The Beirut barracks bombing: 24 years
October 23, 1983.
Beirut, Lebanon.
241 Marines, soldiers, and sailors killed by jihadists.
While it is not a rock solid certainty that Hizbullah, acting on direct orders from Iran, was behind the attacks, the preponderance of evidence certainly points that way. At the time, Hizbullah was in its initial stages of formation, being trained by Revolutionary Guard units who had infiltrated Lebanon through Syria. At first, Hizbullah was not an independent actor in Lebanon, receiving its orders directly from Khomenei’s Iran. The US had just given Sadaam Hussein more than two billion dollars in aid to fight Iran and the thinking is that Khomenei wanted to get back at the US for our support of Iraq. When US forces pulled out the following February, it was simply gravy from the Iranian point of view.
So for 24 years, we have been in an undeclared war with Hizbullah and, by extension, Iran. Or, at least Iran has been at war with us. We have pretended that no such conflict exists under successive US presidents, Republican and Democratic, liberal and conservative. Occasionally, history intervenes and tries to rouse us out of this stupor but so far, to no avail. In 1984, Hizbullah attacked our embassy, killing 5 Americans. In 1985, TWA flight 847 was hijacked by Hizbullah and a Navy diver was savagely beaten to death. They kidnapped and murdered CIA officer William Buckley and Colonel William Higgins, a Marine serving with the UN at the time. (They were kind enough to forward videos of the murders to our government). They fired on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. They have operated around the world, killing Jews wherever there’s a soft enough target to hit.
To this day, Hizbullah is beholden to Iran, getting all of its funding and weapons as well as its training through the Revolutionary Guards. They receive an estimated $250 million a year – by far and away the largest recipient of Iranian foreign aid. Their fighters are trained in Iran, indoctrinated in Iran, and are more loyal to the “Islamic Revolution” than they are to Lebanon.
And yet, there are those who are serious when they proclaim they don’t want us to “start” a war with Iran.
This is worse than madness. It is deliberate, self deluded suicide not to recognize Iran as deadly enemy of the United States. Bombing and invading is not the answer, although as the last option available, it may come to that. But we should have absolutely no qualms about attempting to undermine the government of Iran and work for regime change – peacefully if at all possible. But ultimately, the only peaceful solution would be if the Iranian people themselves overthrew the corrupt and messianic mullahs who currently run that country.
Flashback: The American victims of Hezbollah.
Connect the dots.
Never forget.
See what others have said
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THe first major moder act of terror against the US. Even Osama points this out in previous quotes from him.
Is evidence that Iran and Hezbollah were behind this attack.
And we did, basicly, nothing about it.
See where it brought us? Had we pounded the crap out of them then, it is unlikely that we’d have been attacked in the ways we were after that.
William Amos
Most consider the first official salvo against the USA was the terrorist attack on the Embassy in Iran in 1979.
The first attack of this type was actually earlier in the same year, in April 1983. Hezbollah used the same suicide truck bomb strategy when they killed 63 people at the US Embassy in Beirut in that attack.
They then bombed the US Embassy in Kuwait in December 1983, and in September 1984 bombed the US Embassy Annex, also located in Beirut.
Many of these same radical groups that became Hezbollah and Hamas were part of the people behind the rash of airplane hi-jackings that occurred leading up to these incidents.
May all of my fellow Marines that have fallen rest in peace, and may the people of this country never forget them and their compatriots in all the other American Military Services.
DesertLover I concur 110%
Semper Fi from this Devil Dog OOHRAH!
Michelle, Pic is of the embassy bombing……in April.
I know conservatives like to attack Clinton for not killing Bin Laden.
Just curious, but what did Ronald “walk on water” Reagan do in support of squashing islamic terrorists.
Under his watch, we sold arms to Iran to support the opposition in Nicaragua AND armed Iraq in their war against Iran AND armed islamic fundamnetalists in Afghanistan when they were fighting the Soviets.
Yeah, Reagan bankrupted the USSR, but why does he get a pass for his weaknesses on jihadists is the Middle East, when we’re paying for it over 20yrs later. Just wondering.
What, other than bombing/scaring the crap out of Mommar Q back into hiding?
On this site, YES. Try to remember where you are.
“7 I’m sure you would agree that wasn’t quite enough was it?
Mommar lived on, and apparently started to fly right, but I’d like to hear some thoughts on the examples I sighted.
