Bleming, Thomas: From Vietnam to Panama
Wyoming Soldier's 80 Years of Danger and Covert Action
Lusk resident and veteran Thomas Bleming crossed a major milestone on Tuesday, February 24, when he blew out the candles on his 80th birthday cake. The occasion provided Bleming and his friends to reminisce about a life filled with military service, globetrotting, danger, and journeys into the cloak-and- dagger world of covert action.
For Bleming, the adventure began very early in life, long before his entry into the United States Army in June if 1968. Shunned by his classmates and ostracized for his embrace of radical political ideologies, Bleming dropped out of school and became enmeshed in the world of arms dealing and clandestine adventurism.
“The 1960’s were very dangerous times for America,” recalled Bleming. “On one side of the political spectrum you had organizations like the Weathermen and on the right, you had George Lincoln Rockwell’s American Nazi Party. I connected wholeheartedly with Rockwell because he was anti-communist.”
Bleming’s radical beliefs created a high wall that was nearly impossible to scale. That wall, however, finally came down in 1968, when Bleming received what he described as “an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“The military offered me a chance to enter the Armed Forces if I were to disown my pro-fascist belief,” said Bleming. “I agreed.”
In June of 1968, Bleming was finally admitted into the Army. Bleming’s time in the military included garrison duty at Fort Rucker in Alabama and service as an Airborne Pathfinder. His military career also included a horrific life and death struggle that he described as “my baptism.” That baptism took place on May 22, 1969, when Bleming and his fellow soldiers in the 52nd Aviation Battalion squared off against the North Vietnamese 66th Regiment in what became known as the Battle of LZ Yankee. Landing Zone Yankee was a former American firebase. Bleming and his battalion entered the zone on helicopters following a bombardment. They believed that enemy was gone, Sadly, that proved to not be the case. Bleming and his comrades secured the landing zone, but victory came at a bloody cost.
“That was the first battle I was in directly,” said Bleming.
The Battle of LZ Yankee was actually part of a larger campaign known as the Battle of Dak To. The South Vietnamese commune of Dak To had been under siege since May 6, 1969. That siege would not end until July 1969. During the deadly competition, Bleming endured artillery attacks, rocket strikes, and sniper ambushes. Bleming walked out of that trial with praise and accolades that included the Silver Star. The battle-hardened soldier, however, also walked out with deep psychological scars that are seldom seen or detected by those unacquainted with the horrors of war.
“I had nightmares for 40 years,” said Bleming.
Bleming’s departure from Vietnam closed out a very turbulent chapter in his life. One would think that the next chapter would have brought a welcome moment of respite. The reality was quite the inverse. Bleming returned to the world of arms dealing, covert action, and spy craft. In 1975, he flew to Rhodesia to form units that would protect farms from rebel attacks. The effort was short-lived.
“I left Rhodesia because the rebel threat wasn’t taken seriously by the farmers,” said Bleming.
In 1978 Bleming was made aware of efforts to overthrow Omar Torrijos in Panama. An offer to become involved was extended to Bleming and he accepted. Bleming flew to Europe, made contact with underworld figures, and arranged for weapons to make their way to rebels. The stakes were very high for Bleming in those days. Failure to pay off ones’ debts to organized crime usually carries with it severe penalties. Bleming made sure the debt was paid back in full.
The efforts in Panama also included a trip to Costa Rica. There, equipment was flown in and driven to the land border shared with Panama. Bleming safeguarded this shipment. Costa Rica was an interesting experience for Bleming. For him, the country was a hotbed of intrigue, especially the nation’s largest city, San Jose.
“The late 1970’s in Costa Rica reminded me of the movie Casablanca, “said Bleming.
Bleming’s first trip into Panama went of without a hitch. He made contact with the armed resistance and successfully sabotaged an electrical line. Bleming’s second trip to Panama was a different story. A plan to attack a military base with a subsequent march on Santiago backfired, ending with the arrest of Bleming and his collaborators. What followed is described by Bleming as “21 months of pure hell”. Those 21 months included a trip to the Coiba penal colony. Bleming had gone from a globetrotting soldier to incarcerated criminal. Interpol even place Bleming on a list of terrorists after the failed Panama mission. The torture, humiliation, and imprisonment finally came to an end in Jul y 1981, when President Ronald Reagan somehow secured the release of Bleming and others involved in the plan.
“It was a long time after I got out of Panama before I went anywhere,” said Bleming.
Bleming did return to the clandestine world, delivering weapons to rebels in Dutch Guiana in February 1989. Bleming also made trips to Paraguay and Argentina looking for work. The pace of Bleming’s life has slowed, but retirement does not seem to be in the cards for the tricontinental soldier. In July 2025, Bleming was approached by a man claiming to represent the March 23 Movement. A four-hour conversation followed and the man departed after promising to get back in touch with Bleming. According to Bleming, the March 23 Movement was seeking his help in the struggle against the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bleming expressed interest during the conversation and, in November 2025, sought more information. He contacted a man who claimed to be direct representative of Joseph Kabila, the third President of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The man floated the possibility of Bleming training an army to go into the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bleming gave the man his phone number and is now waiting to see if a response will come.
“I’ve been sitting here since then,” said Bleming.
Whether or not Bleming is contacted again with an offer, Bleming believes his role on the international scene is far from over. For the tricontinental soldier, there is still another chapter of his story to write.
“I can’t run anymore, but I still have fire in me,” said Bleming.