Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night

CHRISTMAS IN BEIRUT

Journal Entries from the Battlefield

BY Brian G. Lukas

Editor’s note: The name Beirut became a one-word symbol for the war torn Middle East of the late 1970s. Civil war had erupted in Lebanon in 1975, the result of clashes between Christian and Muslim groups, including members of the Druse religious sect and the Palestine Liberation Organization, and had escalated over several years. In 1982, Israeli troops invaded Lebanon; the two countries had already fought south of Beirut. As well, Syria had occupied the country since 1976. In 1983, the United Nations dispatched a multinational peace-keeping force, including U.S. Marines, to Beirut. The Marines left Beirut within a year because of terrorist attacks; on Oct. 23,1983, a truck loaded with explosives crashed into the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit Headquarters compound, killing 241 Marines.

“The Marines in Beirut seem to have gotten lost in the history books . . . they had a difficult mission,” says TV photographer Brian Lukas. He, along with news anchorwoman Angela Hill and editorialist Phil Johnson, all of WWL-TV/Channel 4, traveled to Beirut in late 1983 to cover Louisiana Marines stationed there at Christmastime. Lukas kept journal entries of his tense times there, excerpted here.

Christmas 1983 was just a few weeks away. I would travel to Beirut with Angela Hill and Phil Johnson to film and edit stories on local Marines from the New Orleans area. It was a time before portable satellite uplinks and the Internet, so we carried videotaped messages from the Marines’ families back in the United States. Our ambitious itinerary also included production of a documentary about this war-torn area. But as fighting between the various factions escalated, that idea was abandoned. Armed militias set up roadblocks in various sections of Beirut. The Islamic Jihad decided to add another element to its arsenal of terror and brutality: kidnapping Westerners.

•If there is hell on earth, it is here in Beirut. At the same time that I arrived in Beirut, the French Embassy was hit by a car bomb, with 20 people killed. Later that night, a French military base was blasted by a bomb-laden truck. Ten French soldiers were killed, and 23 were hurt. The explosion lit up the whole area. Terror – it is sheer terror. I can see it on the faces of the residents who walk cautiously on the streets. Here in Beirut, teenagers carry assault rifles, mainly M-16s. On the streets, women cradle their children tightly in their arms, begging any Westerners for help. The city smells like death. There is a stench of rotting corpses and smoldering trash strewn about from buildings destroyed by the fighting in the streets. To realize the inhumanity of war, you have to look deep in the faces of the civilian population. Then, if you dare, look deep into their eyes. There you will find the horror of war absorbed deep within the soul. I look into many eyes here in Beirut.

•In the eyes of the young Marines, I can see the uneasy and uncomfortable situation they are in. The U.S. Marines’ position at the Beirut International Airport keeps them under daily sniper and artillery attack. I remember when I was in Washington, D.C., for a White House press function when many of these same Marines from the 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit invaded Grenada, a tiny island in the Caribbean. Now I am here in hell with them. The Marines, politically, are not invaders but are so-called “welcome guests,” strategically placed in Lebanon on a peace-keeping mission with the French and Italians as part of a multinational force. Our Marine contact is Capt. Dennis Brooks, the Marine public-information officer on the base, always “spring-loaded to say yes.” He remarked that the various militias near the Marine positions use their tanks like small arms fire: They quickly maneuver the tanks in firing position, release a shell and maneuver back quickly, then repeat the operation. Maximum destruction, I thought to myself. Total destruction was evident when we passed the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps – hundreds, perhaps thousands of Palestinians were killed here: men, women, and children. Our driver remarked, solemnly, that they were executed. The refugee camps are leveled, nothing remains, and where the victims of this civil war sought relief from the terror of war, only the bare reddish-brown earth remains visible from the nearby dusty road. Their graves are not even marked. It is as if they were never born.

•At night there is no time to dream; the evenings are fitful with the sounds of rifle fire. My bed is level with the window. Crazy, I thought, there are snipers on the roofs – one shot through the window and that’s it. I tried to sleep on the floor, but there is no sleep at night. The sounds of sniper fire and the thud of muffled mortar and artillery rounds are trying to find any “peace-keeper’s” position near the Avenue de Paris, the long, winding road facing the Mediterranean Sea.

•At one time Beirut played the Paris of the Middle East; now it plays a sorrowful tune of despair. My hotel in Beirut is owned by the Nassai family, Palestinian owners of the Commodore Hotel. The Commodore Hotel is on the Muslim side of Beirut. On the Christian side, the owner of the Alexandre failed to pay protection money to the thugs and every conceivable terrorist seeking consideration for the hotel’s existence. As a result, somebody exploded a huge car bomb in its parking lot, destroying the hotel. I couldn’t help but notice the line of cars ringing the Commodore Hotel here in Muslim West Beirut. Sometimes the cars were two or three deep. I quickly learned that these vehicles were buffers to prevent any car-bomb attacks on the Commodore. The ring of vehicles and payoffs couldn’t stop the instruments of distant destruction. My hotel room in the Commodore is on the fourth floor, room 405. I could not enter the room without noticing the shift in the door and several large cracks running down the length of the wall. A little later that day, I learned that room 405, my room, had been hit by a rocket-propelled grenade just two weeks earlier.

•There is no sanctuary in this city. It’s a sad place and a sad time. Beirut is a city defined by fear, a city bisected by the green line – Christians in the East, Muslims in the West. This is a noisy, depressing, dangerous and disconcerting place to work. I tried not to sleep last night. It’s been several nights since I’ve had any sleep. The last thing I wanted was to be asleep when a car bomb went off and then to be buried under the rubble of concrete and steel from the top five floors. I often fall asleep at the dinner table. Veteran journalists from Europe and the U.S. networks in the hotel remark that this is one of the scariest wars they’ve covered. There is no “commuting” to this war; death and destruction are all around us.

Blackened pockmarks of war are carved into the façade of every building. The city is gravely wounded. And now a new threat is employed by the terrorists: They are kidnapping journalists and teachers at the American University in Beirut. A note was posted on the front bulletin board as we left the hotel. It was a warning from the Islamic Jihad. In very simple words, the note said that all Westerners must leave Beirut or “we will make the ground under your feet move.” It was a direct threat to destroy the hotel where the Western press reported the war. This is the same group that claimed responsibility for bombing the U.S. Marine base here in Beirut, and the U.S. embassies in Beirut and Kuwait.

•The war is escalating now. (A few months later, the Commodore Hotel would be completely destroyed by shelling and car bombs.) The American Embassy was heavily damaged by another car-bomb attack. Forty people were injured, and eight were killed in the suicide attack. The front of the embassy building, facing the seashore, is covered in what appears to be a seven-story green shroud. It hides the embassy’s exposed interior from probing eyes or people that pass through the zigzagged row of 55-gallon metal drums filled with dirt. The metal drums are defenses against another suicide attack. Marines are positioned throughout the building. Another contingent of Marines is stationed just across the street from the embassy. An American flag blew quietly in the wind next to a Marine guard watching the pedestrian movement in front of the embassy. The image of the American flag and the Marine standing with the sun setting on the Mediterranean Sea gave the drab gray seashore kind of a splendid appearance. In a melancholy way I felt a strong connection with home. The obvious presence of the American flag waving in the warm breeze made me feel very thankful that I live in and would return to the United States shortly. And if there is ever an image of the Marines in Beirut that will be forever stamped on my mind, it is that one single Marine and the American flag rippling in the wind next to him.

