0622 am Oct 23, 1983 marked a historic event for the Marines…
And NOT in a good way. The Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon was bombed on this day 30 years ago, causing the highest loss of life (218) in a single event the USMC have ever experienced…
They were in Beriut as part of a UN MNF of ‘Peacekeepers’, and were pretty much locked down in their compound by policy and this included the inability to carry loaded weapons and defend themselves…
18 Sailors and 3 Soldiers were also killed in the blast. To say this was a horrific incident is putting it mildly… Two truck bombs were set off by suicide bombers that the Marines on duty were not able to stop, as they were NOT allowed loaded weapons.
You can go HERE and see the original CBS reporting.
One survivor’s story is HERE.
This is the memorial at Camp Lejeune.
For all the good it’s done, last year, after almost three decades, the families of those killed and the survivors won a $2.1 billion judgment against Iran for ordering the terrorist attack, which followed a 2007 judgment of $2.7 billion against Iran.
I doubt that they will ever see a penny of the money, but at least the families have the satisfaction of knowing there WAS a verdict in favor of those who died.
RIP gentlemen, at least here you are not forgotten.
An the did nothing about the bombing. Peace keeping my ass. The Marines and Navy should have leveled that whole country.
Got a Sea Story about THAT DAY. Remind me when we next meet.
And why is Obama kissing the Murderers Asses who were Responsible for the Bombing?
CP- Well, actually New Jersey did a bit, along with a couple of squadrons of A-7s; but we won’t mention that…
Les- Will do, and he HAS to…
Dick Morris reports today Obama is trying to unfreeze some Iranian assets. Think ANY of the court judgements against Iran will ever be paid? If so, I can get you a deal on some Colorado Ocean View properties.
WSF- Oh hell no…
I had a man, a Marine, that was a survivor of the attack.
He worked for me in the factory I managed. Well, he tried to work for me. I saw him as a good man with ghosts and guilt in his mind. He was an alcoholic, he was being treated by the VA, or well perhaps maybe. He opened up to me a little; one veteran to another. He went through antibuse drug treatment & continued to drink even with it. The demons in his head for having survived were beyond understanding or perhaps help.
I can say that I did what I could to help him. I can say that even today 5 years after he lost contact with me I feel somewhat guilty that I could not help him more. I did not fire him or anything like that, he just dropped out of what I was doing or seeing.
Today, I do not know if he is alive or dead; or actually as I see him, somewhere in between. May God have mercy upon his soul and grant him peace.
I type these words with tears in my eyes for a good man lost to our country.
Roger
Roger- Thank you, and yes survivor’s guilt has killed quite a few. Some the way your guy went, some in more drastic ways… God Bless them all.
My best friend and his wife lost many good friends in that blast.
Nothing was done about it, nothing will be done about it, and the policy makers have forgotten the lessons learned from it (mission clarity, force protection, etc.).
What a waste…
Ed- Yep, and it probably haunts them to this day.
Tim- The ONLY thing that came out of that were better barriers in front of buildings…
RIP Scott S., classmate and a good Marine.
Jim- Thank you for the comment and RIP for Scott.