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JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (10/25/2012) - It was a quiet morning
in Beirut, Lebanon. With the country divided during a civil
war, Marines and other service members were present in the
country conducting peacetime operations and took up
headquarters at the Beirut International Airport. No one
could have guessed on this morning at approximately 6:20
a.m., the Marine Corps, and the United States Military as a
whole would experience one of its most devastating blows in
recent history.
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Service members who helped to lay the
wreaths bow their heads during the benediction given during the
Beirut Memorial Service Ceremony in Jacksonville, N.C., Oct. 23,
2012. Many people from different military branches, and even
different countries were in attendance for the event to pay their
respects to the service members who lost their lives in the Beirut
bombing 29 years ago. Official Marine Corps photo by USMC Lance Cpl.
Scott W. Whiting
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Oct. 23, 1983, 241 service members
were killed in a bombing at the barracks in Beirut. Every
year, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and the Jacksonville,
N.C., communities observe the tragedy through an event at
the Beirut Memorial to honor the service members who lost
their lives in the attack.
Enlisted and commissioned
service members from the Marine Corps, Army and Navy, and
even members of foreign militaries packed the memorial to
pay their respects at the 29th anniversary of what many call
the original act of terrorism.
Ron Bower, a member of
the Beirut Memorial advisory board, recalled the impact the
attack had on the Marines back in the States.
“Ironically, I started working for the Marine Corps on the
day of the attack,” he said. “I accepted a job offer at Camp
Johnson, and I remember seeing it on the news that morning.”
Bower said he loves history, which caused him to
research what happened at Beirut to educate himself, and it
led him to become involved with the memorial and the yearly
ceremony.
“I was involved with this since the ground
breaking,” Bower said. “I developed the first ceremonial
sequence for the event, and when I retired in 1999, I became
a permanent member of the advisory board.”
The
ceremony itself was a big affair, drawing hundreds of
service members from various areas together to pay tribute
to their fallen Americans. The guest speaker for the
ceremony was Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Gorry, commanding general
of Marine Corps Installations East – Marine Corps Base Camp
Lejeune.
“This morning has both personal and
professional significance for me,” said Gorry. “I am truly
honored to be able to address it during this ceremony. It
was the deadliest single-day attack on Americans overseas
since World War II, the deadliest single-day death toll in
American history since the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War,
and the deadliest single-day in the Marine Corps since the
battle of Iwo Jima.”
Gorry explained the Marines of
the 24th Marine Expeditionary Force were there to secure
peace in Beirut. He said they were there to guard the Beirut
airport and were true to the phrase etched into the wall of
the memorial: “They came in peace.”
“They went to
Lebanon to bring peace,” said Maj. Kemper Jones, the
executive officer for 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment,
2nd Marine Division, the battalion that was in Beirut during
the bombing. “Many factions were fighting, and they went
there to build peace and make it a safer place for people to
live”
The battalion's leadership was present at the
ceremony and was a part of the wreath-laying portion of the
observance.
“The Marines of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines
are very proud to be a part of the heritage,” said Sgt. Maj.
Manuel Colon, the battalion's sergeant major. “They know
what they represent as a part of the battalion, and they are
proud of it.”
Jones said the ceremony is a great way
to remember the Marines lost that day 29 years ago, and it's
a way to show respect to them as well.
After Gorry
spoke, Gunnery Sgt. Angela Mink sang two songs honoring the
fallen service members. Once she finished singing, three
wreaths were laid in front of the memorial. One was to honor
the connection between the Jacksonville and MCB Camp Lejeune
communities, one to pay respect to the Marines and sailors
who died during the attack and were a part of the community,
and one representing the Marines of 1st Battalion, 8th
Marines.
After the sobering ceremony, people in
attendance were able to go up to the wall, many of whom
searched for the name of a loved one they lost in the
bombing.
“This has an unbelievable impact on the
battalion and the community,” said Jones. “It's part of what
makes this such a special event. It pulls both the Marines
and Jacksonville community together to share in the reaction
of what happened.”
By USMC Lance Cpl. Scott W. Whiting
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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