To me it looks like a free pass from the right, and revisionist hero worship.
I know insulting Reagan in this forum is like insulting Farve in Green Bay, but I think fact are facts. And the Reagan administration made some disasterous mistakes in the Middle East.
As a Marine who was there on that day, I honor my fallen brothers today. I remember them every day.
To all of my brothers and sisters in the Corps who frequent these sites, and all the others past , present and future, wherever you are, Semper Fi, and God bless America.
#9 Buck I:
Nope – no free pass.
Reagan was disastrously wrong in not reacting strongly against these bombers,in whatever way it could have been done at that time.
Buck I
I will readily admit that more could have been done during the Reagan years in dealing with aspects of the problems in the Middle East. Some of them may have made a difference through the years since had some other actions been taken.
IMHO it was a matter of setting the US priorities based on the problems of the times.
The spread of Communism had been the major concern for better than 30 years, while the Middle East turmoil was just starting to evolve en route to its current state. Communism was still the over-riding problem being dealt with.
You mention 3 other specific items.
Nicaragua was most likely the toughest to make decisions on, dealing with regimes we had problems with, all because the resulting situations were in our own hemisphere.
Afghanistan was, by extension of the Soviet involvement, treated as a part of the Cold War. We pretty much had to side with the anti-soviet forces.
The Iraq support was to enhance the possible overthrow of the theocracy that had taken hold inside what had once been a strong US ally, Iran. The Shah was pro-American, in case people have forgotten.
Again … this is my opinion … am sure many would not agree with me.
I respectfully disagree. I believe US Marines fired the first salvo in 1801. The Barbary Pirate Wars, where the enemy was Islamic extremism. “From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli….”
Simper fi’ and God bless their souls.
For the record, for the 241 lost souls…rest in peace.
Now, back to the the troll….
Nicaragua, if you’ve never been there…you should go so you know what the hell you are talking about….(throat clear) ….As I was saying, Nicaragua’s rebel force the Sandinistas (soviet backed) were looking to overthrow the current government in existence . This meant, along with Cuba would have worked to secure all of the unstable territories/countries in central Latin America, quite easily. If you don’t think that is not an immediate threat considering that they could potentially launch a nuke into the US…you are seriously in need of a reality check my friend.
Daniel Ortega, leader of the Sandinista Government (now unfortunately back in power) along with his terrorist guerillas the Sandinistas were raping, pillaging, killing and taking property from innocent civilians. This country has suffered horribly -horribly under their rule. My family is from south America, I;ve heard a thing or two about corrupt central and south American governments…which makes it all the more infuriating/amusing when you knuckle head liberals talk about crap you don’t know about from a free society where this God willing, would never happen. My family lived these types of nightmares on a daily basis.
Our backing the contras…I don’t care what anybody says ….was the right thing to do.
Its not pretty, but you do what you need to do to protect your country from the threat that exists at that immediate time. Monday morning quarterbacking is for whiners and sissys with NO STONES. Iraq was our Ally, the Soviets wanted to kill us, they tried to secure the middle east, oil, allies etc by going into Afghanistan and Iran was (is) a terrorist state.
Yes, it came back to bite us in the butt..however, as it would now seem…so did saving the French peoples butts in WWII.
Ronald was a good man. He made mistakes as all presidents make.. But a wimp he was not….You want to pick on a worthless piece of crap president, I encourage you to take a good hard look at HillBilly Clinton.
He, however, was too busy getting favors from interns to blow Osama Bin Laden into the next century when he was handed him on a platter by the CIA.
Don’t even get me started on Carter…..
Rant over….
josetheguerilla
Was just trying to keep it current for the non-Marines in the group … otherwise I would have mentioned 1st Lt. Presley O’Bannon … lol
well said freebie babe! so true! and, to think Sirhan Sirhan was an Islamofascist, who due to Bobby Kennedy’s platform was so upset he killed Bobby. One of the first signs we had problems with Islam. How late we are to this game!
11, 12 and 14.
Thanks for the imput.
14- No country in this hemisphere would have nuked us. Sorry it makes no logistical or geological sense. Beyond that, NOTHING excuses selling arms to a sworn enemy. It’s reckless and stupid. Obviously, without descending into hyperbole, we disagree. Thanks for the imput.
Communism was a different animal, and didn’t have the same homicidal, suicidal, and genocidal aspect of islamic jihadists.(IJ, hereinafter). IJ ideology is not new, and was alive and well in the Reagan administration.
