TAH goes to Washington
Its not often when I wake up to check email and find something from the Secret Service lurking at the InBox. On short notice we were asked to attend a Reception with VPOTUS to commemorate one of the bombings that occurred in Beirut, Lebanon. Had it not been for the tireless efforts of Jeff Hamman, editor and historian for all things Beirut related, the event would have been diminished to little more than a hand full of people and a cup of coffee. Because of his relentless efforts to organize and be the liaison between the White House and those within the Beirut Community, it turned out to be something very special. We all owe him our humble thanks for a job well done.
Beirut Survivors, veterans and next of kin with Vice President Pence. I am the tall dark handsome one…it should be obvious which one is me.
You can see more about the ceremony held in the very heart of the Corps at 8th and I … HERE
I stopped by the TAH Bunker to get the proper clearances and check on my Lapua. I was detained on the front porch for a time, but using the Soviet as the effective distraction that she can be, I seen my opportunity and crept inside the compound. It might have been coincidence, but some Army guy kept putting himself between me and the Gun Vault. Gun Nutz…they get all territorial over the smallest of things. In any event, the TAH compound is all secure and may only be missing a little ammo. I have to say there is a Goddess withing those walls, Jonn married up. Her warmth and humor almost make it unnoticeable that Jonn has locked up all the valuables when I visit. I am always welcome at the TAH Compound…as long as I bring the Soviet with me.
I don’t want to describe the actual ceremony too much because there are plenty of links to other, less informed media outlets than TAH for that stuff. What none of those other News organizations know is what we are here for. To the right of VP Pence in the picture above is Morris Dorsey and his wife. He is one of the very few Marines with two Purple Hearts from Beirut that are alive to talk about it. The last time some of the people in that picture seen Morris Dorsey he was being carried out of the largest Non-Nuclear explosion on Earth and one of the few survivors.
Morris Dorsey rescue.
VP Pence went out of his way to recognize Dorsey’s service and sacrifice to this country. Words can not describe the joy I felt watching Dorsey get the long overdue recognition he deserves. We had a ball at 8th and I. Both of our spousal units brought Bail money on the trip and neither of us needed a dime. I used the crapper in the Commandants house…and he didn’t seem to mind at all.
The Soviet got her own escort of course, I was pushed aside and left to find my own way around. I tried to get this nice looking WM Captain to walk with me but she said if I didn’t stop stalking her she had no problem beating my old ass.
Then this guy showed up. He seemed to like her. I asked if she knew who he was…she said “Some guy, he seems nice”.
VP Pence invited us to his office. I was told not to touch anything, but of course the Soviet could do whatever she wanted.
The drawer actually does have the former VP’s signatures in it. Rumor has it that at some point we must have had a VP named, Jonn “Lapua” Lilyea. I can neither confirm or deny this.
The Secret Service unlocked the Balcony overlooking the West Wing, probably just because I was there. She was kind enough to take a picture with some old guy.
Zoya proving that Melania is not the only one that knows how to make an entrance.
In the end, VP came over and shook the Soviets hand and said, “Thank you for coming”. He then shook my hand and said, “Thank you for bringing her”. That’s pretty much the same thing Jonn said when we left the TAH Compound. Come to think of it…I hear that a lot.
Traffic in DC being what it is…I tried to borrow a car to get out of town. The guys with the guns said that was probably not a good idea.
Category: Politics
Outstanding Dave. Thank you for this.
Excellent report. BZ
Especially on The Soviet keeping your tail out of jail.
The addition of the pictures of the Soviet adds visual appeal to the story.
Honestly, glad you got to attend this. A welcome recognition of the sacrifices made.
Well done, Dave.
Semper Fi.
Proof of Russians in and around our Government! I hope Hilary doesn’t recommend suicide for . LMAO!
She likes you, when you come here she puts out the good toilet paper. Jonn said I could use the woods behind the house.
…never gonna get that Lapua, not even if you kidnap it when you think no one is looking.
Now the Russians are marrying veterans to gain access to the Washington and TAH elite! Infiltration is everywhere.
Great post, Dave.
Dave, I don’t suppose that you saw William “Billy Boy” Blake around the ceremony. He probably had “prior commitments”, that he just couldn’t break.
Oh man, I laughed way to hard reading this. Well done Dave.
Oh that’s you Dave?
I thought you were the one standing front and center with the big Boobs.
/well you said dark and handsome.
😀
Yeah, that was pretty much as far as I got…….
Me too.
(*)(*)
Dave, I don’t know you so I figure you are the tall, dark, handsome guy to the right of the VP. Nice photo.
Represent!
Outstanding 🙂
Dave, what exactly were you contemplating in the group photo, with your eyes closed. The WM Captain?…
My eyes are not closed…thats my “Be Happy” look.
Speaking of marrying up….
Nice job Dave. Did she write this for you? Or did she just decipher it from your crayons….
I have been lurking on this site for a long time and seen you refer to your wife as “the Soviet”
She is indeed very pretty and stylish
Good for you!
Wow Dave, you and your Household Soviet get around, she DOES keep you out of trouble!
Good job, DH.
I’m still pretty disgruntled over why Reagan didn’t do anything about this.
Those dogs murdered a bunch of American Marines, and that I can tell, not one stinking thing was done about it.
At least now, the survivors got some recognition. So again, well done!
Thanks for the After Action Report, Dave. And, I agree with other posters, you definitely married up.
Wow, Dave…you did well..it was indeed a pleasure reading this…and it had pictures!
Are you sure you are not a famous writer operating under a pseudonym? Such wit..😉
A big Thank You to you and your lovely Bride for honoring our brave Marines who were in Beirut on that day. Salute.
