Beirut barracks a look back
Categories: News
Beirut barracks a look back
32 years ago today, 241 Military personnel in a terror attack in Beirut. CNN has the details that everyone needs to know:
Here is a look at what you need to know about the 1983 bombing at a Marine compound in Beirut, Lebanon that killed 241 U.S. service personnel.
Facts:
October 23, 1983 – 241 U.S. service personnel — including 220 Marines and 21 other service personnel — are killed by a truck bomb at a Marine compound in Beirut, Lebanon.
Three hundred service members had been living at the four-story building at the airport in Beirut. There were 1,800 Marines stationed in Beirut at the time.
A multi-national force with units from France, Italy and the United Kingdom was also on peacekeeping duty in Lebanon at the same time.
At the same time the Marine barracks was hit, a suicide bomber drove a pickup truck full of explosives and crashed into a building housing French paratroopers. Approximately 58 French soldiers were killed in the attack.
This was the deadliest attack against U.S. Marines since the battle over Iwo Jima in February 1945.
The bombing was traced to Hezbollah, a militant and political group that originated in Lebanon in 1982. Iranian and Syrian involvement was also suspected.
The Marines were criticized for having lax security at the barracks.
The commander of the barracks, Col. Timothy J. Geraghty, said in congressional hearings investigating the attacks that the compound was hard to defend because it was on flat ground and vehicles drove by it daily to access the airport.
See the full article from CNN.
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I remember that day very well. That event I believe came very close to having directly involved in it. When I was in my Junior year of High School I planned to join the Marine Corps. Go to Basic Training, get married to Kathy H. and make huge numbers of babies and eventually be competition for the Duggars. (But no Joshua).
Anyhow, When I went to see my USMC Recruiter; SSG. McCune, I told him I wanted to be a 0300 Marine Infantryman. However, he talked me out of it and said I should be in 1141 Mech Elec Program. (Huge mistake that I forever regret).. When I was stationed at Camp Lejeune I used to always walk through the Infantry Headquarters area and wanted so much to be in those Units. However, I was with 2nd Medical Battalion at the time.
When that happened I was with 7th Communications Battalion at Camp Hansen and was about to PCS to MWSG 37 MCAS El Toro, California. My Mother told me that when the Marine Barracks was attacked a number of my neighbors, and former H.S Classmates came over and called asking if I was at Beirut at the time.
To this day, I often wonder if I was supposed to be with 1-8 Infantry and to knock out the Truck that was attacking the Marine Barracks. Maybe it is just my PTSD thinking that? Or was that I was supposed to be with the Marines who perished that day? The events of time sure can leave a lot of questions.