23 October 1983 at 0622 AM --- Do you remember this date in Marine Corps History?

2015-10-23T02:00:17-04:00

A yellow Mercedes Truck with 12000 lbs of high explosives blew up the Marine Barracks in Beirut International Airport and 241 Sailors & Marines lost their lives with many more injured.

Response by Sgt Tom Cunnally made Oct 23 at 2015 2:05 AM

2015-10-23T02:05:37-04:00

Remember the Sailors, & Marines who died in Beirut and their families. As Gen PX Kelly said at their memorial "Where do we get these men?"...

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Oct 23 at 2015 2:59 AM

2015-10-23T02:59:07-04:00

In my MECEP class of 1986 was a machine gunner who was at the embassy when it was bombed.

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made Oct 23 at 2015 3:05 AM

2015-10-23T03:05:47-04:00

Of course ...

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Oct 23 at 2015 5:46 AM

2015-10-23T05:46:57-04:00

I was on Okinawa at the time of the blast with orders to Camp Pendleton. I was set to leave Okinawa in mid November. My orders were changed that week to Camp Lejeune which is where I remained until 1985. As you know, shortly after the bombing we exited Beirut. There were a lot of pissed of Marines, everywhere.

Response by Capt Walter Miller made Oct 23 at 2015 7:51 AM

2015-10-23T07:51:24-04:00

I was in that same battalion (1/8) in 1976-77. Of course in 1983 there was no one still there from my time. The next summer (me now in 3/6) we were the aggressors for 1/8's MCCRES. They were a mess. Their dragons platoon commander called me and wanted to borrow our LET gear (launch effects trainer) because theirs had been blown up in Beirut.

We had a sergeant in my reserve unit later that said he was billeted in that building but was out having a dump when the truck bomber arrived.

Walt

Response by Capt Walter Miller made Oct 23 at 2015 8:04 AM

2015-10-23T08:04:32-04:00

I knew a staff sergeant (later lieutenants with me) that told me that 1/8 had a serious leadership issue in that the lieutenant colonel who commanded the battalion, a Lt. Col. Ray, was pulled from the battalion either as they deployed or right before. The reason being that he had some really good expertise about Central America, which was also in flux at that time. Lt. Col Ray, he said, was an outstanding officer. They brought in Lt. Col. Gerlach, who had been on the division staff, if I recall correctly. Anyway, 1/8 was having a lot of accidental discharges in Beirut. And at that time, every accidental discharge had to be reported to HQMC. I heard this from several sources – they issued an order – no magazines inserted unless there was a threat. So when the truck bomber arrived, they were way behind the 8 ball.

I watched the program the other day for which Senator Webb received an Emmy. He was there in September. I knew both the lieutenants he interviewed.

Walt

Response by CSM William Payne made Oct 23 at 2015 9:35 AM

2015-10-23T09:35:18-04:00

I remember it as clearly as I remember hearing about 9/11. I am a Navy brat of a thirty year Sailor and my oldest brother served in the Corps during Vietnam completing two tours so I grew up around Marines.

I now live in North Carolina and my wife is from Jacksonville, NC. I have been to the Marine Beirut Memorial outside of Camp Lejeune several times. In fact my wife and I plan to be buried in the Veteran's Cemetery right across the street from the memorial.

I'm am always amazed how many so called knowledgable people today have forgotten the details of that event. They forget that those Marines, Navy and other personnel were there primarily as the result of the American Embassy being destroyed in almost exactly the same manner in April of that same year, killing 63 including 17 Americans.

They forget that those Marines were under the most restricted Rules of Engagement (ROE) and Escalation of Force (EOF) procedures ever imposed on American Forces deployed abroad. Individual weapons could not have a round in the chamber, crew served weapons could not be loaded at all, which meant that available 50 caliber machine guns that would have been effective in stopping the truck were rendered virtually useless. Marines couldn't engage suspected enemy targets without 100% verification of source.

Close Air Support (CAS) and use of ship to shore artillery had to be approved at the highest echelons of command (CIC?) in the states, even after the failed Iranian rescue mission Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 proved that to be a disaster.

Local commanders were forced to consolidate their forces in that same facility making them an easier target. The Marines suffered more KIAs in that one attack since any engagement since World War II.

AND after all that, we did little to nothing in response to that attack other lobbing a few shells at some "suspected" targets and moving our remaining forces offshore after the recovery operations and then bringing them home. The success of those two attacks in Beirut and lack of any meaningful followup response set the originating blueprints of all terrorist attacks against American targets abroad since.

Yet what I don't remember is any of the outrage that has accompanied the attack on the consulate in Benghazi and the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, service officer Sean Smith and CIA contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

In fact many nonmilitary people my age have very little or no recollection of the events that incurred in Lebanon in 1983 but can tell you with the greatest of anger the minute details of what did or did not happened and what we could have / should have done in Lybia as if they were on the ground there before, during and after the attack in Benghazi and the rest of the country on the evening of September 11, 2012. But ask them to name any of the four casualties from Benghazi and you would be lucky if they could name Ambassador Stevens.

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 10:10 AM

2015-10-23T10:10:29-04:00

Semper Fidelis