European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 24, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday december 24, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 i three americans who died in Panama by the los Angeles times i Arlington mass. Twenty five year old Navy la. . John Patrick Connors a member of the Navy s elite Seal commando unit was not Only among the first to Volunteer to go to Panama last week to help topple the regime of Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega. He was also among the first to die there. Alongside him was chief Petty officer Donald Lewis Mcfaul. Both were among the four members of a specially trained Seal unit to be killed in a firefight at a Panama Airport. One by one the individual stories of America s Deakin Panama Are emerging often in tearful recollections of family and friends. Here Are three of them. Until they opened their festively decorated Doorn their Middle income neighbourhood on Bates Road Here wednesday night Joan and Joseph Connors thought the youngest of their five children was still Atwalter Reed medical Center outside Washington re covering from a tropical skin disease he picked up while on duty in Brazil. Instead they Learned from the Navy officers who had come to their Home that John would be among the first of 21 servicemen to be returned in Flag draped coffins from Panama. I thought he was still in the Hospital Connors Uncle and namesake John Connors said. But he had volunteered to go to  while most of Connors family remained in seclusion friends said it was a terrible Shock to learn about the Fate of the quiet athletic Connors a High school Honor student and track Star who spoke four languages. But they said it came As no Surprise to learn that even from his Hospital bed Connors had volunteered to Lead his special operations unit in the . Assault on the Noriega regime. He was fearless Walter Towner jr., Connors Resi Dent adviser at Worcester polytechnic Institute said. He knew exactly what he was doing said John she Han a Friend from Connors Days at Boston College High school. He made a Choice to go to  Donald Mcfaul 32, joined the service in san Diego in 1977. His death came just three weeks before his wife Patricia is due to give birth to their first child in Norfolk va., where he was based. Mcfaul was raised in Bend ore., where he attended High school and was Active in football and was one of four top runners in the Cross country team which earned a second place in District Competition his senior year. Roth Daves Perez Lear Brown photos of 12 of the americans who died during the fighting in Panama. He was just a Normal Good kid said social studies teacher Ken Cooper. I remember him As a Good Stu Dent who would take part in discussions in my  Mcfaul s relatives said he took extensive Spanish classes and participated in several guerrilla training missions in latin America. They said he had also been assigned to the Philippines. The family fully expected that he eventually would see combat in latin America. He knew the dangers said Michael Mcfaul a brother living in Seattle. He was expecting a child soon and he still knew he was going Down there to assassinate  his Mother Shirley acc of sed Woolley Wash., said that while he was a tall Man with Large Muscles and expertly trained As a Seal in hand to hand combat he was not a rambo Type  he had the Muscles but he did t flaunt it she said. Sometimes he d hug you and then squeeze you too  Markwell among the dead was infantryman William d. Gibbs 22, who is survived by his father Patrick of Modesto Calif., and his wife Kimberly. He was sent to Panama from fort Ord. Near Monterey Calif., i october for what was to be a three month tour. On Friday Patrick Gibbs 50, said he had been try ing without Success to determine How his Only child died but he feared that he might have to wait until his son s buddies returned from Central America. I think maybe the military should let me know said Gibbs. Gibbs said his son even liked Boot Camp and looked Forward to going to Panama. At the time he left the father noted he did not realize that the unite states was going to get into something like  other initial casualties included Alejandro Loza no Garreth Isaak Kenneth Scott Candy Helin Isaac Rodriguez Scott Roth Jerry Daves Ivan Perez Phil lip Lear Roy Brown and James Markwell. Fort Ord women stoically await men s return by the Baltimore Sun fort Ord Calif. Every time she watches the combat footage Pam Lopez s eyes search the to screen for her husband s face. You look at every one every face said Lopez whose husband is among the roughly 4,000 foot sol Diers from fort Ord who have been deployed to Panama. For the women of fort Ord this is a private War. Nearly one third of the troops at this coastal army Post on the Monterey Peninsula Are in Panama Leav ing behind a corps of women wives mothers girl friends to tend to Christmas to family and most of All to each other. They Are a stoic Bunch buoyed by their god their army and the Pink Bayonet a Telephone support group that puts out information As the army per mits about their men. One woman will receive information and then she telephones five others who each in turn Calls five others a wartime Telephone tree. No one expects to see her husband for Christmas so Many of the women Are planning two celebrations one on Christmas Day and another when the men return Home. I m just trying to treat this like any other Mission. We be got to go on said Shandra Riffey 28. I have a 6-year-old boy who s counting on having a Holiday and his mom s got to be there even if his daddy s not. Many of the men in the army s 7th inf div Light which is headquartered Here Are in their 20s and most have never seen combat. At least one fort Ord Soldier William d. Gibbs 22, has been killed in combat. He leaves a wife Kimberly who is the months pregnant. The women of fort Ord seem to have built a screen of silence around Gibbs who has sought the Solace of Panama vets get medals san Antonio a soldiers wounded during the . Invasion of Panama received purple heart medals and other awards from the army chief of staff who said he was proud of their selfless  Gen. Carl Vuono a member of the joint chiefs of staff handed out More then 200 military Hon ors and chatted briefly with soldiers at two Mili tary hospitals in san Antonio where those injured in Panama Are being treated. Vuono told the soldiers he spoke with presi Dent Bush and he wanted me to Tell you and every other troop Down Here How proud he is of each and Ever one of you for your  he gave purple hearts to pvt. Christian Rob Inson of Federal Way Wash. Pfc. Bobby Miller of Franklin a. And spec. 4 Albert Harris of Jackson miss. All three suffered gunshot or shrapnel wounds in the attack. Military officials would Only say that More than 200 awards were presented. Privacy since her husband s death. I just broke into tears when i heard a Man had died said Stephanie Mckenzie 24, whose Boyfriend is in Panama. I m pretty numb. I just wish Brian was t there but he s coming Back. I can t think otherwise. He s a Strong person and i feel that if nobody else makes it Back sybrian s coming  in the churches restaurants and stores of Marina and Seaside the two communities nearest fort Ord there is talk of Little but Panama and the soldiers who arc so noticeably absent. It s so bad Here a couple of the smaller businesses have Cut Back their staffs until As one Man put it the boys come  it s very hard on the children. They Don t under stand said Marci Hutchison 36, an army wife for nearly 18 years. It s most Ditl cult on the wives of the Young soldiers. But it Good to know that they re All together Over there and we Are together  you know the Guys arc fired up. They want to Bethere she added. I actually had a wife Call me and say her husband wanted to go and How do i help get him Over  at first Baptist Church in Marina yellow ribbons were draped across the mailboxes of four members of the congregation who have been sent to Panama. Most of the 67 families who belong to the Church Are on Active duly or Are retired military. I be had to do a lot of hugging today said the Rev. Bill hoops a chaplain la the air Force Reserve. We had three leave this morning. Everyone is won Dering Why it is that their husband was called. The fact that it s december and Christmas has t really caught up with them Only the fact that daddy s gone. I just Pray we Don t lose  for women like Riffey and Hutchison talk of the danger their husbands May be in is unacceptable. They Are what s called married  for them Pride is fiercely intertwined with any fear they might feel and when the fear starts to push them Down it s the Pride that holds them steady. I m just really proud of my husband said Riffey. Added Hutchison i think we All