We got in bed with the wrong people, and kept eyes off the ball.
The USSR never would have nuked us, on matter what the “pinko, commie” hating neocons would make you believe for half a century, because USSR understood mutual destruction as well as we did.
IJ have always been a whole different animal. The failure to retaliate for those brave men and women was horrendous decision, and only emboldened the enemy we should have been watching all along.
#16 – Thanks, I am frothing at the mouth.
Sorry to take the story so far off topic from the brave Marines who served and died in Beriut….but I really get ticked off when people are absolutely so CLUELESS how things work in other countries.
All have been forwarned. You pick on Reagan….You’ll have me in a serous rant with gloves OFF…
tomk59
Our thoughts are with those of you that survived every bit as much asthose that did not … Gung Ho and Semper Fi from a fellow Marine …
Really, is that your opinion? We were pretty close during the Cuban missle crisis? Castro would get in bed with the devil himself if he would offer up our destruction. USSR had much invested to see capitalism in the west collapse.
I guess we can respectfully disagree, but you (I hesitate to say) sound pretty darn naive.
I wouldn’t know where to start with this one. We must study different books and travel in different circles. Bottom line is I couldn’t argue with you anyway……you already stated that you don’t care.
#17 – Buck I
I don’t mean to butt in here, but I direct your attention to a thing called the Cuban Missile Crisis, where the Soviets placed offensive missiles in Cuba. I believe the prior poster was referring to another foothold for them in the hemisphere.
Those same Soviets had thousands of nuclear warheads, most of which were pointed at us, as you accurately pointed out in referring to Mutually Assured Destruction. I think they were a bigger threat than the jihadists who were considered only a minor annoyance, and as the philosopher said, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”
All that being said, may those Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice rest in peace. And my we now keep our eye on the ball.
Buck I
Agreed mistakes were made … but as we all know hindsight is always 20/20 …
I believe that the IJ problem (to use your term) was still looked upon as a regional problem since the bulk of the incidents were happening in that area of the world. Obviously that was not correct and led to an underestimate of the seriousness of the situation, which we can easily see when we look back on what has occurred since then.
Communism, on the other hand, was considered the Global Menace, and Soviet expansion into Afghanistan would have given them a foothold in the Asian sub-continent. In the same vein Nicaragua would have served as a Western Hemisphere Continental foothold complimenting Castro’s Cuba.
#21 – I will re-phrase – the right thing to do AT THAT TIME. Terroists or Terrorist Countries did not hold nuclear power. The Soviets Did. Imagine if we lost Nicaragua to the Soviets? Imagine if they placed nukes there (remeber at this time they were unable to hit US soil from their geographic location.
I did say it came around to get us in our tukis’. And I meant that. But at the TIME it WAS the right thing to do. And at minimum not the WRONG thing.
Ignoring terrorists was a mistake. But looking at the whole picture, Reagan doesn’t deserve the Monday morning QB’g.
J S Ragman
looks like we were on the same page at the same time …
DesertLover
Roger Wilcox.
I wasn’t there. I was in Oceana, VA, training, getting ready to go to my permanent station. As a former Marine, I have a special bond with all Marines. When one is lost, all of us hurt. But we never forget.
As for the Gipper, I certainly believe he could have done more in answer to this. Facing a hostile congress who saw this as an inconvenience didn’t help, though.
Tom, please e-mail whenever you need encouragement. Semper Fidelis!
LOL… small world… I was down hangin with the Beach Masters…
Michele.. thanks for remembering….
As to Reagan? You have no IDEA how angered I was at him at the time… heck, we even got home late because he was busy invading Grenada…
And yes, revisionist history aside… we had a REALLY good idea who was behind the whole thing… the city was a buzz with rumours of who did it..
I leave the Iran/Contra and Cuban missle crisis issue alone at this point, after saying: The USSR never would have nuked us, because we would have nuked them and everyone would have been dead. That’s the truth Jack.
We never would have nuked Japan if we knew they had nukes, because see above.
The whole who had the bigger ones postering and threatening thing, ultimately shattered the Soviets, but both countries were rational enough never to nuke one another.
Agreed, take a look at the cuban missle crisis…it makes my point.
