The U.S. formally ended an 88-year military presence with this ceremony VIDEO Havana Bureau Chief Lucia Newman reports on the U.S. pullout from Panama Windows Media 28K 80K

July 30, 1999
Web posted at: 9:24 p.m. EDT (0124 GMT)

FORT CLAYTON, Panama (CNN) -- To the strains of a bagpiper playing "Auld Lang Syne," the United States closed its regional army headquarters in Panama on Friday, formally ending an 88-year military presence in the Central American nation.

Gen. Charles Wilhelm, head of the U.S. Southern Command, called the American military presence in Panama "long and distinguished."

"You can report with pride -- mission accomplished," he said.

When U.S. Army troops first arrived in 1911, the mission was to provide protection for construction of the Panama Canal. Built and operated by the United States, the canal opened in 1914.

At the height of World War II, there were as many as 65,000 American troops protecting the vital water link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In subsequent decades, Panama remained an important outpost from which the United States launched military interventions in Grenada, Haiti and even in Panama itself.

The Southern Command, the administrative headquarters for all branches of the U.S. military in the region, was based in Panama. As late as two years ago, F-16s took off from Howard Air Force Base in Panama for missions around the region.

"The U.S. presence in Panama, particularly in the last 20 to 25 years, has had very little to do with the canal ... and more to do with the security interests in the region," said Panamanian President Ernesto Perez Balladares.

Under growing pressure from Panamanians, the United States agreed in 1977 to hand over control of the canal, and remove its military presence, by the end of 1999. The Southern Command moved out in 1997.

About 1,000 U.S. military personnel remain

Howard Air Force Base is now occupied mostly by cudimundis, long-snouted, squirrel-like creatures

The army is moving its regional headquarters from Fort Clayton to Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico. With Friday's departure, only about 1,000 American military personnel remain, and they are steadily leaving, week by week, in preparation for the hand-over of the canal on December 31.

Howard Air Force Base sits nearly empty, while neighborhoods that once housed U.S. military personnel are deserted, overrun by families of cudimundis, long-snouted, squirrel- like creatures.

During Friday's ceremony, a color guard dressed in tan, 1910- style U.S. uniforms, bearing Springfield rifles, turned over flags to another color guard dressed in modern camouflage uniforms, carrying M-16s. The modern guard then marched out of the gates, past U.S. and Panamanian flags.

The American presence in Panama has been termed by some as a marriage of convenience. Friday's events are one more step toward what is turning out to be a friendly, non-traumatic divorce.

Correspondent Lucia Newman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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