Mena, Arkansas & The CIA

            Ask yourself this question; could a person be looking right at a historical artifact that played a significant, if not notorious, role in U.S. history and not realize it?

            If what that person is looking at is the Intermountain Regional Airport in Mena, Arkansas, the answer would an unqualified, “Yes.”

    Intermountain Regional Airport

Mena, Arkansas; the launch site for

weapons and drug smuggling in the

1980s that led to the Iran-Contra

scandals and investigations.

            It was from this surprisingly well-equipped airport with equally surprising long runways, infrastructure and facilities, all within the shadow of the nearby Qauchita Mountains, that, among other things, the infamous Iran-Contra gun-running operation supporting rebels in Nicaragua and a questionable front in the war on drugs was launched in the early 1980s.

            In fact, the Mena airport was specifically improved with millions of clandestine dollars flowing from the U.S. government aimed at supporting CIA and DEA missions into Central and South America.

            Companies literally sprang up overnight supporting the maintenance, conversion, modification and operations of large cargo aircraft.

            Those operations unraveled, yanked out of covert darkness into the bright light of day when, in October 1986, a twin-engined Fairchild C123K cargo plane was shot down over Nicaragua. One crew member, Eugene Hasenfus, survived, was captured and interrogated by Nicaraguan authorities. Less than a month later, the Iran-Contra scandal broke.

Barry Seal

            Rich Mountain Aviation, now defunct and once owned and operated as a CIA/DEA front by renegade pilot Barry Seal who was later convicted on federal drug and gun smuggling charges, disappeared into obscurity shortly after the 1986 machine-gun murder of Seal who was shot down in front of a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, halfway house by suspected drug cartel gunmen who were later captured and sentenced to life in prison.           

            Airplanes arrived and departed all the time. Weapons, without doubt and according to government records including records kept by Seal himself, were the main cargo of export. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest tons of cocaine came back; evidence backed up by Seal’s notes. Evidence suggests that the cocaine found its way into American society, but, actually, no one knows for sure what happened to the drugs given the secretive nature of the missions and massive cover-ups of Seal’s activities.

            As long as opposition to former and present Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who had communist ties, and to the steady river of cocaine flowing out Colombia existed, Mena’s Intermountain Regional Airport was at the heart of the action.

            But, none of it was to survive the scrutiny that peeled away the operation’s layers in 1986. The Mena mission collapsed – supposedly – when the Iran-Contra scandal broke in 1986 leaving former President Ronald Reagan red-faced and former Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North as the missions’ chief architect.

            What goes on at Intermountain Regional Airport today? It’s hard to say. The locals don’t talk much about it and queries made of folks who have airplanes based at Intermountain go basically unanswered if they are acknowledged at all.

            Many believe the CIA and DEA have departed; that no interest by those agencies remains in site so publically pilloried by the media and Congress. No covert operations could possibly operate, some might tell you, out of an area so stained by such notoriety.

            But, could it? Will it?

            An interesting question to consider as one might today find oneself driving by Mena’s most notable, if not most undiscussed, public curiousity.

By Bob Howie
Copyright 2011

           

           

            

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, truly a "can't miss" event for boaters.

            Every year, the last weekend of October and edging into the first few days of November, the acclaimed Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show takes over the Bahia Mar Marina on Florida’s famed Highway A1A as well as three other major venues.

            If it floats – or was designed to either float or become akin to things that float – can be found at the show which is a veritable Disneyland of aquatica.

            From megayachts to rowboats – literally, right down to rowboats and even smaller – all come together for five days that turns the Fort Lauderdale beachfront into Mecca for boaters. If you can’t find it at FLIBS, well, it simply doesn’t exist in the boating world.

            But, FLIBS isn’t just for the super rich looking for the latest in water toys.

            Literally, there is something for everyone.

            Vendors’ offerings run the gamut from fishing lures to fishing rods – full-on battle sticks for the largest of the finned big-game denizens to fly rods – and all kinds of a-float and ashore décor completely covers the land-based real estate while the docks are lined with all imaginable watercraft.

            If you want to buy a boat, no problem; there’s plenty of financing options available and the same thing goes for updating your existing boat. Even if you’re just considering updating or buying, bring your questions because the answers abound at FLIBS. There’s plenty of experts who can guide you along your way; even make course corrections you might want to consider when pursuing upgrades, all the interest of both making the sale while providing you what you can afford and what best fits your application.

            Browsers are also welcome at FLIBS. You can just walk aboard most of the show’s offerings to check out the latest nautical trends, but some of the larger, more expensive rigs require an appointment while the megayachts are usually available for viewing through a broker or by invitation only.

            Your daily admission is verified by color-coded bracelets and lets you enter, exit and re-enter the show on the day for which the color is valid, but there is one word of caution…consider carefully your choice of on-site food fare while attending FLIBS.

            There is a food court offering everything from fajitas to Caribbean fare, but speaking from personal experience, opt for off-site eats. It’s safer and less likely to have you making a sudden dash for the over-used toilet trailers. Hot dogs? Well, they’re likely ok, but get them at the various refreshment barges around the show while waiting to sample more complex culinary offerings off-site.

            For a recommendation, try the H2O Café on A1A! Fabulous food and drink at very reasonable prices enjoyed al fresco with great views of swaying palm trees with the white sands of famed Fort Lauderdale Beach and the emerald waters of the Atlantic just beyond.

            Parking is always a problem with very few public parking spaces available, so try some of the city-owned lots – about $10 for the day – as well as the parking garage of Beach One Place, about $20 a day. Most are within a few blocks’ walking distance from the FLIBS entrance.

            Spending just one day at FLIBS is better than nothing, but you might want to consider at least two, if it’s your first time.