Special Operations.Com
Operation
Acid Gambit
The
Rescue of Kurt Muse
This article will appear
in the next issue of the Journal of Counterterrorism
& Security International. To join
IACSP and receive future issues of the Journal,
stop by (Web site: http://www.iacsp.com)
"Delta
Force landing on the roof of Modelo Prison.
... Delta has killed the guards. ... Delta
Force in. ... Kurt Muse out of his cell.
... Delta Force leaving in helicopters from
the roof. It's OK. No! The helo is taking
fire. It's hit. It's coming down! No, it's
going down the street. ... It's hit. ...
It's down. ... They're O.K.''
- Excerpted from the memoirs
of General Colin Powell
By Thomas B. Hunter
Operation
Just Cause, the U.S. invasion of Panama, was launched
at 0045, 20 December 1989. The invasion force consisted
of a massive wave of conventional and airborne, and
special operations forces. One vital aspect of Just
Cause, however, revolved around a single American
citizen, and the efforts of a small group of men to
rescue him from a certain death.
An American
in Panama
Kurt
Muse was born in Arizona but grew up in Panama City,
Panama. Following a short tour in the US Army, Muse
returned to Panama where his wife took a job as a
schoolteacher and Kurt joined his father in the family,
selling printing and graphics arts equipment throughout
Central America. Muse cared deeply about the Panamanian
people and grew increasingly frustrated at the actions
of Gen. Manuel Noriega and the Panamanian Defense
Forces (PDF) to thwart the growth of democracy in
that country.
Muse,
and a small group of close friends, decided to take
a more proactive approach to fight the growing oppression.
Using radio scanning and transmitting equipment procured
in Miami, Muse and a small, informal team of four
to five Panamanians began to broadcast anti-Noriega
messages. This was accomplished by determining which
were the most popular local radio stations, obtaining
their frequencies, and then simply erecting a stronger
transmitter in the line of site of the repeating tower.
This would overpower the comparatively weak signal
broadcast by the radio station and instead transmit
whatever message the pirate radio team chose to send.
As the
effects of these broadcasts became more apparent,
however, Muse and his team realized that more advanced
equipment was required. To this end, Muse made several
trips to Miami, Florida, where he ordered equipment
small enough to fit into a suitcase. It is not clear
to what extent the Central Intelligence Agency provided
this equipment, however it is clear that the Agency
was involved at this point in assisting Muse’s pirate
broadcast team. He then made the return trips to Panama
City where the new gear was assembled and put to use.
After
several tests to ensure the new equipment was working
properly, it was decided that the pirate radio station’s
initial broadcast would take place during Noriega’s
official state address to the Panamanian people. This
government statement, similar to the State of the
Union address in the United States, was listened to
by the majority of the people of Panama, and thus
represented the best opportunity to reach the widest
audience.
Assembled
at the nearby stadium, a crowd of some 20,000 cheering
Panamanians waited for Noriega to begin his speech.
Muse’s team quickly climbed to the top of a nearby
two-story condominium, assembled their equipment,
and waited. As Noriega was introduced and approached
the podium to speak, a boisterous cheer went up inside
the stadium. This was the moment they had waited for,
and Muse pressed the transmit button, sending out
a two-minute, pre-recorded message from "The
Free Democratic People of Panama". Once completed,
the team quickly disassembled the equipment and returned
to their individual homes. Though they could not know
it at the time, their pirate broadcast worked far
beyond their expectations.
The next
day, the Panamanian newspapers were filled with front-page
news about the "imperialist yankees" and
their propaganda. It was obvious that the message
had indeed reached the masses. As successful as this
endeavor was, however, it also drew the full attention
of a furious Manuel Noriega, who immediately tasked
his forces to ferret out and arrest the perpetrators.
And while Muse would continue these broadcasts for
the next two months, the hunt was on. During this
time, Noriega grew more and more personally aggravated
at the broadcasts, and eventually brought in specialists
from East Germany and Cuba to help them track down
the elusive quarry.