•On the corniche, in front of the American Embassy, the Marines are routinely targeted by snipers. It becomes very nerve-racking that at any time death may come by a sniper. As I filmed the area I noticed a small bunker with several Marines standing guard. One of them was Cpl. Brad Pellegrin from Slidell. It is the Christmas season, and he is making the best of a very bad situation by lining his bunker with makeshift ornaments. I forgot that we were nearing Christmas.

We were carrying messages from Cpl. Pellegrin’s family to give to him. It was a videotaped message to him from his wife, mother and child. As we showed the message to him I noticed an interesting effect on the other Marines . . . they gathered closer together to hear the family’s greeting to Brad. Closer the Marines came when Brad’s son said, “Daddy, I love you and miss you.” We played the videotape again and again. That’s when I realized that Brad’s family was now family to all the Marines that gathered to watch his videotape in front of the destroyed American Embassy. His family was their family; his son was their son or daughter. The Marines had a Christmas family now . . . and it was amazing to witness a little bit of loneliness disappear as they looked on. Christmas is family . . . even in Beirut.

•The makeshift Christmas ornaments lining the bunkers in front of the destroyed U.S. embassy were a welcome relief. It was a simple reminder of the hope that peace existed. Off in the distance, on the Mediterranean Sea, the sunset cast a shadow on the battleship New Jersey. The broad, flickering light from her was the firepower from her massive guns unleashed on the Druse militias, who rocketed the Marine base at the International Airport on Beirut’s southern edge. We would find out that a Marine was severely wounded; later he died.

•Overnight, hooded Shiite Muslims and their Druse allies drove Lebanese army units from most of their checkpoints on the Muslim West Beirut commercial thoroughfares and residential neighborhoods. I woke up to a very loud mechanical clanking just outside my hotel. The sounds of Lebanese military tanks rolling pass the hotel window quickly eliminated the little rest I hoped to get.

•Reports indicate at least 90 people killed last night and more than 300 wounded in the fighting; in just two days more than 160 people were killed, mostly civilians caught in the cross-fire. It’s a sickness – hatred is a cancer destroying everything here.

•At the Marine base this morning I could see the visible impact of the shelling by the U.S. 6th Fleet on the mountain range surrounding the base. Huge billows of smoke rose as the shells hit their targets. Cpls. Herbert McKnight and Greg Nelson, both from the New Orleans area, said the Marine base was shelled by rockets overnight. Herbert was stationed in a sandbag bunker on the rooftop of the base. This bunker, accessible only by a ladder, is the highest point on the Marine base. It also appears to be a very vulnerable position, an obvious target for a sniper. Cpl. Nelson, from Slidell, manned a .50-caliber machine gun overlooking the Kalda mountain range near the rear of the base. Cpl. Brian Campbell, only 19 years old and from Lafayette, was quickly unloading supplies from a helicopter. The copters didn’t stay long . . . they couldn’t – mortars usually found their targets. Brian, Greg and Herbert, these young Marines, were reminders that wars are fought by the very young, often placed in horrific circumstances and forced to grow up quickly. Several times I asked them to move their helmet up so I could see their eyes while filming. “Son, can you move your helmet up just a little?” I said. I would later say, “Marine, would you push your helmet back just a little?” Eighteen, 19 years old . . . here in hell, when others of their age are probably wrapping Christmas presents and acting goofy back home.

But on the Marine base at the Beirut International Airport, the one focal point no one can pass without some reflection of what happened months earlier is the huge crater. That crater once housed the Marines in a four story building. Every time I moved past it, I thought of the young men like Greg, Brian and Herbert, and then I said a small prayer for the families of the 241 Marines that died here.

•The Marine base alarm is sounding. The Druse militias are firing mortars now. In a few seconds, we must make the decision to stay on the Marine base during the shelling and miss our satellite deadline or leave and walk into the chaos and madness of the streets. We decide to leave. A condition-1 alert has been initiated . . . there are incoming mortar rounds in the distance, and the front gate will be locked shortly. The Marine base is the target.

We had to leave quickly. But as I left the Marine base I noticed a small memorial in front of the former Marine barracks. Despite the imminent danger, I couldn’t help but stop, notice and film the small bouquet of light blue flowers ringed around a Marine-issued camouflage hat. Above the flowers was a small, white sign facing east, toward the city of Beirut. The small sign simply described the Marines’ mission in Beirut: To the “24th MAU, they came in peace.”

It’s a dangerous world out there. •

Beirut Vet's daughter receives Gift

PEOPLE PROFILE: Kira Kremer receives Freedom Alliance Scholarship

By Bill Wolcott
E-mail Bill
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

Kira Kremer, 21, a 2005 graduate of Lockport High School, is getting help with tuition to the SUNY Upstate Medical University with a scholarship from the Freedom Alliance Scholarship.

The scholarships are for children of U.S. service members who have been killed or permanently disabled in an operational mission. Her dad, Daniel Kremer, was wounded in 1983 while serving as a Marine in Beruit, Lebanon.

“I don’t remember much,” Kremer said of the Sept. 6, 1983, shelling. “They sent me out to do reconnaissance at the south end of the runway at the airport. They opened up with everything. It blew me 30 yards. I was blind, deaf and bleeding.”

The artillery round landed about 4 or 5 feet from the Marine sergeant. He was told that shell left an umbrella signature and it was too close to kill him.

“I just got real damn lucky,” he said.

Who did it? “Nobody wanted us there,” Dan Kremer said. “They’ve been fighting there 2,000 years and seemed to focus attentions on us.”

On Oct. 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck barracks in Beirut that housed U.S. and French military forces. The bombs killed hundreds of servicemen, the majority of whom were U.S. Marines.

Kremer, who could not be evacuated after the Sept. 6 incident, was there, at the barracks. He had just gotten off a guard duty shift.

He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.

Kremer got out of the Marines at 21, but later enlisted in the National Guard during the first Gulf War. He has worked at several manufacturing jobs.

Two years ago, Kremer was classified 100 percent permanently disabled as a result of service-connected injuries in Beruit. He has post traumatic stress disorder.

“At 43, I’m retired,” he said. “It’s sobering.”

Kira receives $6,000 a year through the Freedom Alliance Scholarship. The fund has now awarded $2.5 million to the children of military heroes.

“It really helps me reflect on my dad’s service,” she said. “It makes me really proud. I didn’t understand before. It brings us together. I can be proud of him and he can be proud of me ... The important lessons my father learned while in the Marine Corps have been instilled in me through his parenting, and I believe that I am a much stronger well-rounded person because of it."

Kira is an active member of her school and community while pursuing a degree in physical therapy. She volunteers at the Syracuse VA Hospital, plays for the school Rugby Club and is a member of the honor society.

