Photograph and description compliments of LTC Evan Huelfer:Attached is a photo you may put on your website. It is me with my squad leader, SGT Joseph Diaz, watching PFC Lopez getting a CIB pinned on by then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney on Christmas Day 1989.
Picture was taken in the basement of some local government building that we were using as the Battalion TOC. I can't remember the name of the building, but it was in the city of Colon. Cheney had lunch with one of my squads to talk to soldiers. I gave him a Bar-B-Q Beef MRE so he could eat like the soldiers, and his first comment was: "This tastes like shit. What is it?" My point was made!
2 comments:
hey now - that BBQ beef chunk was damn tasty!... that's just dick showing the effects of 5 draft deferrments is all... awesome pic. excellent piece of Buffalo history...
Lt. Huelfer,
Good to hear from another "Just Cause" Buffalo!
2nd Plt. ran into Cheney as well; I always tell people about him shaking my hand. I stunk like shit. Literally, with all the raw sewage on the streets. Remember that? I have an extremely strong stomach, but the thought of those Panamanian kids running around and patting their hands in that stuff still brings out my gag reflex...then they all wanted to shake our hands. I'm still surprised that we all didn't contract 17 types of dysentery from that rewarding experience!
I just re-upped after a 6.5 year absence from the reserve/guard as a Civil Affairs NCO. Just completed my MOS-Q at Ft. Dix, NJ in FEB. '06. No deployment orders yet, but sure to come; BRING IT ON!!!
All of the former LightFighters I ever met in the reserve/guard were extremely squared away; all knew their basic infantry tasks to heart, more so than other prior-service guys from other, more "celebrated" units i.e. 101st, 82nd, & 10th Mtn.
I heard that the 1st units from these units that went to Afghanistan didn't know how to fight at night; what the....
LightFighter out, always and forever,
Mike Palmer
Eden Prairie, MN
mpalmer@mn.rr.com
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