Yet,
it would not be these hunters who would eventually
apprehend Muse. Unbeknownst to him, a notice had been
placed at the international airport, directing officials
to arrest the American on sight. Upon his return from
a routine trip to Miami, an army official at the Panama
City airport noticed this directive, taped to a nearby
wall, and identified Muse to civilian officials. His
days as a pirate broadcaster were over, and he was
taken to the secret police headquarters building in
downtown Panama.
Carcel Modelo Prison (Photo courtesy of Mr. Kurt
Muse)
Carcel
Modelo
Muse
was interrogated for three days, deprived of sleep,
and forced to watch as other prisoners were tortured
in front of him. At one point, an irate interrogator
thrust a pistol into the back of his head and cocked
it, then left the room furious. Muse was then moved
to a series of locations, ostensibly to eliminate
any efforts by the United States to locate him. The
Panamanian government, further frustrated over failed
attempts to falsely prove that Muse was a citizen
of Panama, and not the United States, initially refused
to permit any U.S. officials to contact him. The State
Department reacted swiftly, canceling all visas from
Panama to the United States. Soon thereafter, Noriega,
acquiescing to the visa sanctions and bound by the
conditions of the Panama Canal Treaty permitted contact
between U.S. officials and Muse on a regular basis.
It was
at this time that Muse was moved to the notorious
Carcel Modelo (Model Prison), a facility constructed
in 1925 to house approximately 250 inmates. By 1987,
however, the prison contained over 1,000 inmates,
creating barbaric living conditions. Muse was kept
in an 8’ x 12’ cell, with a small adjoining bathroom,
for the next nine months. The only furniture he would
be allowed was a two-inch thick foam rubber mattress,
his only protection against the cold concrete floor.
During this period, he would only actually be permitted
outside of his cell walls four times.
Peering
through his small, square window, Muse saw scores
of acts of torture, including one instance in which
a Panamanian man was wrapped in an American flag,
hung from a basketball hoop by his handcuffed wrists,
and beaten with clubs and rubber hoses. Those instances
which Muse did not witness, he was forced to listen
to, as torture within the prison was a daily process.
The screams of tortured men echoed throughout Carcel
Modelo day and night. In time, the barbaric conditions
began to take a mental and physical toll on Muse and
by the ninth month, he had lost over fifty pounds
of body weight.
Fully
aware of the conditions that Muse was facing, President
George Bush vowed that this American would be rescued.
This decision made, it was then left up to military
commanders to decide how it would be carried out.
It was quickly decided that the US Army’s elite counterterrorist
Delta Force, formally known as Special Forces Operational
Detachment – Delta (SFOD-D), working in tandem with
the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group,
and supported by an AC-130 gunship from the 1st
Special Operations Wing, be tasked with the mission.
Knowing
that a guard had been given specific instructions
to kill Muse at the first hint of U.S. military aggression
towards Panama. Following a failed coup attempt on
October 3, however, Carcel Modelo was transformed
from a civilian into a military facility. Almost overnight
military personnel replaced the civilian guards and
fortified defensive positions were put into place.
It was also at this time that Noriega began to refer
to Muse not as a prisoner, but as a hostage. Additionally,
an armed guard was assigned to sit outside Muse’s
cell, with standing orders to kill him if any action
was taken by the U.S. against Panama.
Initial
planning for the operation had begun at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina. Delta Force finalized mission-specific
preparation for the rescue at a remote training facility
located on the grounds of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
To enhance the ability of the assault team to penetrate
the heavily guarded prison, a full-scale, three-story
mock up was built. Its specific features were updated
by reports from those military personnel who were
permitted to visit Muse in his cell.
In this way, it was possible to rehearse the
mission in total secrecy and in great detail. It was
here that intensive live-fire mission rehearsals were
conducted.