“We are proud to grant this scholarship to such an impressive student as Kira Kremer,” said Freedom Alliance President Tom Kilgannon. “The purpose of this scholarship is to help alleviate the financial burdens of college tuition and also to honor the service of our military heroes through the achievements of their sons and daughters."

Kira attended the SUNY school of Environmental Science and Forestry and is working toward a doctorate in physical therapy. “I want to help people,” Kira said. “The doctor-client time will be good for me.”

Daniel, who has had a series of mini-strokes, is now retired. He praises the Freedom Alliance. “It’s so personal with them,” he said. “It was wonderful support.”

Last year, the family was taken to the Army-Navy game in D.C., given the VIP treatment and met Oliver L. North, who founded Freedom Alliance in 1990. 

Ashley, an older sister, attends medical school in Erie, Pa. Their brother, Daniel, is a senior at Lockport High School.

USS San Antonio honor our Heroes

San Antonio Sailors, Marines Honor Beirut Bombing Victims 
Story Number: NNS081028-03 
Release Date: 10/28/2008 6:28:00 AM 

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Brian Goodwin, Iwo Jima Expeditionary Public Affairs Center
USS SAN ANTONIO, At Sea (NNS) -- Marines and Sailors gathered on the flight deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17) Oct. 23 to honor their comrades killed during the Beirut bombing 25 years ago. 

On Oct. 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings housing U.S. military forces in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers. 

"The Beirut bombing was an event that has stuck with me since I was 16 years old," said Marine Lt. Col. John Giltz, Combat Logistics Battalion 26 commanding officer. "The weight, tragedy and inspiration have been with me for 25 years now, and to be a part of today's ceremony and remember those who went before us is a moment I'll never forget." 

Giltz addressed his Marines during the ceremony. 

"We are not invulnerable," said Giltz. "You are all just like them -- young, full of life, had goals and aspirations. Their lives were taken in an instant, and so we dedicate ourselves to training and remember what it is to be a Marine." 

San Antonio's commanding officer, Cmdr. Kurt Kastner, stated the importance of the event. 

"Our first duty is to remember," said Kastner. "That is the motto and mission of Beirut's Veteran Association, established in 1992. The second is to perpetuate the memory of those 241 Sailors, Soldiers and Marines that gave their lives for their country." 

Kastner's words touched his Sailors. 

"The speeches made about the Beirut bombing were very motivational in not letting me forget why we are out here and what we are doing," said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SW) Joseph Nayock. 

Several of the junior Marines were responsible for putting the ceremony together. 

"The Marines that lost their lives in that tragedy were all part of an amphibious unit, and I thought it would be good for us to honor their service on an amphibious ship," said Cpl. Christopher Hrbek. "We as Marines and Sailors hold a lot of tradition in what we stand for, and to carry on those traditions is to remember those who have made sacrifices." 

Senior leadership was proud of how the junior Marines set up the ceremony. 

"Many of these types of events are usually handled by staff, COs or officers, but today it was all corporals and sergeants, the backbone of leadership," said Gunnery Sgt. Benjamin McKinney. "It was a very touching ceremony, and I was moved on how the non-commissioned officers did it today." 

San Antonio is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Operations to conduct Maritime Security Operations (MSO). MSO help develop security in the maritime environment. From security arises stability that results in global economic prosperity. MSO complement the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists' use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material. 

Dedicated to those who remain forever young

Remembering Beirut, Those Who Never Returned Home   By:  Col. Charles A. Dallachie Enlarge Photo They Came In Peace... the Beirut Memorial at the entrance to Camp Johnson with Abbé Godwin’s bronze standing eternal guard. Many of the victims of this catastrophe were Jacksonville residents; husbands, fathers, neighbors, fellow church members, little league coaches, friends. Their names are carved into the wall out of frame to the left. Extending from this location to the entrance of Camp Lejeune are the memorial Bradford Pear trees, one for each fallen serviceman. Their verdant white bloom every spring symbolizes peace and a spiritual continuum. Photographer: courtesy, Onslow County, NC * SAVE & SHARE ARTICLE  What's This? Digg Google del.icio.us Yahoo! Reddit Facebook Bookmark Print Email Subscribe * The appearance of hyperlinks to other sites does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Marine Corps of that site or the information, products or services contained therein. Adjust font size:   MCB QUANTICO, Va. (Oct. 23) -- For Marines, great victories, great defeats and great sacrifices are never forgotten but are remembered with battle streamers attached to unit colors. Unfortunately, there are no battle streamers to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by Marines and sailors in Beirut in 1983. In the very early morning of October 23 in Beirut, Lebanon, a building serving as the command post for the First Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, was hit by a suicide bomber driving a stake bed truck loaded with compressed gas-enhanced explosives. The explosion and collapse of the building killed 241 Marines, sailors and soldiers. Bomb experts who examined the blast called the approximately 12,000 pounds of TNT the largest non-nuclear explosion in history. For the Marines it was the biggest loss of life in a single day since the Corps fought the Japanese on Iwo Jima in World War II. In 1982, Lebanon, the country once known as the ‘‘Switzerland of the Middle East” because of its European flavor, its prosperous economy and its ethnic diversity and tolerance, was mired in a bloody ethnic and religious conflict which would permanently destroy its character and leave its people shattered and demoralized to this day. In June 1982, after repeated Palestinian Liberation Organization cross-border attacks from strongholds in southern Lebanon into villages in northern Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces launched Operation Peace for Galilee. Throughout the summer of 1982, CNN brought to the world’s living rooms images of Israeli air and artillery pounding heavily populated Beirut as they sought to destroy the PLO fighters surrounded in the city by the Israeli forces. The terrible suffering, more than 12,000 killed in 70 days, caused Beirut to become the center of worldwide attention. At the request of the Lebanese government, the United States, along with Britain, France, and Italy inserted a multinational peacekeeping force into Beirut hoping its ‘‘presence” would provide a measure of stability to help the Lebanese government get back on its feet. Unfortunately, America was sticking its hand into a thousand-year-old hornet’s nest. By the summer of 1983, as diplomatic efforts failed to achieve a basis for lasting settlement, the Moslem factions came to perceive the Marines as enemies. This led to artillery, mortar and small arms fire being directed at Marine positions – with the Marines responding in kind against identified targets. By mid-October, just before being introduced to a new and deadly weapon – the suicide truck bomber, seven Marines had been killed and 26 injured. Immediately following the tragedy, the residents of Jacksonville, N.C., expressed an outpouring of grief and support for the families and loved ones of the Marines and sailors who had been killed. Part of that support included raising funds for a memorial to honor those who had died in Lebanon during the peacekeeping mission. Today, near the entrance to Camp Johnson, a subsidiary base of the overall Camp Lejeune, N.C., complex, a memorial wall was erected and now permanently stands nestled among some Carolina Pine trees. The Wall was completed on Oct. 23, 1986. It is similar to the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C., as it bears a list of those Americans who died in Lebanon. Only four words are inscribed on the Wall: ‘‘They Came in Peace.” In 1988, a statue was added to the Wall, it represents a lone Marine keeping vigil over his fellow Marines. In addition to the Wall, the residents of Jacksonville planted a Bradford Pear tree for each man killed in the explosion on the center median along Lejeune Boulevard, on Highway 24. A Marine officer now retired, tells the story of when in August 1992, while still on active duty and traveling to Camp Lejeune, he couldn’t help but notice the trees that line the middle of the road. Knowing that each tree was dedicated to an individual Marine, sailor, or soldier who had lost his life in Lebanon, he felt saddened as the vehicle sped past tree after tree after tree. Before arriving at the main gate he asked the young Marine who was driving him if he knew the significance of those trees. The Marine quickly looked at a few of the trees as he sped past them, and looked over to the passenger and said very matter-of-factly, ‘‘Hell, I don’t know. I’ve never noticed them before. I guess they’re just trees.” The Bradford Pear seedlings have grown since first planted, and as evidenced by the young Marine’s comment, their growth has been somewhat meaningless to those who were either too young to remember that October 1983 tragedy, or to those who had never been told of their significance. It is somewhat ironic that a young Marine, of all people, could have been so cavalier in his response, because if anyone should be concerned about what happened in Beirut, it is Marines who are and will be stationed with the Fleet Marine Forces. Unfortunately, in October 1983, the vast majority of Americans had little knowledge of, less interest in, and no great concern with what was going on in Beirut – it was so far away. Today, let us honor, but also learn, from the sacrifices of those who have gone before, so we do not give the citizens of Jacksonville a reason to plant more trees along a stretch of highway that leads to the main gate of their military base. Editors note: Col. Dallachie, Commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, B Company as a 2nd Lieutenant at the time of the attack.

