Photo By James Smith | A visitor runs his fingers along the names etched into the wall at the Beirut Memorial...... read more read more
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JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - It’s a place of serene peace, far removed in time and space from the events that gave it birth. But even three decades later, the single granite wall and surrounding gardens at the Beirut Memorial are filled with living memories.
On the morning of Oct 23, 1983, 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers lost their lives when a truck loaded with 2,000 pounds of explosives destroyed the Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
They came as part of a multinational peacekeeping operation. The attack is considered one of the first shots in the war on terror.
“I am one of those Marines old enough to remember the attack,” said Maj. Gen. Richard Simcock, the commanding general of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, II Marine Expeditionary Force. “I remember the memorial service we had,” continued Simcock, who was training at the time. “It was the first time I felt the loss of a comrade in arms. I remember thinking that the only thing that separated me from the lieutenants of the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit, or the platoon commanders of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines was just a couple of months … [They] had completed the same training I was just beginning.”
Thirty-one years later, Simcock joined with veterans, families and community leaders from Jacksonville to reflect on what happened that day. They gathered before the single granite wall, partially broken at the center to symbolize the crumbling barracks where so many lost their lives. The words “They came in peace,” are forever etched beside the statue of a single Marine.
“I’ve been continuously involved with this event since the 23rd of October, 1983,” said Ronald Bower, a member of the Beirut Memorial Advisory Board. “I’m a history teacher, and one of the things about history is that it is a precursor to the future. If you don’t remember your history, you will be doomed to repeat it.”
Similar gatherings happen every year in an attempt to remember that history and the sacrifice of fallen brothers. To this day, groups of Marines still visit the site as part of leadership courses or simply to pay their respects.
“Sacrifices such as those on 23 October 1983 are difficult to accept,” acknowledged Simcock. “But the memory of those lost gives us strength and determination to win the long war in their honor. It clearly demonstrates to the world and to our enemies that U.S. Marines, even in the face of such sudden losses, will remain undaunted, that we will continue to hold the line, to fight and win.”
Members of the Jacksonville community joined Simcock in his pledge to remain vigilant, ready, and above all to remember.
“I am honored to renew the pledge that we, as a community and as a city, will never forget this date,” said Sammy Phillips, the mayor of Jacksonville. “We mourn as a community: one community. Not as a [service member] or civilian, but as an entire community. Thirty-one years may soften, dampen or diffuse some of the pain, but we know that the loss is still real. While we mourn this loss of life, we also honor their sacrifice by celebrating today.”
As the ceremony came to a close, guests came forward to pay their respects at the humble shrine. They left mementos, flowers, and tears near the foot of the Marine statue and the names engraved on that broken wall.
They stood side by side with veterans, community leaders, and the families of the fallen service members.
“People need to remember that life is short and they shouldn’t take anything for granted,” said David Burdette, a Beirut veteran who came to pay his respects to his fallen comrades. “I’m going to continue to come here and pay my respects as long as I’m physically able to. I owe it to those guys on that wall.”
| Date Taken: | 10.23.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 10.28.2014 15:07 |
| Story ID: | 146343 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 164 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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