23 October 1983: Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing. 241 US Servicemen dead

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 23 October 1983: Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing. 241 US Servicemen dead (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 10/22/2010 9:33:18 PM EDT

24th Marine Amphibious Unit, Battalion Landing Team 1/8 (1st Battalion., 8th Marines)

220 US Marines, 18 Sailors, and 3 Soldiers lost their lives.

"Islamic Jihad", AKA Hezbollah, with the help of Iran, perpetrated this, and the bombing the same day that killed 58 French peacekeepers, mainly Legionnaires.

NEVER FORGET.

NEVER FORGIVE.

ETA: Changed title to reflect that not everyone on this site has been involved with the Marine Corps system of nomenclature.

Posted: 10/22/2010 9:49:37 PM EDT

[#1]

we owe Iran big time.

Posted: 10/22/2010 9:58:18 PM EDT

[#2]

motherfuckers

that and Reagan being shot are 2 of the main memories from my childhood

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:03:34 PM EDT

[#3]

I was a senior in high school. Joined the Marines Jan 1984.

Rest in peace warriors.

Semper Fi

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:09:45 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
we owe Iran big time.

this.

i think some canned sunshine would be a good way to repay them. just sayin.

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:09:58 PM EDT

[#5]

it was an act of war, why didn't we declare war on anyone who did it or who harbored those who did it? we should have annihilated those fuckers back then

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:23:37 PM EDT

[#6]

I had enlisted DEP on 23JUN83. I sure as hell paid attention, and I sure as hell wanted some payback. That hasn't happened. Yet.

My mistake on the French personnel. They were all Paras from the 1er RCP, (1st Parachutist Chasseurs Regiment) 11e Brigade Parachutiste.

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:27:28 PM EDT

[#7]

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:28:51 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:

we owe Iran big time.

Hell yeah we do.

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:29:02 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:

Quoted:
we owe Iran big time.

this.

i think some canned sunshine would be a good way to repay them. just sayin.

Eventually, I think it will come to that.

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:30:38 PM EDT

[#10]

Seems like it happed yesterday

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:47:28 PM EDT

[#11]

Was talking to a guy at the food lion a few weeks ago, he was there when it happened.

Posted: 10/22/2010 10:49:42 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Seems like it happed yesterday

Yes sir, it does. My recruiter invited us (a bunch of DEP types-not even Marines yet) to go to Ft. Ord to go to the field with a reserve LSB unit out of San Jose for one of their drill weekends. We came back on Sunday and SSgt Thompson had the TV on in the recruiting office (Gy Cook was the SNCOIC) and the images were just being broadcasted when we walked in.

Having spent several years at Lejeune, there's still alot of fellas that were there (now retired, working GS jobs), and the stories they tell are pretty intense. Little did we know then that Beirut was going to be a trend for the future.

Here we are 27 years later, and we're still dealing with the consequences of not going full-on insane on the little bastards....

In that part of the world, only extreme violence gets noticed (just ask the Russians).

Posted: 10/22/2010 11:03:06 PM EDT

[#13]

A former coworker was on the roof when the building collapsed, him and the other guy with him survived.

Posted: 10/22/2010 11:11:40 PM EDT

[#14]

Joined in 87, this event partly drove my choice of service.

Posted: 10/22/2010 11:13:02 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
it was an act of war, why didn't we declare war on anyone who did it or who harbored those who did it? we should have annihilated those fuckers back then

I was stationed at RAF Chicksands in the UK when this happened. The KAL 007 shootdown had just occurred on September 1, 1983, then the Beruit Bombing, then Operation Urgent Fury, Grenada invasion on October 25, 1983. It was a hell of a time. I had just gotten back from RAF Greenham-Common on a 2 month TDY to assist with the security of the GAMA site and GLCM beddown.

Several of my buddies on my flight and I had left for Paris and were just getting into our hotel when the squadron called and said for us to return as we were invading Grenada. We were like, WTH is Grenada!? We thought WWIII was kicking off.

I read a book about the aftermath of the barracks bombing and IIRC Reagan had authorized a massive Alpha Strike on the Bekaa Valley against the Syrian positions and Hezbollah training camps, but it was canxed at the last minute and all the ordinance was dropped at sea. Anyone else have more on this?

ETA: RIP and Semper Fi Marines!

Posted: 10/23/2010 2:21:57 AM EDT

[#16]

A bootcamp platoon mate of mine was there with 1/8. PFC Mike Devlin was 19 when he died. In the Corps for 13 months, almost to the day.

Posted: 10/23/2010 2:46:44 AM EDT

[#17]

I was a sophmore in HS , I remember it very clearly .

All except . . .our . . . umm . . what exactly was our retaliation then ?