The plan,
designated Operation Acid Gambit, was simple, at least
in theory. Aviation support would be provided by MH-6
"Little Birds" from the 160th
Special Operations Aviation Group. This agile, unarmed
helicopter, a relative of the OH-6 observation helicopter
used in Vietnam, was specially outfitted with outboard
"benches" designed to ferry up to three
commandos on each side. Painted black to facilitate
nighttime operations, the small aircraft could conduct
rapid insertions and extractions of special operations
forces into areas its larger brother, the MH-60 Black
Hawk, could not. This same assault package combined
with MH-60s’s from the 160th, would also
be tasked with the apprehension of Manual Noriega
himself, in an operation code named ‘Nifty Package’.
Via this
method, the assault team would land on the roof of
the prison, make an explosive entry through an unattended
entryway, and fight their way down to Muse’s cell
on the second floor. En route, they would neutralize
any opposition, knowing that highest on their list
was the guard assigned to kill Muse. They would then
retreat with Muse back to the roof, reboard the helicopter,
and make their escape. A Delta sniper team would also
be in place near the prison to neutralize any guards
positioned outside the facility. Finally, aerial fire
support would be provided by two AH-6 "Little
Bird" attack helicopters and two AC-130H "Spectre"
gunships. These were to attack predesginated targets
(pre-planned Close Air Support) as well as remain
available for any calls for assistance.
Complicating
issues was the fact that the Comandancia compound,
the headquarters of the PDF, stood just across the
street from the . The Comandancia, often referred
to as single building, was actually a walled compound
housing numerous smaller buildings such as warehouses,
supply points, and barracks. This presented an obvious
problem. Any helicopter assault on the prison would
alert the PDF forces within the Comandancia and likely
cause the immediate reinforcement of the prison by
these forces.
On December
17, 1989, the United States placed its forces on alert
for the imminent invasion of Panama. Throughout the
day of the 19th, Delta sniper-observers
in the hills overlooking the prison, as well as several
dressed in civilian clothes wandering up and down
the adjacent streets, took careful note of the comings
and goings at the prison. They paid special attention
to any new defenses that had been constructed, weapons
carried by the soldiers and guards, and other vital
information.
In the
last contact that Muse would have with a friendly
face prior to the assault, an unidentified Colonel
met with Muse in the visitors’ area. The gathering
included reporters, prison guards and officials. All
present could hear as a U.S. helicopter gunship passed
low and loud over the prison. As the sound subsided,
the Colonel announced - in a voice loud enough for
the whole room to hear – that he wanted to make sure
that Muse understood that there were standing orders
that he was to be killed if the United States attempted
any type of action against Panama. Muse said that
he understood. The Colonel nodded, then continued
by stating clearly, more for the assembled gathering
than just for the hostage before him, that if anyone
harmed Muse, not a single person would walk out of
the prison alive. With this, he stood, turned, and
walked out of the room. All present stopped what they
were doing and simply looked at each other. His message
had come through loud and clear. But what Muse knew,
that they did not, was that someone was coming for
him and whoever it was was not going to let anything
get between them and the American in his cell.
Acid
Gambit
As local
time reached 0045, two AH-6 helicopters fired the
first shots of Operation Acid Gambit as they strafed
the top of a two-story apartment to the west with
their M143 7.62mm miniguns to eliminate potential
sniper threats. They immediately followed up with
several salvos of 2.75-inch unguided rockets from
their dual outboard rocket pods into the nearby Comandancia.
This strike caused significant damage to the building
and caused the PDF to immediately turn its attention
to the defense of the compound. Their attack complete,
they called off the target, which meant that the much
larger, fixed-wing Spectres were cleared to fire.
Unbeknownst to the pilot of the first Little Bird,
the second AH-6 was shot down and crash-landed inside
the compound. The pilot survived the crash and, in
a remarkable display or situational awareness, moved
away from those buildings he knew were targets for
the gunships overhead, and escaped safely to the far
side of the compound.
The two
gunships flew in a high orbit above the Comandancia
compound. Flying in a configuration known as "Top
Hat", the two Spectres operated independently
at two different altitudes (specific altitudes remained
classified). In this way, one flew lower at what is
best described as the "brim" of the hat,
and the other flew approximately 1,000 feet higher
in a similarly circular, but slightly tighter, pattern.
