33 years ago

It has been 33 years since the terrorist attack known as the Beirut Bombing took the lives of 241 American servicemen, 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers on 23 October 1983.  (58 French peacekeepers were also killed in a separate bombing.) 

On that Sunday morning in North Carolina, I was assigned to the personal staff of the Commanding General 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in Havelock, North Carolina.  Walking into the house after my morning run, I saw my wife's anguished face.  She explained that there had been an attack in Beirut and that lots of Marines were dead.

While watching the TV for reports, I called the Chief of Staff, Colonel Bateman, to check in.  Two reasons motivated the call.  Our Commanding General, Major General Keith Smith, and his wife Shirley had a son in Beirut, Captain Vinnie Smith.  And I did not know if we would be called out for some action, since Battalion Landing Team One Eight (BLT 1/8) and its parent command the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (24th MAU) had been sourced from the II Marine Amphibious Force (II MEF) in North Carolina.  Colonel Bateman had no immediate orders, so I joined countless others in waiting and praying.

In the hours, days, and weeks to come, the extent of the tragedy became known.  It seemed most of us had some direct connection to the casualties, such as Major Bill Winter, with whom I had served on barracks duty in the late 70s.  That spring, while down at Camp Lejeune for training, I had briefly met with Bill, prior to the 24th MAU shipping out.  Captain Vinnie Smith, our Commanding General's son, was one of the last KIA identified some time after the attack.

A pall hung over the headquarters and the entire region.  Not long after, the medevac fights began arriving at the air station, from where some of the wounded were subsequently transported by surface means to Camp Lejeune.  President Reagan flew down for the memorial service at Camp Lejeune, which took place on a miserable, rainy day.  Funerals were scheduled and held.  Military families came together to support those impacted by the attack.

In one extraordinary display of respect and leadership, Bill Winter's widow received exceptional support from the Casualty Assistance Calls Officer (CACO), the Marine tasked with supporting the family in the event of a Marine's death on active duty.  Usually it is an assignment given to an officer from the Marine's unit, normally a relatively junior officer.  Years later I learned that Bill's and my Commanding Officer from our tour at Marine Barracks United Kingdom, in 1983 a Colonel at MCRD Parris Island, had himself assigned as the CACO.  Absolutely extraordinary and an example of exceptional leadership by a hardened combat veteran who had been presented the Medal of Honor for valor in Vietnam, James E. Livingston, who went on to retire as a Major General.

Now, decades and several wars later, monuments have been built, remembrance ceremonies have been held, and tears are shed at the memory and thoughts of all those young lives lost in that terrorist attack.

Now retired from the Marine Corps, I reflect on 23 October each year about what could have been.  The rules of engagement for the sentries that fateful day were that no magazines were inserted into their weapons.  In the context of today's world, it would not happen.  I think of the tactics employed in Iraq and Afghanistan to thwart vehicle borne bombs.  What if these tactics and rules of engagement were in place that Sunday? 

Though muscular talk flowed from Washington DC and Vice President Bush when he visited Beirut on 26 October, no retaliatory attack was undertaken.  Ironically, in view of what has transpired in the intervening years and the current threats we face, the suicide bomber has been possibly identified as an Iranian member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, likely with Hezbollah involvement.

Despite loud declarations that America "would not be cowed by terrorists" and would remain, in February 1984 President Reagan ordered the withdrawal of American forces.

For this gray beard, it appears our adversaries learned all too well that the American will to respond to the attack was weak.  Kill enough Americans and they will depart.  In 1983 it was 241 dead Americans that led to our departure from Lebanon.  In 1993, it was 19 dead Americans that led to our departure from Somalia.  Two different presidents from two different political parties, with the same results.

This changed somewhat in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but underlying problems remain.

If unwilling to use all of our military capabilities swiftly, violently, and without hesitation to destroy our enemies, then do not send our men and women in harm's way.  Do not construct rules of engagement that restrict our ability and capacity to win.  Do not deploy our forces into combat without a declaration of war, which can only be made by Congress.  (The oft employed Authorization for the Use of Military Force [AUMF] is woefully inadequate.  The AUMF also lead to "I voted for it, before I voted against" stances by politicians.)

And, if someone dares to attack our military in peacetime, respond immediately with overwhelming force to destroy those who would do us harm, plus their supporters.  No speeches.  No Rose Garden posturing.  No Congressional press events.  No focus group discussions.  No junior NSC staffer calling field commanders.  No days or weeks of floating ideas anonymously to the media.  Have plans and authorities in place for each of our combatant commanders, enabling them to immediately respond to any and all attacks.

Otherwise, the lessons of the past 33 years will have been lost and the deaths of all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines in the past three plus decades will have been for naught.