He had never been a supporter of Blue Spoon, having always thought that it would bring more harm than good. Woerner seemed to believe that as a sovereign nation, Panama had a right to the government that its people inflicted on themselves. Whatever we did to interfere, he said, would only make the United States look like meddlers. He was not the first, nor would he be the last, to express these thoughts, but generals are the enforcers of national policy, not the makers of it, so it surprised few when he was ultimately relieved of command. In Woerner’s place came General Maxwell “Mad Max” Thurman, who told his senior staffers during the change of command ceremony, “Ladies and gentlemen, from now on the uniform of the day will be battlefield utilities. We are at war. Dismissed.” American military activity increased dramatically following the change of command. Partly to bring troops into battle-readiness, but also to desensitize the Panamanians to the rhythms and noises of invasion,Thurman ordered regular nighttime mobilization exercises in which tanks, trucks, and aircraft would go through the motions of war, without ever actually firing a shot.
