My daughter Angela in a Panama hat...

[pinboy3niner]

22. Can't say about the hats, but Panamanians live and breathe

Went to Panama in the Army enroute to Vietnam. We'd go to town from Ft. Gulick and there was a popular nightclub where I wound up with a Colombian singer, Marquecita (Little Queen) Ube as my girlfriend.

I also made friends with the band's drummer, who lived in a hovel in the back streets of the town. He invited me to his home and it was quite a shock to this then very young American to see his living conditions.

That was in the days when Noriega's military goons were on every street corner with their assault weapons. G.I.s knew better than to get into rouble in town. Though I once decked a guy in the nightclub--and then disappeared fast!

Ah, Panama. Many Americans have gone there and discovered it's much more than hats.