This unique tactic, which has been employed only once
in combat, enabled them to bring to bear the weapons
of two gunships (as opposed to the standard single
gunship) into a very small area. This was deemed necessary
due to the high number of targets that needed to be
engaged within just a four-and-half minute timeframe.
The mission
of these two gunships, designated call signs Air
Papa 06 and Air Papa 07, was to strike
five buildings in the compound. The purpose of this
was twofold. First, the gunfire was intended to draw
the attention of the PDF away from the prison during
the rescue team’s assault. Second, it was intended
to "soften up" the battlefield for the mechanized
forces of Task Force Gator which was assigned to take
down the compound soon after.
To ensure
that all the needs of the team on the ground were
being met and all necessary targets engaged, the gunships
remained in contact with the Command and Control (C2)
Black Hawk as well as the unit on the roof throughout
their time on station. Reportedly, this secure communication
system worked exceptionally well, much unlike the
tragic experience of the US Navy SEALs assault on
nearby Paitilla Airfield in which four SEALs were
killed.
The first
gunship fired three rounds of 105mm high explosive
rounds into each of the five buildings in the compound.
The first round impacted an ammunition storage depot
within a barracks approximately 100 meters from the
Comandancia building. A series of explosions and fire
ensued, destroying the structure.
Air
Papa 07 (unofficially
designated ‘Bad Company’) would remain over
the Comandancia compound providing CAS for the mechanized
forces and other ground forces. Air Papa 06 (‘Iron
Maiden’), however, originally tasked with providing
support for ongoing operations to arrest Gen. Noriega,
was unexpectedly retasked to escort an element of
mechanized forces through Panama City to the U.S Embassy,
where the gunship would remain in a protective orbit
most of the night. Fortunately, neither of the gunships
was engaged by manportable surface to air missiles,
and experienced only light AAA activity from a single
12.5mm weapon firing from a local baseball field (this
position was subsequently destroyed by Air Papa
07).
With
the attack underway and the four MH-6 helicopters
inbound, the small sniper team positioned on nearby
Quarry Heights carefully selected targets and relayed
intelligence to the rescue force. Led by a senior
Delta sergeant, the expert marksmen, graduates of
the most arduous sniper schools in the world, took
careful aim with the standard and .50 caliber sniper
rifles and opened fire. Within moments, several guards
were killed. They then turned their attention to the
prison generator located to the left of the prison
entrance under a tin roof. Once destroyed, the interior
of the prison immediately went black.
160th SOAR MH-6 "Little Bird" (Pictured:
US 75th Rangers on outboard benches)
The Rescue
Upon
hearing the sounds of gunfire (not from the snipers,
but from an attack on a PDF bus across the bay in
Fort Amador) Muse awoke with a start. As the heavy
caliber, staccato shooting continued, he realized
that something out of the ordinary was occurring and
quickly grabbed his clothes. As the remainder of an
estimated sixty rounds barked through the humid night
air, he made his way to the floor of his bathroom,
and peered around the corner to see anyone who might
be coming to his cell. As quickly as it had started,
however, it was over. Everything within the prison
went silent.
Muse
then heard the familiar sound of combat boots running
up the steps. He realized then that these footsteps
might be those of the men who were going to kill him.
The men did not open his cell, however, but instead
ran towards the officers quarters across from his
cell. Muse listened as the PDF guards frantically
explained to their captain that something was going
on outside. The officers immediately raced downstairs
with the soldiers and began to defend the prison.
Almost
immediately, the four Little Birds, each with four
commandos aboard, touched down on the roof of the
prison. The assault element raced off the outboard
pylons and towards the cupola. The door from the roof
to the interior of the prison was quickly opened with
a massive blast of explosive charges, and the team
quickly made its way down to the second floor. At
least two and possibly three guards were killed in
the few seconds it took for the team to race down
two flights of stairs to Muse’s cell. The four MH-6’s,
their cargo delivered, flew north where they maintained
a holding pattern and awaited the team’s call for
extraction.
Then,
unexpectedly, the gunships received a "call for
fire" mission from the prison assault team. The
team was taking fire from the third floor of the Comandancia.
