 25, of Arlington, Mass.
- Chief Engineman Donald Lewis McFaul, 32, of San Diego, Calif.
- Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Christopher Taylor Tilghman, 30, of Kailua, Hawaii
- Torpedoman's Mate 2nd Class Isaac George Rodriguez III, 24, of Missouri City, Texas
Nine further Navy SEALs were wounded in the battle.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla del Aeropuerto de Paitilla para niños