Posted: 10/23/2010 2:49:06 AM EDT

[#18]

We have lost many over the years to the ROP. Yet we are told not to be hating.

Remember this like it was yesterday.

Posted: 10/23/2010 2:59:52 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
we owe Iran big time.

I've been waiting for a "Payback" since 1979.

Posted: 10/23/2010 5:14:42 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:

Quoted:
we owe Iran big time.

I've been waiting for a "Payback" since 1979.

Hell yes.

I was pissed after the '83 bombing. We lobbed a couple hundred shells from the USS New Jersey and bailed.

That's was Reagan's response.

That lack of resolve was the beginning of a series of weak-kneed responses that eventually emboldened the Islamic scumbags enough to attack us on 9/11.

Reagan REALLY fucked up that time. Clinton added to the fuck ups and 3,000 Americans paid on US soil for Reagan and Clinton's weakness.

Posted: 10/23/2010 5:23:54 AM EDT

[#21]

An old guy I worked with was on one of the Navy ships in area and went into to assist with the recovery. I never knew about it till we met up at the legion and he started telling stories after he was drunk. Fucking horrible shit. Bodies broken and strewn all over the place. He was very emotional and does not have a favorable opinion of the Islamic religion or Iran

Posted: 10/23/2010 5:46:07 AM EDT

[#22]

My father was a Navy chaplain assigned to a Marine battalion that was the sister battalion of the 1/8. They were the initial Marine Corp presence in Beruit. My dad and his unit had just rotated home and been replaced by the 1/8 and the barracks were bombed. He lost a lot of friends that day....I could have lost my father at 1 y/o. I'm proud of him and his service. I'm thankful to all those that have served and are serving.

Too bad the Marines and French Paratroopers couldn't have taken a long lunch break and let the Israelis have taken care of business........

God bless to all the living, and may He preserve the memory of the fallen in our hearts.

Posted: 10/23/2010 5:48:12 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
we owe Iran big time.

Yes we do.

Posted: 10/23/2010 5:52:37 AM EDT

[#24]

Posted: 10/23/2010 6:00:50 AM EDT

[#25]

OP, thanks for posting this. I remember when this came on the news, I was at my fiancée's for a BBQ. She couldn't understand why I was so quiet and somber. Said I needed to "get over it and quit ruining the party". She soon became my EX !
I found out later one of my buddies from Boot Camp and Infantry School died in the blast

Sgt. Robert Greaser. He had a college degree, very smart, and a genuinely nice guy. When I asked him why he went enlisted instead of officer he said that the Marine Corps offered him a spot at OCS, but he felt he'd make a better officer if he served first as enlisted.

First cigar I ever smoked was with him at Infantry School, to keep the mosquito's away.

RIP DEVIL DOGS!

Posted: 10/23/2010 6:28:04 AM EDT

[#26]

Bump

Thanks for posting op. I was 1 year out of the Navy when that happened. I was glued to the tube for days.

Posted: 10/23/2010 6:32:42 AM EDT

[#27]

It does seem like yesterday. A guy from my HS was a survivor he was three years older than me. I was a senior in HIgh school and I signed up DEP a few weeks later. I wanted some payback as well.
Navy Doc at Jax MEPS squelched my devil dog dreams because of childhood asthma. Broke my 17 year old heart. My biggest regret in life is not trying again after
I turned 18.

Posted: 10/23/2010 6:43:25 AM EDT

[#28]

My Senior Drill Instructor was a squad leader with 1/8 in Beirut at the time.

Imad Mughniyeh, the man generally thought to be head of Hezbollah in the 1980s, was killed by the Israelis with a bomb in his car headrest.

Posted: 10/23/2010 6:44:12 AM EDT

[#29]

Semper Fi Brothers.

ETA I was in PI in the summer of '85.

My senior Drill Instructor was on duty outside the embassy about 150yds away and got knocked his feet by the blast.

When he talked about it you could see the rage in him.

Posted: 10/23/2010 6:45:15 AM EDT

[#30]

My last CO in Okinawa survived that bombing. Col Dallachie. His Purple Heart citation was read during the Birthday Ball, as he was the guest. It was hard not to get choked up listening to it.

Posted: 10/23/2010 6:53:08 AM EDT

[#31]

Following the collapse of the government of President Amin Gemayel and intensified fighting between the Lebanese army and Moslem militiamen in Beirut, President Reagan announced Feb. 7 that the U.S. Marine contingent in Beirut would be withdrawn to ships offshore. At the same time, Reagan authorized military commanders to launch air strikes and artillery bombardments against Syrian-controlled positions that fired on Beirut. On Feb. 8, American warships mounted a nine-hour artillery barrage against pro-Syrian militia positions, in what was described as the largest U.S. naval action since the Vietnam War. Previously, Reagan had vigorously resisted congressional pressure to withdraw the Marines, so his announcement took Washington by surprise.Given little warning of Reagan's decision, Britain and Italy announced their own plans to withdraw peacekeeping troops from embattled Lebanon.