Speaking of pictures: Thank you for sharing the one of the rescue of Morris Dorsey. The picture said it all: Brotherhood, Camaraderie and Teamwork trumps race, ethnic groups or gender.
Like your Power Tie. 😎
Did Keith Hall make the trip?
For those who ask, who is Keith Hall.. Heroes Under Fire: Captain Crunch A former Marine heads to Beirut to discover who was behind the 1983 bombing that decimated the U.S. Embassy. When the U.S. Embassy in Beirut was decimated by a car bomb in 1983, it was not just a symbolic strike against America. Someone deliberately targeted those they believed were calling the shots in this volatile region–the CIA. Nearly the entire Middle East CIA Station was wiped out. The agency called on “Captain Crunch” Keith Hall, a former Marine who was one of the CIA’s best men in the field. Keith arrived in Beirut with the full resources of a battered agency behind him–and a difficult mission in front. Bill Wagner, the former CIA agent, remembers going to the Agency’s three-week interrogation course at “The Farm,” in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1970. Until it was shut down, a few years later, it was considered the Agency’s “premier course,” Wagner says, and only the best recruits were invited to take it. “To say you had been through it was a real feather in your cap.” Volunteers played the role of captives in return for guaranteed space in a future session of the coveted course. They were deprived of sleep, kept doused with water in cold rooms, forced to sit or stand in uncomfortable positions for long periods, isolated from sunlight and social contacts, given food deliberately made unappetizing (oversalted, for instance, or tainted with a green dye), and subjected to mock executions. At least 10 percent of the volunteers dropped out, even though they knew it was just a training exercise. Wagner says that many of those who had served as victims later refused to take the course and victimize others. “They lost their stomach for it,” he says. Several years after Wagner took the course, he says, the Agency dropped it entirely. The scandals of the Nixon years put the CIA under unprecedented scrutiny. Over the next three decades spying schools and most human-intelligence networks were gradually dismantled. The United States itself was losing its stomach for hands-on intelligence… Read more »
Keiths Dad was a Marine and WWII POW Taken on Corregidor Claude Beryl Hall endearingly known as “CB” or Beryl. Keith was a Marine officer NAM Era (not in country) and Keith son Keith Jr. is a Marine who was part of Gulf War 1 who now, like his Dad was, LEO. Honorable family, dishonorable what happened to Keith. The documentary on Hero’s Under Fire was mainly narrated by Carlton Sherwood (NAMVet Marine) who also put together the anti John Kerry flick Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal.
Let me quote from the old NavySEALs forums: ForceRecon79 wrote: A few days ago thier was an episode of “Heroes Under Fire” on the history channel, which depicted the actions of an unsung hero named Keith Hall. Hall was sent to Bierut by the CIA’s paramilitary division to investigate the 1983 Beirut bombing of the US Embassy. Hall (a former Marine) managed to survive in the hell hole of Beirut, and tied the embassy bombing to Iran, the PLO and the scum of Hezbollah. After risking his life for this country he returned to CIA headquarters. CIA headquarters then proceeded to tell Keith that no one in the CIA or Reagan administration was willing to take action against Hezbollah or Iran. Keith was then actually investigated for the rough interrogation tactics he used against the bombing suspects in Lebanon, and was then fired by the CIA. Every current and former Marine, especially those who have served in Force Recon, is well aware of the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut that occured in late 1983. Kieth Hall had provided the CIA with intel that could have led to the prevention of this horrible attack, if only the CIA had followed up on it. This is one of the most disgracefull episodes in CIA and American history. The fact that America did nothing to prevent this bombing, and then did nothing to avenge the embassy and Marine barracks bombing is an unjustifiable act of cowardice from a country that has spawned the greatest and most potent military in history. As someone who is thinking of joining the CIA, I can only pray that since 9/11 the CIA has grown some balls and is now willing to do whatever it takes to kill the terrorists who threaten us. The CIA role in afghanistan is certainly promising, but more needs to be done. As for Keith Hall, this man was treated disgracefully by an agency and a nation he served so honorably, I can only hope that this program will serve to let Americans know that thier are people like him (and… Read more »
What actually happened during Beirut is one of the most misunderstood and untold stories of Military history.
I wanted to do an article about the Commemoration and my trip. Maybe one day I will finally publish my account of events.
We were initially sent as peace keepers, what we experienced was the birth of State sponsored terrorism funded by Iran.
Keith and many others tried to do what needed to be done…I doubt most people really want to know the ugly truth.
Amen. What isn’t known is what happened to Keith ex post facto his BS firing.
I look forward to reading your published account one day…
What a great read.
And that smile. In every photo.
I think the word is “disarming”
The Soviet certainly carries on the tradition of beautiful, classy Russian women.
I was lucky enough to befriend a couple young ladies from Russia back when I finally got my degree from Miami U. about 15 years ago. Charming.
It was an honor to be present at the ceremony and once in a lifetime opportunity. It was amazing and touching to see the veterans and their families being recognized and remembered. Thank you Dave Hardin for bringing me along. Now I know I haven’t been putting up with you for all these years for nothing!
Well, I only put up with you because people let me into places when you are around that would normally lock the door on me.
You only hang around because I am pretty.
Look as I might, I could not find a single “tall, dark, and handsome” guy in that entire picture. That’s because I was not there. That’s because you are all unlucky enough that I was not in Beirut with you.
HOWEVER!!
“The Soviet” as you call her, is one of the most loverly ladies I have ever seen, and it makes me wonder just how much vodka you had to pump into her to convince her you were marriage material.
However much it was; I salute you !!!
Looks like it was a memorable day. You guys deserve it. Far too many have forgotten, or have never been taught about that awful time in our history.
For the 241, I say; Rest Ye Well, my brothers. God give ye peace everlasting. May light eternal shine upon thee, and God’s Holy Grace guide thee forevermore.