This is an Official Marine Corps Web Site.
Contact Us | Site Map | External Links Policy | Privacy Policy

Bike for the Beirut Vets

Beirut Veterans Tribute 

Reported by: Ben Manning

Friday, Oct 10, 2008 @05:48pm EST

HOLLIDAYSBURG, BLAIR COUNTY


A 

Huntingdon 
County man will bike more than 500 miles trying to get a commemorative stamp for Beirut Veterans.




Mike Bangert served as a Marine in 
Beirut. He got their just after the October 23rd 1983 bombing. 241 servicemen were killed in the barracks bombing. 18 of them were from 
Pennsylvania.




Now that we're coming up on the 25th anniversary he wants to honor the veterans that lost their lives. He took off Friday morning on a 550 mile ride from Hollidasyburg to 
Camp 
Lejeune in 
North Carolina. He’s using the ride to draw attention to House Resolution 887. That bill calls for a US Postal Stamp to honor the Marines' peace keeping mission in 
Beirut. He’s already got 20 congressman signed on to co-sponsor the bill. He needs a total of 50. Congressmen Bill Shuster and John Murtha are on the list.



He’s hoping to convince people along his bike route to call their Congressman and get them to co-sponsor the bill.


Bangert will arrive in 
Camp 
Lejeune for the remembrance ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the 
Beirut bombing.

In Honor of a Hero

In Honor of a Hero

As part of the Project 2996 - today we remember, and honor the victims of the September 11 attacks.

never enough of it
time marches on
trickles away
each day
dies
and
each day
a new dawn
time marches on
never enough of it

John Chipura knew how precious life was. He learned that lesson at age 21, on October 23, 1983 as a Marine in Beirut.

John was a 21 year old radio operator on his second tour as a member of the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment 24th Marine Amphibious Unit. He was stationed in Beirut when terrorists with a truck bomb took out the battalion headquarters barracks and killed 241 of his fellow leathernecks and service men.

John dodged death and came home from that tragedy. He didn't speak much about it, he didn't dwell on the fact that he survived because he was leaving the barracks early to assume his post as a radio operator when the bomb exploded. He didn't dwell on the fact that the man walking just behind him was killed.

John's brother, Gerard Chipura, a fireman with Ladder Company 148, said his brother never forgot his experiences as a Marine. "We didn’t know it, but John kept in touch with all the families from the bombing," his brother Gerard said, "I don't think John ever thought he would live to see anything worse than what he saw that day in Beirut."

He was marked by the experience. "When he came back, he was more of a hugging person. He knew how precious life was because it could all be over in a second." - Nancy Chipura, John's sister

His brother Gerard said John was missing for three whole days in Beirut before he was able to get through to the family and let them know he was fine. He said the 9/11 deja-vu experience was painfully "surreal." "My sister said, 'I'm going to give him three days.' But he hasn't shown up yet. Not this time," said his brother.

John lived his life to the end as a hero.

Gerard and his family find solace in the words that John wrote in November 2000, on the occasion of the Corps 225 birthday: "We Marines are truly blessed. We get to enjoy the sweet taste of this Freedom because we know its price."

“He was a true Marine" . - FDNY Lt. John Atwell

After his honorable discharge from the Marines in 1987, John desired to continue serving the community and joined the city Police Department in 1987. He was assigned to the 72nd Precinct in his old neighborhood, Sunset Park, for seven years. John devoted three years service in Brooklyn South Narcotics and then returned to the 72nd Precinct as a detective.

“As a police officer he was always looking to clean up the neighborhood and help other families. He was very caring, and nothing got in his way or bothered him.” - Gina DeFalco, John's Fiancee.

After 12 years of service to the NYPD, John yearned for the camaraderie of the firehouse; his brother, Gerard, was a fireman, as their father, Anthony, had been. In August, 1998, John achieved his dream.

Following the footsteps of his father, Anthony Chipura, John joined the city Fire Department. "He knew you work as a team, as a unit in the Fire Department -- he liked that,' said his brother. "He always thought people call the Police Department when there's a problem, to get somebody bad, but you call the Fire Department when people needed help."

Graduating from firefighter training in 1998, John Chipura was assigned to Engine Co. 219, Brooklyn, for one year. He then rotated through Ladder Co. 81, South Beach, and Engine Co. 80 in Manhattan. John had recently returned to Engine Co. 219 to once again serve Downtown Brooklyn.

On Sept. 11, he arrived at Engine 219 to work the day tour and was detailed to Ladder Co. 105, which is housed in the same location. After reports of the first attack, he called his sister, Nancy Chipura, who worked on the 69th Floor of Tower 1. He was unable to make contact. Just before responding to the World Trade Center, John called his fiancee, Gina DeFalco, who also worked Downtown, for more information about Nancy. He received no word about his sister when he arrived at the scene at 8:45 a.m. with Ladder 105. “There wasn’t any news,” said Ms. DeFalco, “but later, when I heard that Nancy was safe, I called John to tell him. But his ladder company had already left.” John and the five other firefighters in the truck have not been heard from since.

Witnesses told the family he was last seen assisting in the evacuation of many people from Tower 2. "He was inside when it collapsed," said his brother. "I know he was looking for my sister."

Mr. Chipura and Ms. DeFalco, who met through a friend in the Fire Department, had planned to marry just six weeks after Sept. 11. "Getting married was the sole focus of his being for the last few months," said his brother. "He was 39-years-old and finally found the right girl. He held her so close to his heart."

