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\nLt. Gen. Bruce Palmer<\/p>\n
\nLt. Gen. Bruce Palmer<\/p>\n
Jeff LPH-3 reminds us today is the 55th anniversary of Operation Power Pack, the second United States occupation of the Dominican Republic. It began when the U.S. Marine Corps entered Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on April 28, 1965, in the Dominican Civil War.<\/p>\n
By Colonel Brendan J. O’Shea<\/strong><\/p>\n Fifty-five years ago, the week of April 25 started out relatively calmly for the U.S. Army. When over, thousands of Soldiers and Marines were engaged in combat and stability operations in the Dominican Republic, and the 82nd Airborne Division had sustained its first combat casualties since World War II.<\/p>\n In 1965, during the height of the Cold War, the Americans were concerned about communist influence in the Western hemisphere. This was particularly true with respect to the Caribbean Basin following CubaAca! communist revolution in 1959.<\/p>\n The Dominican Republic shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the nation of Haiti, and was geographically in the center of this area of interest. The Dominican Republic conducted its first free elections in 1962 after the 1961 assassination ended the 30-year domination of strongman and former President Leonidas Trujillo. In the three years after the elections, a constant struggle for political control erupted between communist-sympathizing leftist groups and conservative business and military leaders Aca,!” many with ties to the sugar industry. On April 24, 1965, leftist forces unexpectedly deposed the Dominican leader, Donald Reid y Cabral. Communist-inspired groups of armed civilians, dubbed “Los Tigres,” took to the streets throughout the capital of Santo Domingo and quickly overwhelmed the Dominican security forces.<\/p>\n The U.S. Ambassador, W. Tapley Bennett, Jr., described the situation as “collective madness.” To authorities in Washington he declared, “I recommend that serious thought be given to armed intervention to restore order beyond a mere protection of lives. If the present loyalist efforts fail, the power will go to groups whose aims are identified with those of the Communist Party. We might have to intervene to prevent another Cuba.” President Lyndon B. Johnson, stating the need to protect American lives and property, directed the U.S. military to deploy to the Dominican Republic to stabilize and prevent the country from falling to the communists.<\/p>\n The mission fell to Lt. Gen. Bruce Palmer, the newly-designated commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, and Maj. Gen. Robert York, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. They initiated “Operation Power Pack” and ordered a task force comprised of U.S. Marines and the 82nd Airborne to deploy beginning on April 28. The 7th Special Forces Group, Psychological Operations units, and various logistical support elements also participated.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And Jeff LPH-3, too. Read the rest of the article here: Army.mil<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks, Jeff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"