Big Picture: Soldier in Panama

Year Published: 1952-10-17

Creator: National Archives and Records Administration

Format: 16mm/video file

Description: National Archives and Records Administration ARC Identifier 2569553 / Local Identifier 111-TV-283 Big Picture: Soldier in Panama DVD copied by Katie Filbert. Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. U.S. Army Audiovisual Center. (ca. 1974 - 05/15/1984). Protecting the Panama Canal has for many years been a vital mission of the United States Army. This is the story about the men on duty in Panama -- one of the Western Hemisphere's most critical defense areas. Viewers will see some of the more unusual aspects of life in Panama. THE BIG PICTURE camera will cover many varied scenes in this tiny republic which is about the size of the State of Maine. From the new university near Panama City the camera travels to the ruins of the Church of San Domingo. It is here that the exploits of the buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan are recalled. Among the many interesting people that the soldier in Panama sees in his travels, are the Montunos, whose villages are in the interior. As one of our country's most important outposts, indispensable to our defenses and to the collective security of the Americas, the Panama Canal must be kept open and operating. This is the mission of the United States forces shown in this program; the mission of the "Soldier in Panama."