Gerard Chipura said his brother was always trying to help people and make them "feel good." "He wanted to make everybody happy. He didn't want anybody to be upset," said his brother. "When John was not serving the community, he was serving his family and friends. He was a great conversationalist, problem solver, hard worker and friend," said his brother. "John embraced hobbies such as country dancing and motorcycling because he liked the sense of community he found."

John Chipura was a mentor for many at Boy Scout Troop 21. He was a member of the troop since 1974 and went on to serve as assist scout master until he was lost in the attack. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Iwo Jima Association and the Beirut Veterans Memorial Association. John was also a member of St. Joseph and St. Thomas Parish, Pleasant Plains.

His mother, Jane Chipura, died in 1994 and his father, Anthony, died in 1996. In addition to his brother, Gerard, and his sister, Nancy Chipura, surviving are his twin sister, Susan Cohen; another sister, Eileen Cella; and several nieces and nephews. John also left behind the love of his life, Gina DeFalco.

Dear John,

In the blink of an eye
Our lives went awry
Not a day has gone by
That we all do not cry

For what we had
For what was planned
For what took place
For what was yet to be

For births, promotions, holidays, birthdays,
graduations, bar mitzvahs
Celebrated without you, but always thinking of you
Another blink of an eye

And a year has gone by
How can it be?
It went so fast and yet so much has passed
So many tears, can it only be a year?

Lives went on, go on, different, not the same
We try, we share, we wonder why
We try to make sense of that blink of an eye
We try to make each blink count

We try to do what you would want us to
We try to make that blink of an eye
Mean something.

Help us, show us, tell us
Be there as you always were
In our hearts, in our thoughts
In every blink of our eyes.

With all our love always,

Your family, friends, fiancé and Mom-to-be

Except for the short poem at the beginning of this post, none of these words are mine. They are culled from various articles on the internet. I have never met John Chipura, but I wish I had the opportunity to do so. In life, John touched so many lives, not only his family and friends, but also, every person he came into contact with. Serving as a Marine, John protected our freedom, and as police officer and a fireman, John helped make so many people safe.

I feel a special kind of love for John Chipura, and I thank G-d for men like him.

This Tribute was originally posted on September 11, 2006, and is reposted today as part of this year's Project 2996. The original post can be found here.

His resting place shall be in the Garden of Eden.
Therefore, the Master of mercy will care for him
under the protection of His wings for all time
And bind his soul in the bond of everlasting life.
God is his inheritance and he will rest in peace
and let us say Amen.

Posted by LindaSoG at September 11, 2008 12:01 AM

When will we get our Recognition?????

Mickey Mouse Gets Greater Recognition Than U.S. Marines

By MIDDLE EAST TIMES

Published: September 02, 2008

A U.S. Marine wipes a tear from his eye minutes after a truck bomb blew up a building housing U.S. Marines in Beirut killing 241 U.S. service personnel in Oct. 1983. (Photo by Claude Salhani) U.S. postage stamp of Mickey Mouse. (USPS)

TOOLBAR

Print Story

Add Comments

U.S. Marine veterans who served in Beirut during the deployment of the multinational force in 1982-83 and families of the victims who gave their lives in the service of peace are discovering that the U.S. Postal Service reserves greater recognition to Mickey Mouse than to fallen Marines.

The Beirut Veterans Association has been struggling with the Post Office bureaucracy for nearly 25 years -- in fact next Oct. 23 will mark the 25th commemoration of the attack on the U.S. Marine compound near Beirut Airport in which 241 U.S. servicemen, the vast majority Marines, lost their lives when a truck filled with explosives rammed into the Battalion Landing Team building where the Marines were housed. It was described as the largest non-nuclear explosion in history and marked the beginning of a shadowy war which continues to this day.

The Marines, who are used to fighting tough battles seem, however, to be facing a losing fight with the United States Postal Service (USPS). Despite numerous attempts and petitions to have a stamp issued, the USPS -- and the powers that be in Washington, D.C. -- prefers to have the whole incident forgotten. The "official" reason from the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee for refusing to issue a stamp commemorating the Marines' deployment and the greatest loss in human lives the corps sustained since the WWII battle of Iwo Jima is supposedly based on standing rules not to commemorate disasters.

According to David Failor, the executive director of Stamp Services of the USPS, the committee has a "longstanding general policy not to honor the victims of tragic situations, including natural disaster, acts of violence and catastrophes."

Randy Gaddo, the president of the Beirut Veterans Association (BVA) said he was "shocked and appalled at this decision and especially at the characterization of our killed-in-action Marines, sailors and soldiers as 'victims' of a tragic situation."

The U.S. servicemen killed in Lebanon, says Gaddo, "were not victims" They were sent to Beirut on a new, "untested and dangerous mission: Peacekeeping." And they were the first casualties in the global war on terror, and were killed in action.

Party politics and who is or is not to blame for placing the Marines in harm's way is not the object of this exercise. What the BVA is attempting to do is keep the memory of those who died in the quest for peace in the Middle East alive. No doubt that deserves a stamp.

There are numerous examples contradicting the committee's assertion that their denial is based on existing policy; Some examples:

-- The Liberty Bell stamp: on July 8, 1776, the Liberty Bell is said to have rung out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon. The bell is forever associated with one of the most violent eras of American history as Americans fought to forge a bold new nation. The bell later became an icon for another violent chapter in American history when abolitionists adopted it as their symbol to end slavery.

-- The Purple Heart stamp: is awarded to any member of the Armed Force or any civilian national of the United States who, while serving with one of the U.S. Armed Services, has been wounded or killed.

-- Sugar Ray Robinson stamp: paying homage to a man who represents the most elementally violent sport of boxing.

-- National WWII Memorial, Spanish American War, Korean War, Civil War, Vietnam War stamps: all representing violent acts and all which included catastrophes of epic proportion, including the attack on Pearl Harbor.

-- Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer and Hospice Care stamps: representing victims of a tragic illness and disease.

Stamps have also been issued recognizing ducks, Star Wars, a silver coffee pot, Marvel Comics superheroes, the Muppets, tropical fruit, Daffy Duck, Wily Coyote, the Roadrunner, Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse.

We join the Beirut Veterans in asking the Post Master General to reconsider the BVA's request for a commemorative stamp to be issued. If Mickey and Minnie Mouse deserve a stamp, so does the memory of those who "came in peace."

The Iranian Money Trail where does it go?

"Taken from the NY Sun, we are still looking for damages from the Iranians, and not received anything as of yet. Why do some politicians what to talk to this regime? "



Victims of the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut cannot attempt to seize funds belonging to Iran from international development banks or from state-run banks based in Japan and Korea, a federal judge has ruled.

Judge Royce Lamberth ruled yesterday that the institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, have sovereign immunity and are exempt from most legal process.

In 2007, Judge Lamberth ruled that Iran was legally and financially responsible for the bombing because the Islamic nation funded and trained the terrorist group that carried it out, Hezbollah. He awarded the victims nearly $2.7 billion.

The summonses issued to the banks were some of more than two dozen issued by lawyers for the victims to multinational corporations and other entities earlier this year in a quest to track down Iranian money.

