32nd Anniversary of the Beirut bombing
Republished from 2012;
Twenty-nine years ago today, 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers, were killed and sixty Americans were injured when a truck bomb disguised as a water truck penetrated superficial security at the Marine barracks in Beirut with about 12,000 pounds of explosives. Two minutes later, French barracks were struck resulting in in the deaths of 58 paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and 15 others were injured. They were Multinational peacekeeping forces that had been in Beirut since the year before when Israeli forces drove Palestinians from it’s frontier with Lebanon.
On February 7, 1984, President Reagan ordered the withdrawal of US forces from Lebanon after some light shelling of suspected Shia positions and some brief French air attacks in the Bekkaa Valley. A raid on a camp where Iranian Revolutionary Guards were believed to be training Shia jhadists was called off by President Reagan because little evidence existed at the time that Iran was involved in the bombing.
The weak responses to the bombing by the US are believed to have emboldened jihadists around the world and contributed to the rise of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed extremists in Lebanon. Iran has since admitted it’s participation to the attack.
Michelle Malkin lists the casualties.
At Together We Served, they’ve posted an online memorial to the casualties that day. Stars & Stripes publishes some of the witnesses’ accounts of that day. In 2004, Iran erected a memorial to the suicide bombers.
Category: We Remember
Rest in peace, men. You’re not forgotten.
RIP Heroes.
William Blake is still an asshole.
^^^WORD x100^^^
I hear that, and DITTO with all of those who falsely claim to have been there, fuck them all.
Nice editorial in the Marine Times this morning, from an officer who was injured in the bombing.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/opinion/2015/10/22/remember-sacrifices-beirut-anniversay-commemmoration/74351264/
I didn’t realize that the 1/8th Marines were never authorized/presented with their campaign streamer for Lebanon, though oddly the MEU was.
A link to a site memorializing our fallen French Brothers-in-Arms:
http://www.hemaridron.com/attentat-drakkar-beyrouth-au-liban-le-23-octobre-1983.html
I have read similar summaries for 32 years. There were ongoing operations in Beirut through most of April 1984. On April 27 1984 the Marines still there were re-designated as security forces for the US Embassy Beirut, Lebanon.
Their presence continued in Beirut until August 1, 1984. The last operation conducted by a member of the Joint Task Force Beirut Lebanon was not completed until early September 1984.
Those late chapters of service with the MNF have gone unmentioned for decades. The bombing of the US Embassy on September 20, 1984 injured several Marines and killed many others. I think the official recognition of service with the MNF Beirut by members of the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit is long overdue.
Semper Fi.
I don’t think you can say that the 24th MEU was un-recognized, as they were awarded the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Streamer, 2 x the Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer, 2 x Navy Unit Commendations, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its repeated service in Lebanon between 1 Nov 82 and 10 Aug 84.
https://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/Streamer%20Entitlements/MAGTF/24TH%20MARINE%20EXPEDITIONARY%20UNIT.pdf
The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was awarded from June 83 to December 87. The story of what went on, by who, between the Marines departure in fall 84 and December 87 is pretty much untold.
I understand those awards, they appear on my DD214. The countless articles, books, and video about service in Beirut almost all stop in Feb 84, just like the article posted here.
Even the Beirut Veterans of America organization does not formally recognize the service of the 24th MAU in 1984. Their requirements for membership state: (I) between August 1982 and February 1984 when the United States contingent of the Multi-National Force Beirut was engaged in military operations in and around Beirut.
They will accept members on a case by case basis from the 24th MAU. I have been trying to get this error corrected for years. I think we are about to make some headway.
For decades now most people believe Marines pulled out in Febuary 1984, so ya, after dealing with that nonsense for 30 years I can say the 24th MAU’s service has gone un-recognized.
That’s frustrating. Thanks for clarifying the issue.
I didn’t know any of this until reading the editorial this morning. I find it shocking that 1/8th Marines weren’t formally recognized with the AFEM streamer for Lebanon while the controlling 24th MAU was.
The PLO was taking heavy losses in Beiurt from the Israelis. When we were ordered to evacuate them there were two major reactions to it.
First it pissed off the Israelis. I mean, it really pissed off the Israelis. After the evacuation was completed we turned around and went back to create a buffer between them and everyone else. That ended their plans of permanently occupying southern Lebanon. I served with several of them, saying they were pissed is not even close to accurate.
Secondly, when the PLO accepted our evacuation instead of standing and fighting to the end they lost any credibility with the militant Arab world. They were seen as cowards that turned to the infidel Americans to be saved. The PLO never again had any respect in the region.
The militant groups left sought help from Iran and the Soviets. That worked for a while until the Soviets tried to back out of supporting certain elements. Groups of Soviets were taken hostage because of it. They eventually caved to the demands of Iran and provided support through them from that point on.
I had confirmed intel that the bombing on 23 Oct 83 was known about in advance by select members of the IDF. Several independent sources were known and that information was not forwared to us by the Israelis.
Higgins knew very well what had happened and broke every rule in the book to prove it.
I could write a book on the topic, but I doubt the American public give a shit. One day maybe someone will tell the whole story.
Semper Fi.
Would make an interesting book. Many of the issues of the last 30 years might have been different had our hand been played differently then.
DH: published sources indicate only 2 Americans were among the 24 killed in the Sep 1984 embassy annex bombing. They were:
CWO Kenneth V. Welch, US Army
PO1 Michael Ray Wagner, US Navy
Both were assigned to Defense Attache Office – Beirut. DAOs worldwide are elements of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
http://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/21/world/23-die-including-2-americans-terrorist-car-bomb-attack-us-embassy-beirut-blast.html
The NYT article doesn’t include the terrorist bastard who blew himself up during the attack in its count of 23 dead. That a-hole was the 24th person killed.
Yes that is accurate. No Marines were killed but several were WIA. One has since changed his name and the NCOIC is now a retired SgtMaj.
We knew the attack was coming. The Annex was attacked within weeks of us confirming the intel.
The whole story of Beirut has never been told. Each deployment has its own unique story and it is hard to tie them all together.
Higgins and several small groups operating in Beirut 85-87 will probably never be published.
Rest in eternal peace shipmates.
Rest In Peace, Fallen Warriors. You will not be forgotten.
God rest them still and be with their families.
God bless them all.