History of the Root Scoop

The Root Scoop was started by the public affairs team soon after the Marines went back in when the Lebanese president was assassinated.  The MAU commander felt it was important that Marines ashore be updated on recent events on the ground from an internal source rather than relying on often out of date news reports.  So they began publishing the Root Scoop weekly.  It was later augmented when AFRTS (American Forces Radio/TV Service) set up shop and began daily broadcasts.  This combination gave Marines, sailors and soldiers ashore immediate access to the latest information about what they and their fellow Peacekeepers were up to.  The RS also was a nice thing for Marines to send home to let families know what was happening.