They came in peace - then they paid the ultimate price through an act of terrorism.

It was Oct. 23, 1983, when 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers - most from Camp Lejeune - died after a delivery truck packed with 12,000 pounds of explosives was rammed full force into the Beirut International Airport where the Marines had built a makeshift home and established headquarters.

The young men with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, the sailors and soldiers were on a peacekeeping mission to help a war-torn country. On Sunday in Jacksonville, many of their fathers and mothers, sisters, brothers, wives, active-duty military, veterans and friends gathered to honor their memory at the Beirut Memorial.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael W. Hagee, a former commanding officer of 1/8, said he remembers well the sacrifices.

"Words fail us," he told those assembled Sunday at the memorial site. "I wish we could say - as with many anniversaries - that this is a time for peaceful remembrance; that we were gathered today to commemorate a danger that had long since passed; or that the attack of 22 years ago marked the ending, not one of the early shots in a protracted and difficult conflict. But we cannot."

Hagee said those who lost a son, a father or a husband during this attack likely want to know why it happened. More than two decades after the incident, the answers are still impossible to grasp.

"It is hard for free people to comprehend the mix of extremism and hatred that leads terrorists to murder people sent to help," Hagee said. "But perhaps we can take solace in the fact that throughout human history there have been those who seek power through fear and mass murder, but eventually all of them, every one, have fallen."

After the laying of wreaths at the foot of the Beirut Memorial, Gen. Robert C. Dickerson, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations East and commander of Camp Lejeune; and Hagee stood at attention for a 21-gun salute. Following the hour-long service, several family members and former comrades walked to the memorial to pay tribute.

President of the American Gold Star Mothers Judith Young traveled from Morristown, N.J., to attend. It was a special time to remember her son, Sgt. Jeffrey Young, she said. He was 22 the day he died.

"You never really get over something like that, but time does make it easier," she said.

Evi Cox-Jordan flew in from Orlando, Fla., with her husband, Bob Jordan. Evi was a 25-year-old wife and mother when her first husband, Sgt. Manuel Cox, was killed in the explosion, she said through tears.

"He died two days after my youngest son was born," she said. "You never really recover; you just learn to deal with it."

Maj. Lew Vogler, executive officer with 1/8 shared a story that illustrates the irony of life, he said.

When Lt. Col. Scott Alley, the current commanding officer of 1/8, was a captain at basic school, a young student came to him and asked for leave so he could attend a memorial in Jacksonville, Vogler said. The captain told the young man that leave was not allowed for those in basic training. But when the young man told the captain it was a service to honor his father, Capt. Peter J. Scialabba, who had died in the Beirut attack, he let him go.

Alley was a senior in high school in 1983 and remembers the bombing.

"Fully considering the war on terrorism on June 30 we changed the call sign of our battalion to the way it was at the time of the bombing," Alley said.

He said losing 220 Marines in a battalion of about 800 was a significant loss then as it would be now.

"One is too many," Alley said. "We just had 21 Marines killed in action during our last deployment to Iraq. We need to keep sight of what we're doing and remember those who went before us so that we always do what's right."

And the war on terrorism, which some say began with the Beirut bombing, continues, Hagee said.

"America did not wish to send Marines abroad, but we sent them," Hagee said about the Beirut bombing. "We did not ask for violence, but we've answered it. We did not begin the war on terror, but we will win it."

Learning from our past

October 23,2005
BY CHRIS MAZZOLINI 
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Terrorism introduced itself to America with a smile.

Today, 22-years-ago in Beirut, Lebanon, a yellow delivery truck packed with 12,000 pounds of explosives and a driver with a death wish steered toward the Beirut International Airport, where Marines had built a makeshift home and established a headquarters.

The van broke through a barricade and barreled between two sentry posts. The guards, carrying only unloaded rifles, reportedly saw a grin stretched across the driver's face.

The van buried itself in the lobby of the building and exploded. The blast transformed four stories of cinderblock into rubble, ending the lives of 241 Marines, sailors and soldiers inside. The majority of the Marines were with Camp Lejeune's 1st Battalion, 8th Marines.

The circumstance in Beirut, 1983, is separated by years but not subject matter. In today's Corps, when about 61 percent of Marines are younger than 26, the large majority that are battling terrorists and insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan were in swaddling clothes or not even born when that building fell down in Beirut.