Judge Lamberth declined a request by a Japanese bank to sanction attorneys for the bombing victims for going after the state-run banks, but he gave the victims' lawyers a warning. "Plaintiffs' counsel has come dangerously close to such sanctionable conduct," the judge wrote. He said no punishment was warranted because "plaintiffs' counsels' misstatements of law may be attributed to lack of relevant legal expertise and incompetence."

A lawyer for the victims, David Cook, said he respected Judge Lamberth's rulings. "We are in the path of justice in enforcing this $2,656,944,877 judgment. Chasing around Iran down the path will not be easy effortless or free. Iran will never stop. But one day ... we will catch up," he said. He declined to comment on the judge's warning.

Mr. Cook said none of the writs served on multinational corporations or banks through the federal court in Washington had yet turned up Iranian funds, but that he is pursuing similar claims in four or five other American courts.

And you would like to talk to these people????

It seems like we have been shouting about this for 25 years, new proof appears thanks to the pajamas media blog. Click the more link to view the entire post.

"The men who ordered the destruction of the Pan Am flight over Lockerbie and the bombings of the Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon, the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, and the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia are pursuing the nuclear program in Iran and with one goal in mind: to obtain The Bomb."

And they want to destroy you....... (more)

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER GREAT MESSAGE FROM RANDY GADDO

PRESIDENT BEIRUT VETERANS OF AMERICA

MEMORIAL DAY IN PEACHTREE CITY, Georgia

May 26, 2008

Guest Speaker's Comments

Guest Speaker: Randy Gaddo, Chief Warrant Officer-4, USMC (Retired)

THANK YOU MARINE - AND THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY… MEMORIAL DAY IS ALL ABOUT REMEMBERING, AND WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE TODAY I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER A FEW VERY IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN BEIRUT 25 YEARS AGO… THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS I WANT TO TELL YOU BUT WE DO NOT HAVE TIME HERE. BUT, I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT 270 U.S. SERVICEMEN DIED IN BEIRUT BETWEEN 1982 AND 1984. I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT WE KNOW NOW THAT THEY WERE THE FIRST CASUALTIES IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR. I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT WHAT HAPPENED IN BEIRUT 25 YEARS AGO HAD A DIRECT CONNECTION TO WHAT HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 11^TH, 2001. IT ALSO HAS A DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE WAR WE NOW FIGHT IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN AND ELSEWHERE…

BUT IN ORDER TO REMEMBER WE GENRALLY NEED SOME SORT OF MEMORY TRIGGER, SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP US REMEMBER. FOR THOSE OF US WHO WERE THERE, WE HAVE OUR TRIGGERS AND THERE'S NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT SOMETHING DOESN'T REMIND US.

SO I AM GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME THINGS ABOUT THE DAY OF THE BEIRUT BOMBING, OCTOBER 23, 1983…SOME THINGS I REMEMBER SO THAT YOU ALSO WILL HAVE A MEMORY TRIGGER TO REMEMBER.

I REMEMBER A DAY VERY MUCH LIKE THIS ONE HERE TODAY, PLEASANT, SUNNY, A LITTLE COOL, LIGHT BREEZE, QUIET, VERY QUIET…IN HINDSIGHT, TOO QUIET. IT WAS A SUNDAY. SUNDAY HAD GENERALLY BECOME A DAY OF REST FOR BEIRUT…I DON'T KNOW WHY, MAYBE BECAUSE AFTER CONSTANT FIGHTING THE REST OF THE WEEK EVERYONE JUST NEEDED A DAY OFF. AT ANY RATE, IT HAD BECOME A DAY WHEN U.S. SERVICEMEMBERS WOULD BE GIVEN AN EXTRA RATION OF SLEEP. AND OMLETTES. I REMEMBER WE NORMALLY HAD A HOT BREAKFAST, AND OMLETTES, ON SUNDAYS IN THE MESS HALL THAT WAS IN THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE BARRACKS. NO MORE OMLETTES AFTER OCTOBER 23^RD.

ON THAT OCTOBER MORNING I HAD GOTTEN UP EARLY BECAUSE I HAD WORK TO DO. I HAD EIGHT ROLLS OF FILM I HAD TO DEVELOP AND PRINT BEFORE I HELPED THE REST OF THE MARINES IN MY UNIT WATER PROOF OUR BUNKER BECAUSE WE WERE GOING INTO THE RAINY SEASON. SO AT 6 A.M. I WAS HALFWAY OVER TO THE BARRACKS WHICH WAS ABOUT A MINUTE WALK FROM MY TENT…AND I REMEMBER THE BIRDS WERE SINGING LOUDER THAN I'VE EVER HEARD BIRDS SING. I MEAN IT WAS LIKE A SYMPHONY. MAYBE BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SHOOTING IN THE MOUNTAINS, NO ARTILLERY IN THE DISTANCE. MAYBE THE BIRDS WERE TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING. I WAS THE ONLY PERSON MOVING AROUND AT THAT POINT. MOST EVERYONE ELSE WAS SLEEPING, OR ON GUARD DUTY. MAYBE IT WAS THE BIRDS WHO TOLD ME I NEEDED A CUP OF COFFEE BEFORE I WENT TO WORK. SO I TURNED AROUND AND WENT BACK TO THE COMBAT OPERATIONS CENTER AND GOT A CUP OF JAVA AND SAT DOWN AT MY LITTLE FIELD DESK TO PLAN MY WORK. ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER I STARTED TO PUSH MYSELF OUT OF MY CHAIR TO HEAD BACK TO THE BARRACKS…WHEN I HEARD AN M-16 FIRE TWO OR THREE SHOTS. I STOPPED BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A SOUND I EXPECTED TO HEAR ON SUCH A BEAUTIFUL QUIET MORNING. A COUPLE OF SECONDS LATER I FELT A WARM RUSH OF AIR ON MY FACE, LIKE A BLAST FURNACE, THEN HEARD AND FELT A THUNDEROUS THUD THAT ECHOED OFF THE HILLS AROUND US…AND A SECOND LATER I WAS LIFTED UP AND THROWN BACK SEVERAL FEET LIKE A RAG DOLL. IT FELT LIKE I'D BEEN HIT IN THE CHEST WITH A 2x4. I WAS DAZED BUT I HAD MY HELMET AND FLAK JACKET ON AND THAT PROBABLY ABSORBED A LOT OF THE SHOCK OF THE BLAST WAVE THAT HAD HIT ME. MY COMPATRIOTS IN THE TENT HAD ALL BEEN IN THEIR SLEEPING BAGS ON COTS AND THEY HAD BEEN UNCEREMONIOUSLY THROWN ON THE DIRT AND WERE SQUIRMING AROUND IN THEIR SLEEPING BAGS WONDERING HOW THEY'D ENDED UP ON THE GROUND. I THOUGHT WE'D BEEN HIT BY A ROCKET OR ARTILLERY ROUND SO I GOT THEM ALL IN OUR BUNKER WHICH WAS RIGHT BEHIND THE TENT AND WENT OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I EXPECTED TO SEE A SMOLDERING HOLE OUTSIDE OUR TENT. WHAT I DID SEE IS SOMETHING I'LL NEVER FORGET. OVER IN THE DIRECTION OF THE BARRACKS WHERE I'D BEEN HEADED 20 MINUTES EARLIER, I SAW A MUSHROOM CLOUD RISING SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET IN THE AIR…I REMEMBER IT WAS STILL RISING. I TOOK OFF RUNNING TOWARDS IT AND AS I CAME AROUND THE CORNER OF A BUILDING THAT WAS BETWEEN ME AND THE BARRACKS, I REMEMBER THAT ALL THE LEAVES HAD BEEN STRIPPED FROM THE TREES AND BUSHES EVERYWHERE AND WERE LYING ON THE GROUND. I KEPT RUNNING TOWARDS THE MUSHROOM CLOUD AND AS I CAME AROUND ANOTHER CORNER WHERE NORMALLY I WOULD HAVE SEEN THE BARRACKS, I SAW THE CONTROL TOWER OF THE BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. I STOPPED DEAD IN MY TRACKS BECAUSE THAT WASN'T WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SEEING. I REMEMBER THE FEELING THAT THINGS WENT INTO SLOW MOTION FOR A WHILE THEN. I COULD SEE THE MUSHROOM CLOUD STILL RISING BUT THINGS WERE FALLING TOO…A GRAY, HEAVY DUST WAS DRIFTING DOWN COVERING EVERYTHING LIKE A THICK BLANKET. AS MY BRAIN STARTED ENGAGING AGAIN I FOCUSED CLOSER IN AND BEGAN TO SEE THINGS, HUMAN THINGS, THAT SNAPPED ME BACK TO REALITY BECAUSE..WITHOUT GOING INTO DETAIL… IT WAS OBVIOUS MANY MEN HAD DIED THERE.

