Operation Golden Pheasant
| Operation Golden Pheasant | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States Honduras
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 Nicaragua
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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 José Azcona del Hoyo Humberto Ortega Daniel Ortega
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| Units involved | |||||||
 7th Infantry Division (Light) 82nd Airborne Division 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment 27th Infantry Regiment 9th Infantry Regiment Honduran Army
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Sandinista Popular Army
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| Strength | |||||||
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5,000 12,000 |
9,000 |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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Unknown 11 killed |
19 killed |
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President Ronald Reagan George Fisher
Operation Golden Pheasant was an emergency deployment of U.S. troops to Honduras in 1988, in response to Nicaraguan attacks on Contra logistics in Honduras.
In early March, 1988, the Nicaraguan Sandinista government launched Operation Danto to overrun Contra rebel supply caches in the San Andrés de Bocay region, crossing into Honduran territory in their drive.
The United States, under President Ronald Reagan, dispatched elements of the 7th Infantry Division (Light) Quick Reaction Force (QRF) on a no-notice deployment. This small force quickly landed at Palmerola Air Base (now known as Soto Cano Air Base) and moved quickly into position at a Honduran military base to facilitate the guarding of a local general. An international special operations unit led by Orlando Lentini worked along with the 7th Infantry Division and were on the ground several days when the 82nd Airborne elements arrived. The deployment evolved into a live-fire exercise, the light infantry soldiers, paratroopers and special operations unit deployed ready to fight, causing the Sandinistas to rapidly withdraw back across their border.
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Wikipedia