By Norman Cain, April 5, 2015 — I was a member of the United States 549th military policeman company, which was housed at Fort Davison, the Atlantic side of the Republic of Panama from 1965 -67. During that period, my company was constantly under-staffed; consequently, my unit commanders rarely honored leave request. My squad’s sergeant had the power to grant two-week vacations to those under his charge. He was an amicable, strict, fair man. 85% of the time he was staunch; 15% of the time he was congenial.
One evening, I had a pleasant conversation with him. I took advantage of his good mood, exploited his rare moment of open camaraderie. I asked him if I could have a two-week leave. My scheming worked. He said yes. Had I been assigned to any other Sargent, the answer would have been “No.” On the day of my departure, my sergeant told me that when I reached the Pacific side of the isthmus (Panama City, Fort Kobbe Air Force Base), I was to immediately check to see if there were any outgoing flights to Miami. He had a stern demeanor. He was not pleased with his decision – granting me a vacation.
When I checked about outgoing flights, I was told that none were available. Perhaps, I had not been told the truth. Maybe there were scheduled flights to Miami. Maybe my sergeant had instructed the air force personnel to mislead me. Dejected, I spent the evening in the sleeping area. The next morning, when I awakened, I reluctantly prepared to return to my company. Then, good luck intervened. A janitor quietly informed me that there was an air force reserve plane scheduled to leave for Pennsylvania and that he had informed the pilot of my dilemma. The pilot, in turn, told him to have me contact him at the plane. This was a “turn of luck” – good luck.
The plane left around 6 am. It arrived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania around 8 pm. I cannot recall arriving at the bus station and purchasing a ticket for Philadelphia. I do remember that it was in December. It was cold; I did not have a coat. I had on a khaki summer army uniform. I froze. I arrived at my family’s house around 8pm on a Sunday and was greeted at the door by my mother who said, “You came back.”