This caused the Spectres to immediately disengage
any targets they might be engaging to come to the
immediate assistance of the ground forces. Moments
later, the gunships engaged with their 40mm guns firing
specialized rounds through the tin roof of the Comandancia,
silencing the target.
Inside
the prison, Muse listened to the sounds of battle
as explosions and small arms barked out. Smoke began
to fill the air, and then he noticed something. Thin,
white beams from the small flashlights mounted beneath
the assault teams’ weapons beamed through the darkness,
reflected by the smoke. An American voice barked through
the haze, directing Muse to take cover.
Muse
ducked and moments later a small explosion blasted
the door open. A heavily armed Delta operator, clad
from head to toe in black protective assault gear,
rushed in and assisted Muse in putting on a Kevlar
helmet and flak vest. This done, he ushered Muse out
of his cell and the two moved quickly upwards towards
the roof. Passing a desk, Muse noticed that the man
assigned to kill him was dead. Muse also noticed,
to his amazement, that one guard had actually not
been killed, but instead had been bound and left on
the floor, cowering in the fetal position. This guard
had proven wiser than many of his compatriots - he
had not resisted the rescuers, and thus was not killed
outright.
Once
on the roof, More commandos emerged and they all took
their positions on their helos, and promptly lifted
off. One element of the team would be stranded here
for a time until a Black Hawk could come and retrieve
them. Muse was placed in a protective location, between
two Delta operators. Immediately, however, one of
the two pilots on board Muse’s MH-6 noticed through
his night vision goggles that power lines were directly
in front of them. He immediately pulled up and over
the lines, however the demands on the heavily laden
aircraft caused it to quickly lose altitude and, for
a moment, it appeared that the Little Bird would crash
headlong into the street some sixty feet below. In
a remarkable feat of flying skill, the pilots managed
to avoid catastrophe and kept their aircraft aloft.
Yet,
so damaged was the MH-6, that the pilot could maintain
only a few feet of altitude. Thus, he ended up "driving"
the helicopter down a narrow street, trying to put
distance between themselves and the prison. Landing
briefly at a courtyard between two apartment buildings,
the pilot then attempted to take off once again. This
effort paid off for a short time, however just moments
later they were again struck by bursts of gunfire.
The Little Bird careened off a wall and crashed onto
the street a short distance away and collapsed onto
its right side as its occupants bailed out the few
feet to the ground. As Muse and his bodyguard exited
the helicopter, however, one of the still-turning
rotor blades struck the commando in the head, knocking
him to the ground. Amazingly, the Delta operator,
his face covered with blood, regained consciousness
and immediately checked to ensure Muse had not been
injured. He then led Muse into the ground floor of
an adjacent apartment building to seek a more secure
location out of any potential line of fire.
Taking
up a defensive perimeter near an abandoned jeep, the
Delta team, with several of its members seriously
injured by gunfire and the crash landing, positioned
Muse in the safest possible location, and prepared
to return fire against the enemy. Muse, trained in
the use of small arms from his days in the Army, asked
for a weapon to assist in returning fire, and was
given a pistol by one of the operators. This team
held this position in the street for approximately
fifteen minutes until when, utilizing an infrared
strobe light, the team managed to signal aircraft
flying overhead. With their position fixed, then transmitted
to a nearby US Army patrol, it was armored personnel
carriers soon appeared to extract the team.
The Delta
Force, 160th Special Operations Aviation
Group and AFSOC Spectre Gunship team had successfully
rescued Kurt Muse from certain death at the hands
of his Panamanian captors. In so doing they became
the first American counterterrorist team ever to rescue
an American hostage from enemy hands.
(The
author would like to thank the U.S. Air Force Special
Operations Command Public Affairs Office, Lt. Col.
Greg McMillan and Lt. Carol Kanode for their invaluable
assistance.)
To see the area near Carcel Modelo
in 1999, see this photo.
This article will appear in the
next issue of the Journal of Counterterrorism
& Security International. To join IACSP and
receive future issues of the Journal, stop by (Web
site: http://www.iacsp.com)