I RAN BACK TO THE COMBAT OPERATIONS CENTER TO REPORT WHAT I'D SEEN AND GET HELP. I SAW MY BOSS, MAJOR BOB JORDAN, COMING OUT OF HIS HOOTCH COVERED WITH DUST AND LOOKING DAZED BECAUSE HE'D BEEN BLOWN OUT OF HIS RACK TOO AND I SAID…OR PROBABLY YELLED, I DON'T RECALL…THAT THE BARRACKS WAS GONE. NOW, THOSE WORDS IN BEIRUT IN 1983 WERE AS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPREHEND AS "THE TWIN TOWERS ARE GONE" WERE IN 2001. THIS WAS A TWO-FOOT THICK REINFORCED CONCRETE FORTRESS THAT HAD SERVED AS HEADQUARTERS FOR THE ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS AND OTHERS…IT HAD WITHSTOOD ARTILLERY AND HEAVY NAVAL GUNFIRE WITH BARELY A SCRATCH. YET, IT WAS GONE. WELL, LONG STORY SHORT, I GOT THE MAJOR TO UNDERSTAND AND WE GATHERED OUR FORCES AND STARTED RESCUE AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS.

NOW, LET ME REWIND A BIT AND GIVE YOU ANOTHER MEMORY TRIGGER. LET'S GO BACK TO 6 A.M., AND GO OVER TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE FOUR-STORY BARRACKS AND GIVE YOU THE MEMORY OF A MARINE CORPORAL WHO WAS ON GUARD DUTY…THE ONE WHO I HEARD FIRE HIS WEAPON. THIS CORPORAL MANNED A SENTRY POST THAT WAS NEAR THE ENTRANCE ON THAT SIDE OF THE BARRACKS. HE SAW A LARGE TRUCK CIRCLE A PARKING LOT OUTSIDE THE PERIMETER OF OUR AREA, LIKE DOZENS OF TRUCKS DID EVERY DAY AS THEY DELIVERED THINGS TO THE AIRPORT. ONLY THIS TIME, THE TRUCK CIRCLED ONCE, CIRCLED AGAIN, AND THEN CAME SPEEDING DIRECTLY FOR THE CORPORAL. HE REALIZED IT WAS AN IMMEDIATE THREAT BUT BECAUSE OF OUR RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, WE WERE UNDER ORDERS NOT HAVE LOADED WEAPONS. THE BULLETS WERE IN THE MAGAZINE, WHICH WAS IN A POUCH ON HIS EQUIPMENT BELT. OUR RULES OF ENGAGEMENT AS A PEACEKEEPING FORCE ALSO DICTATED THAT WE COULD NOT FIRE ON ANYONE UNLESS WE KNEW THEY WERE A THREAT, AND WERE SUPPOSED TO GET AUTHORIZATION FROM HIGHER HEADQUARTERS FIRST. BUT THE CORPORAL DIDN'T NEED HIGHER HEADQUARTERS TO TELL HIM THIS WAS A DEADLY THREAT, SO HE PULLED OUT A MAGAZINE, LOCKED AND LOADED AND GOT OFF A COUPLE OF SHOTS AS THE TRUCK PASSED. BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. HE SAW THE FACE OF THE DRIVER - WHO WE LEARNED LATER WAS IRANIAN…AND THE DRIVER WAS SMILING AS HE DROVE 12,000 POUNDS OF GAS ENHANCED MILITARY GRADE EXPLOSIVES INTO THE BUILDING AND DETONATED IT. THE FBI INVESTIGATORS LATER SAID THAT IT WAS THE LARGEST NON-NUCLEAR BLAST THEY'D EVER INVESTIGATED. 220 MARINES, 18 SAILORS AND 3 SOLDIERS DIED AS PEACEKEEPERS.

NOW HOPEFULLY YOU'VE PICKED UP A COUPLE OF MEMORY TRIGGERS: QUIET MORNINGS, COFFEE, LOUD BIRDS, OMLETTES, BIG TRUCKS---SO YOU'LL REMEMBER THIS NEXT TIME YOU SEE THEM.

NOW, LET ME GIVE YOU A FEW FACTS WE'VE LEARNED THROUGH VARIOUS INVESTIGATIONS SINCE THE BOMBING THAT CONNECTS THE DOTS BETWEEN THEN AND NOW.

FIRST, WE KNOW THAT THE TERRORIST GROUP HEZBOLLAH, WHICH WAS FORMED AND SUPPORTED BY IRAN, AND STILL IS, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BOMBING. WE KNOW THAT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF IRANIAN GOVERNMENT HAD ISSUED ORDERS TO HEZBOLLAH TO TAKE EXTREME ACTION AGAINST THE MULTINATIONAL FORCE IN BEIRUT, CONSISTING OF U.S., FRENCH, ITALIAN AND BRITISH TROOPS. THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE FRENCH TROOPS WAS BOMBED SIMULTANEOUSLY, KILLING 89 FRENCH TROOPS. WE KNOW THAT THESE ATTACKS WERE PLANNED FOR MANY MONTHS, AND THAT THEY DID PRACTICE RUNS, INCLUDING A SMALLER SCALE ATTACK OF THE U.S. EMBASSY IN BEIRUT ON APRIL 18, 1983, KILLING 60.

