On Oct. 23, 1983, U.S. Marines were targeted in a terrorist bombing attack on their Beirut barracks — 241 servicemen died that day 40 years ago. Bestselling author Jack Carr tells the story.
Shortly past daybreak on the morning of Oct. 23, 1983, a Mercedes truck tore through the concertina wire that surrounded the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The truck was loaded with PETN explosive wrapped in compressed gas canisters. Inside the four-story Battalion Landing Team headquarters and barracks — colorfully known as the 'Beirut Hilton' — some 350 American troops still slumbered. It was Sunday — a day of rest.
With the medical department largely wiped out, dentists Drs. James Ware and Gilbert Bigelow took charge of the rescue efforts, stabilizing the wounded for medical evacuation to the USS Iwo Jima offshore. Fr. George Pucciarelli and Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff comforted the wounded and administered last rites to the dying. Many others tunneled through rubble, hauled stretchers, guarded the perimeter and held the hands of injured friends.
America’s response came in January 1984, when it designated Iran as a state-sponsor of terrorism. The bombing was the opening salvo in a new war, one that American leaders were slow to recognize. Then-President Ronald Reagan had vowed that America had no reverse gear, but the attack that morning spelled the end of U.S. involvement in Lebanon, though it would take a few more months before the president would order the Marines back aboard ships and bring them home.
After he decided to pull the Marines out of Beirut, Reagan sat down with a pen and paper and recorded his thoughts. His personal secretary later typed his notes and delivered them to White House speechwriters for possible inclusion in a future address, but the president’s private thoughts would never be uttered in public.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Videodrome Criterion 4K Review: Prophecy FulfilledDavid Cronenberg's 1983 film Videodrome not only predicted multimedia obsessions, but also star James Woods' recent career trajectory.
Les mer »
The Crazy '90s TV Pilot That Starred Owen Wilson as a Talking MotorcycleHeat Vision and Jack was the TV pilot that brought together Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Dan Harmon, and Ben Stiller.
Les mer »
Picard & Jack Crusher Got What Star Trek Movies Denied KirkJean-Luc Picard got something in Star Trek: Picard that James T. Kirk tragically never did - a chance to truly get to know his son.
Les mer »
This 'Pumpkin House' in West Virginia is decorated with 3,000 jack-o'-lanternsThis house is filled with pumpkins, and it's quite the spooky spectacle.
Les mer »