But the Devil Dogs at Camp Lejeune, the home of the Beirut Memorial and 1/8, remember the attack. It's a lesson that will never be forgotten.

"Everything is a learning process," said Sgt. Dwayne Williams, 27, from New York, who joined the Marines in 1997. "It was unfortunate that the Marine Corps learned a lesson like that, but the best lessons are learned the hard way."

"I think about all the individuals whose lives were changed and families rearranged because of carelessness," said Staff Sgt. Eric Johnson, 30, who hails from New Willard, Texas. "But we are learning from our past. It's like a revolving door. As it revolves, we get smarter and smarter."

Lessons learned

When the Marines arrived in Beirut in 1982 as part of an international peacekeeping force, they were stepping into a boiling cauldron of civil war, regional strife and religious conflict. Massacres of civilians were perpetrated by both sides with gruesome frequency.

The conflict in Lebanon, a melting pot of religions and cultures, was primarily divided between Christians and Muslims, each supported by a number of armed militias. It was complicated by the Palestinian Liberation Organization moving into southern Lebanon, and Israel and Syria also occupying sections of the country. Beirut itself was divided, with Muslims controlling the western side and Christians the eastern portion.

U.S. forces landed in Beirut as peacekeepers trying to bring stability to the torn region and supply a measure of protection for civilians. So as not to show too aggressive a posture, the Marines guarding the headquarters at the Beirut airport were ordered to keep their rifles unloaded and on their shoulders and their magazines in their ammo pouches.

When the explosive-laden truck ripped past, the sentries did not have enough time to load their weapons.

The Long Commission, which investigated the bombing, concluded that "much needs to be done to prepare U.S. military forces to defend against and counter terrorism."

Lance Cpl. Darron Charles, a 20-year-old Marine with 1/8's Charlie Company and who has fought in Iraq, said that the Marine Corps has learned a lot from the tragedy.

"Now, that wouldn't have happened," Charles said. "When I think about it, they deprived us of our jobs as Marines. Now, we've got an aggressive defensive posture when it comes to ensuring Marines are taken care of. It was an eye opener.

"They say as Marines we learn something new everyday."

'I see the scars'

While all Marines learn about Beirut during boot camp, many come there without knowing much about it. Johnson did, because his uncle was in the Marines in the early 1980s. But Lance Cpl Jason Martin, 21, a member of Weapons Company, 1/8, said he knew that something bad happened in Beirut, but didn't know specifics until he joined the Marines and did some reading on his own.

"In my high school, it never was a big point in history class," Martin said. "But I think it's something that should be taught."

Williams and Charles also didn't know much about the bombing until they signed up. Which begs the question: why does such a loss of American life and an attack that was such an omen of times to come get so little attention?

"I feel if it doesn't happen on our soil, we don't care about it as Americans," Johnson said. "Look at anything that went down overseas. It doesn't hit people in their heads that these are our people, our brothers and sisters that are dying."

"It was tragic, but it wasn't 9/11, it wasn't Vietnam," Williams said. "That's why it isn't as well known, except by people who have been in the military or around the military."

Johnson, who has Marine friends who were wounded in the bombing, said that their bravery and sacrifice deserves to be remembered.

"I see the scars on their faces, I see the scars on their bodies," he said. "It was one of the worst things that ever happened to them. And they say, 'It made me stay in the Marine Corps to help protect what we are fighting for.' They are outstanding Marines."

While most Americans may not be aware of the bombing, the Marines do recognize the support they receive from the local community, which honors the fallen every year. Today at 2 p.m., the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Michael W. Hagee, will speak during the annual remembrance at the Beirut Memorial near Camp Johnson.

It's that type of ritual that keeps the memories alive - and spreads the word.

"Word travels, and if it's widely known here, it's going to spread out in the United States," Williams said. "It's definitely a good thing. They are still holding on and showing their love for what we do as Marines."

"You will always have someone here that passes it on to their kids," Johnson added. "I pass it on to my kids."

Martin said that he will always be connected to Beirut's fallen despite being born after the bombing.

"They should never be forgotten," he said. "I didn't know them personally, but they were Marines, they were from 1/8, which brings it close to home, even though it was before I was born. We know a little about them, but I think we should know more."

Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or at 353-1171, Ext. 229.