WE KNOW THAT ONE IRANIAN HEZBOLLAH TERRORIST WAS THE ARCHITECT OF THIS NEW SIMULTANEOUS ATTACK, MASS BOMBING, TACTIC, AND THAT THE ATTACK ON U.S. AND FRENCH TROOPS WAS A DELIBERATE TEST. THE FACT THAT THE MULTINATIONAL FORCE PULLED OUT SHORTLY AFTER THE BOMBINGS VALIDATED THAT TACTIC. NOW, HERE'S ANOTHER THING I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER: AT THAT TIME THERE WAS A YOUNG HEZBOLLAH MAN TRAINING TO BE A TERRORIST, BY THE NAME OF OSAMA BIN LADEN. HE TOOK HIS LESSONS FROM THE DEVELOPER OF THIS NEW TACTIC. AFTER 1983 THEY PRACTICED AND HONED THIS TACTIC FOR YEARS, TESTING IT, IN ATTACKS SUCH AS THE FIRST BOMBING OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN 1995. THEY CONTINUED TESTING, IMPROVING. THEN ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, THEY USED IT AGAIN, SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS, ONLY THIS TIME USING COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT INSTEAD OF TRUCKS. SO YOU NOW SEE THE DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 11^TH, 2001 AND OCTOBER 23, 1983. SAME TERRORISTS, SAME TACTIC. THEY'VE BEEN AT THIS A VERY LONG TIME, AND THEY WILL CONTINUE UNLESS THEY ARE STOPPED.

AS I SPEAK, THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM HERE IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, OUR TROOPS ARE ENGAGED IN A WORLD WAR UNLIKE ANY BEFORE IT…IT HAS BEEN CALLED WORLD WAR III - THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR - A WAR AGAINST A SHADOWY ENEMY WHO HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DEPLOY WORLD WIDE - TERRORISTS - WHO LONG AGO SET A GOAL THEY SAY IS BASED ON THEIR EXTREME INTERPRETATION OF A RELIGION. THE GOAL IS SIMPLE - TO FORCE THE WORLD TO THEIR WAY OF LIFE…AND ANY MEANS JUSTIFIES THAT END. THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE ATROCITIES THEY WILL COMMIT.

ON OCTOBER 23^RD, 1983, HUNDREDS OF AMERICAN CHILDREN WERE LEFT WITHOUT FATHERS; HUNDREDS OF AMERICAN WIVES WITHOUT HUSBANDS; AMERICAN MOTHERS AND FATHERS WOULD SEE THEIR SON COME HOME IN A CASKET.

I'D LIKE TO TELL YOU ABOUT ONE LITTLE GIRL WHOSE DADDY DIED IN THE BEIRUT BOMBING. THIS LITTLE GIRL WAS A BABY WHEN HER DADDY, A MARINE CAPTAIN, WAS TAKEN FROM BY TERRORISTS. SHE NEVER REALLY KNEW HER FATHER. SHE KNEW THAT HER MOTHER CALLED HIM A PEACEKEEPER, AND A HERO. SHE DIDN'T KNOW IT THEN, BUT HER DADDY AND HIS BUDDIES WERE SUCCEEDING IN THEIR MISSION IN BEIRUT BACK IN 1983, AND PEACE WAS A POSSIBILITY BECAUSE THEY WERE THERE…THAT'S WHY THE TERRORISTS HAD TO KILL HIM….BECAUSE FOR THEM PEACE AND FREEDOM MESSED UP THEIR PLANS. SHE NEVER REALLY GOT TO KNOW HER FATHER - EXCEPT THROUGH THE LETTERS HE WOULD SEND HOME TO HER REGULARLY LIKE A SORT OF DIARY TO LET HER KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING AND WHY. SHE KEPT ALL THE LETTERS AND READ THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND SHE WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER FATHER.

I MET THIS YOUNG LADY DURING THE 20^TH REMEMBRANCE OF THE BEIRUT BOMBING BACK IN 2003, AT THE BEIRUT MEMORIAL IN JACKSONVILLE, N.C. SHE HAD COME THERE TO FIND OUT ABOUT HER FATHER FROM THE MEN WHO HAD SERVED WITH HIM. SHE HAD ONE OF THOSE LETTERS WITH HER AND SHE LET ME READ IT. IT WAS, TO SAY THE LEAST, VERY EERIE. THE LETTER WAS DATED SEPT. 10, 1983…REMEMBER THAT DATE. IN THE LETTER, HER DAD SAID THAT PEOPLE BACK HOME WOULD QUESTION WHY THE UNITED STATES WAS INVOLVED IN BEIRUT, AND WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LET THE PEOPLE THERE GAIN THEIR FREEDOM AND STRENGTH. HE TOLD HER SOMETHING IN THE LETTER THAT, AS I READ IT THERE 20 YEARS AFTER HE WROTE IT, SENT CHILLS UP MY SPINE. HE TOLD HER THAT IT WAS FAR BETTER TO CONFRONT THE TERRORIST ENEMY THERE WHERE THEY LIVED RATHER THAN HAVE TO FIGHT THEM 20 YEARS LATER IN THE UNITED STATES. HE WROTE THAT LETTER TO HIS LITTLE GIRL 18 YEARS TO THE DAY BEFORE SEPTEMBER 11, 2001.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE CAPTAIN'S WORDS PREDICTED WHAT WE NOW KNOW. HAD WE STOOD OUR GROUND 25 YEARS AGO, IT IS VERY POSSIBLE SEPTEMBER 11^TH WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. AND ANYONE WHO THINKS WE CAN PULL BACK INTO A SHELL NOW AND HOPE TERRORISM WILL GO AWAY SIMPLY ISN'T LOOKING AT THE LESSONS HISTORY OFFERS. IF WE DON'T TAKE THE FIGHT TO THEM, THEY WILL BRING IT TO US. PEOPLE ASK IF WE ARE ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. I SAY YES. TERRORISTS NO LONGER HAVE A SAFE HAVEN IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. THEY CAN'T OPERATE WITH IMPUNITY. IN TANDEM WITH OUR HOMELAND SECURITY EFFORTS WE HAVE MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FUNCTION. BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE…AND THEY HAVE PROVEN THAT THEY WILL BIDE THEIR TIME SO WE CAN'T LET OUR GUARD DOWN. IF WE PULL OUT OF IRAQ BEFORE THE TIME IS RIGHT, GUESS WHO MOVES IN…IRAN, AND TERRORISTS WILL ONCE AGAIN HAVE A SAFE TRAINING GROUND. DO WE WANT TO LOOK BACK 25 YEARS FROM NOW AND REGRET NOT HAVING STAYED THE COURSE AGAIN? I HOPE NOT…

TOO MANY AMERICANS ALL TOO OFTEN TAKE FOR GRANTED THE SIMPLE CONCEPT OF BEING FREE - NOT THE PEOPLE HERE TODAY, NOT YOU, BECAUSE THE FACT YOU'RE HERE TELLS ME YOU DO GET IT. YOU DO KNOW THAT FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE - ETERNAL VIGILANCE IS THE PRICE WE PAY. AND YOU KNOW THAT WE MUST REMEMBER AND HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US. WE HAVE MANY DUTIES AS AMERICAN CITIZENS, BUT, THE FIRST DUTY IS TO REMEMBER. THANK YOU AND HAVE A WONDERFUL MEMORIAL DAY…