Alot more on the history of this event here : http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id413.htm

Posted: 10/23/2010 6:54:25 AM EDT

[#32]

ETERNAL R & R my brothers...

Posted: 10/23/2010 7:07:58 AM EDT

[#33]

President Reagan was very afraid of entering a quagmire,which at the time Lebanon was.

R.I.P. Gallant Marines!

Posted: 10/23/2010 7:11:04 AM EDT

[#34]

Posted: 10/23/2010 7:31:15 AM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
we owe Iran big time.

So no one misses it.

Posted: 10/23/2010 7:33:42 AM EDT

[#36]

Posted: 10/23/2010 7:48:52 AM EDT

[#37]

That time period really did suck. Im glad we changed the way we house our troups and guard them since then. Now we shoot first (usually)
I was aboard the USS Eisenhower when this happened. We had just pulled into port in Naples after crossing the Atlantic and western Med.
We left a lot of people in Naples when we pulled anchor and high-tailed it to Lebanon.
We had people being choppered and flown in on CODs for a couple of days.
I seem to remember that we treated some of the injured onboard.
I remember the New Jersey being there...Now thats a BMF! I can remember tracking the shells on RADAR as they left the ship.
They opened a can-o-woopass in Feb following the bombing. Best fireworks show of my life.
Our F14's flew a shit-load of sorties but only fired if fired upon. Not a good Idea for the badguys.

Posted: 10/23/2010 8:01:21 AM EDT

[#38]

My first roommate in the Fleet was there and survived. He was off watch but couldn't sleep so he went and took his buddy's radio watch so he could rack out.. Their cots were next to each other's.

His buddy died.

One of the most haunting pictures I ever saw of the blast site was of an arm sticking out of the rubble holding an i.d. card.

By the time they dug the guy out he was gone.

Posted: 10/23/2010 8:03:15 AM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:
it was an act of war, why didn't we declare war on anyone who did it or who harbored those who did it? we should have annihilated those fuckers back then

Shoulda coulda woulda.

Posted: 10/23/2010 8:18:46 AM EDT

[#40]

we did nothing then and we do not do enough now. The reality is if we had grown some balls back then we may not be in the mess we have now . we should have killed a lot more of the Muslims then. The Muslims have a long history of violence against America's

Posted: 10/23/2010 8:19:34 AM EDT

[#41]

Posted: 10/23/2010 8:35:28 AM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:

I was pissed after the '83 bombing. We lobbed a couple hundred shells from the USS New Jersey and bailed.

That's was Reagan's response.

That lack of resolve was the beginning of a series of weak-kneed responses that eventually emboldened the Islamic scumbags enough to attack us on 9/11.

Reagan REALLY fucked up that time. Clinton added to the fuck ups and 3,000 Americans paid on US soil for Reagan and Clinton's weakness.

QFMFT.

Posted: 10/23/2010 8:51:02 AM EDT

[#43]

My squadron was prepping to go on West Pac with the 31st MAU when that went down. We fully expected to be involved in Beirut

But no, we turned tail and pulled out. Thus further emboldening the "Religion of Peace".

People wonder why I really do not care for Ronald Reagan, well there's your reason.

Posted: 10/23/2010 8:51:51 AM EDT

[#44]

Semper Fi my brothers.

I was in Beirut from Feb-May 1983 with E Co, Weapons Plt 2/6. I was home and discharged at the end of September. I remember my mother waking me up that October morning saying something happened in Beirut and Marines were killed. I personally didn't know any Marines that were killed, although one, Capt Wint was from my hometown.

Had this happened when I was there, I would have known several Marines that would have been living in that building.

Posted: 10/23/2010 9:00:58 AM EDT

[#45]

Remember it well. I was one year out of the Corps (Weapons Co. 2/2, 0341) and had just gotten married the day before. We had arrived at our honeymoon location that very day and the new wife couldn't understand why I stayed transfixed to the news reports. She learned quickly that "Once a Marine..."

Posted: 10/23/2010 9:12:09 AM EDT

[#46]

Posted: 10/23/2010 10:28:59 AM EDT

[#47]

We just rotated out of Beirut and came home in February 1983, that place was an absolute shithole

Posted: 10/24/2010 9:08:31 PM EDT

[#48]

Quoted:
My Senior Drill Instructor was a squad leader with 1/8 in Beirut at the time.

Imad Mughniyeh, the man generally thought to be head of Hezbollah in the 1980s, was killed by the Israelis with a bomb in his car headrest.

It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.