BOB JORDAN'S STATEMENT ON THE 2005 REMEMBRANCE  

The First Duty is to Remember

 

  Upon my arrival in Jacksonville, NC, I was somewhat let down. I picked up the MCAS New River RotoVue, which contained a short article on Beirut that I had interviewed for the previous week. A quick glance at the Camp Lejeune Globe and the Jacksonville Daily News came up empty -- but a later check of the Globe showed a "Man in the Street" article asking where certain individuals were on Oct 23, 1983.   A visit to the USO was also depressing. The Beirut Room didn't look much different from last year when it was undergoing repairs, except that some pictures of Beirut were laying on a couch as if repair was still underway and the rooms appeared to be used primarily for storage. One family arrived while Evi and I were checking our e-mail asking about the Beirut ceremonies. No one seemed to know. We shared what we knew and left.   We found a half dozen vets and some family members at the Holiday Express. We discussed the 0600 candlelight service on Sunday. A couple of people took the initiative to bring candles--but no one appeared to be in charge.   Evi and I arrived at the Memorial at 0530 on Sunday. Weather was pleasant for a change. The 9/11 Memorial is now adjacent to the Beirut Memorial (a large piece of girder from the Twin Towers dedicated to the men fighting in Iraq). We were please to see a chaplain preparing for a ceremony and about 35 or 40 vets and family member milling about -- but no one in charge. Several individuals asked if they could read the names on the section of the wall where their friends or family members names were engraved. I took charge and coordinated with the chaplain on how the ceremony would be conducted. The readings by vets and family members added a special touch to the ceremony.   A reorganization at MCB Camp Lejeune evidently resulted in earlier LOIs about the Beirut Memorial ceremonies left some gaps that did not get filled. Also, being on Sunday, the regular scheduled were deferred to the afternoon and evening to accommodate those who wanted to attend church.   The regular Memorial service was scheduled for 1400. We received work that the Recon service would be at 1530 and the devil Dogs at Camp Geiger would be at 1600. Later we were told that the Devil Dog ceremony (usually conducted at noon) would be at 1700. Only the main ceremony was listed in the Daily News.   After breakfast at the Steel Kettle Restaurant, Evi and I went back to our room for a nap (we older folks need to do that when we can). We hit the small PX at MCAS New River, then headed over to the Memorial. We were pleased to see a large crowd assembling. CMC Gen. Hagee and Jacksonville's mayor delivered excellent speeches. About 100 family members and vets attended and several hundred locals from the town and military bases also were there. Some of the "hard corps" traveled from Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Florida and Ohio. Media coverage was minimal. I did an interview with Channel 12 and with the City of Jacksonville videographer. A couple of print reporters were also doing interviews.   Most of the out of town attendees left Sunday evening. Rich Ray was the only Jacksonville BVA members who I recognized in attendance at the ceremony. The Devil Dogs ceremony was attended by the "hard corps" vets and family members. It is rewarding to see that, as our Beirut warriors grow gray, the children and grandchildren of our vets are taking an interest in keeping the memory of their fathers' service alive.   This may be the last ceremony at Geiger since road construction is making it difficult to get to or find the Geiger Memorial if you aren't familiar with the area. A recommendation is being made to move the Devil Dog Memorial to the site of the Beirut Memorial.   The physical terrain in the area is changing. Bypass highways will soon direct traffic in totally unfamiliar patterns. Traffic passing the Beirut Memorial may soon be limited to locals and personnel stationed in the area. World War II, Korean and Vietnam Memorials may soon compete for attention and resources within the Memorial Park adjacent to the Beirut Memorial. That may be a good thing, however.   BVA President John Perez and BVA Associate Board member Judy Young were the only officers or Board members to attend. No Board meeting was conducted.   Next year is the 23rd Anniversary. Many of the BVA officers and Board members terms must be expiring. Planning needs to begin now not only for the 23rd and the 24th Remembrances, but for the 25th. The impression that I got from the vets and families is that they expect the BVA to take a significant role in the Remembrance every year. They also expect the BVA leadership to be aggressive in pursuing membership recruitment and renewals.   The City of Jacksonville is dedicated to continuing the Beirut Remembrance. But I suspect that if family members and vets lose interest in attending .. and the BVA fails to provide leadership ... our motto: The First Duty is to Remember, may become a hollow phrase without meaning.   Semper Fi! Bob Jordan Founding President Beirut Veterans of America