October 23, 1983

[Chuckman]

Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing Fast Facts

Read CNN Fast Facts about the 1983 bombing at a Marine compound in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed 241 US service personnel.

amp.cnn.com

You are not forgotten:
220 Marines
18 Sailors
3 Soldiers


My dad had passed away by then, but given we still had family and friends in Jacksonville and at Lejeune, we went down several times a year. My mom and I went down a few days after, maybe a week, the entire town and base were just so sad and somber.

Lejeune Blvd/Hwy 24 was just littered with flowers and signs and stuff, pretty much from TT1 all the way to Swansboro. The remnants of some of those tributes lasted for years before time took them. It was just so profoundly sad.

Turns out a couple of the Marines who died had been junior Marines under may dad in the early 70s.

 

[Inglis]

I shall never forget what We lost.

 

[Dan0311]

 

[NCFubar]

If something like this happened today I truly wonder how people would rally together. When the problems from 9/11 rose like all flights across the nation being canceled and rental cars and other transportation being swamped by stranded people … others helped those stranded with a place to stay. Some people actually shared rental cars with a stranger going the same way to get home. In just the past few decades I truly think the nation has lost so much pride and cohesion tragedies do not yield rallying cries to HELP cope with the results but rather to WEAPONIZE it for some political gain. I truly hope the resolve of our country still lies in the hearts of most of the citizens, no matter what party they associate with, but the want to take action has been seriously jaded and diminished in many. Even worse most leadership seems have little to no ability or desire to the point I think they could rally the country.

 

[Dan0311]

THEY CAME IN PEACE.