I feel bad that the 241 Americans deaths went unavenged. It’s a crying shame. Live and learn I guess. 20/20 or not, that’s why we study history, and we all seem to agree that serious mistakes were made. Gotta go work out now. Thanks
ACHefty
Well said …
Romeo13
My response to tomk59 in #19 goes to you as well … glad you made it through that day …
jose:I could be wrong but I think it was the pirates who fired first-then the Marines opened up a can of whoop-ass.
I joined the Corp,(the old Corp), due to this event.
To this day, I do not trust any moon god worshiping POS!
BZO or die!
The only way to deal with a bully is – to quote Bill Maur(sp) – kick them is their a** – and he’s a liberal! re: the clip of his solutions to verbal activists in his audience during his recent TV show. He had his security peoople drag them from their seats and “throw them out.”
This may be slightly O.T., but is in response to some of the comments posted in this thread … needs some clarification …
So … here goes …
Some facts about Tripoli in 1801 and a comparison to the current Iraq war.
On Jefferson’s inauguration as president in 1801, Yussif Karamanli, the Pasha (or Bashaw) of Tripoli demanded $225,000 from the new administration. Jefferson refused the demand. May of 1801, the Pasha declared war on the United States, not through any formal written documents, but by cutting down the flagstaff in front of the U.S. Consulate. Morocco, Algiers, and Tunis soon followed their ally in Tripoli.
In response, Jefferson sent a group of frigates to defend American interests in the Mediterranean, and informed Congress. Although Congress never voted on a formal declaration of war, they did authorize the President to instruct the commanders of armed vessels of the United States to seize all vessels and goods of the Pasha of Tripoli “and also to cause to be done all such other acts of precaution or hostility as the state of war will justify.”
Hmmmm … no declaration of war … gave the President the authority to do what was needed to defend the USA and its interests …
sound familiar to anyone?
I have never and will never forget. I have had more than one neighbor or co-worker wounded in the Kohbar Towers attack in Saudi Arabia in my Air Force travels. That was also thought to be a little gift from our sworn enemies in Tehran. When will someone in our Government acknowledge we have been at war with Iran since 4 Nov 79? It is way past time to return the complement with our first formal declaration of war since 1941.
I don’t think it’s any secret that even devote Ronald Reagan fans (like myself) have been saying for years that we wish he would have handled the barracks bombing differently. Anyone who thinks they are the first person to bring it up right here, today is just fooling themself.
But back then all of our attention was focused on the U.S.S.R. Terrorism was seen as a regional problem, not a world-wide problem.
#32 Leatherneck:
I hate to break it to you guy but Muslims worship the “God of Abraham” which, unless I miss my guess, would make you a moon god worshipper as well.
Knock off the idiocy please.
True.
But this came out prior to 1983, or even 1979. Who recognizes this? By whom and when?
.
We had been warned, yet some still do nothing.
????????????????
7:38 pm, what Leatherneck said?
That is NOT idiotic. There is substantial proof mo stole books from the two religions, and started a third “abrahamic’ tree to his liking ( I wont go into it all on this post) , all by mohammed’s (pissbeuponhim) memory of course…hence KORAN. Recited.
#37 Rick Moran
I believe that Leatherneck is refering to the belief that Muhammad chose the pagan “Moon-God” out of the local pantheon and originally formed his new religion around that. Hence the star & crescent.
That is NOT idiotic. There is substantial proof mo stole books from the two religions, and started a third “abrahamic’ tree to his liking
Where’s the “moon god” in that? You are repeating exactly what I said – that Islam worships the God of Abraham.
Victor:
Yeah – and Catholics eat the flesh and drink the blood of their dead.
All that matters is what it says in the Koran – not what some slandering bigot made up out of whole cloth.
Actually, I understand that there is certain evidence contradicting the Quranic narrative, including four ealy mosques in Eqypt (built after the Muslim Conquest, naturally) that point towards Jerusalem, instead of Mecca. Originally, Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem, but supposedly Muhammad changed that while in Medina after the local Jews refused to join him. The mosques would postdate Muhammad’s death by several decades at least. Also, the inscription on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem doesn’t mention Muhammad as a prophet at all, which is odd. Also, Mecca, far from being a major trading center, is never mentioned in any outside documents – Greek, Persian, Armenian sources are all silent. It is also inlandwithout a major river nearby, which in those days of poor-to-nonexistant roads would make it a backwater…
Add those things to the fact that the Quran and the Hadith were composed some time after Muhammad’s death, from fragments in the case of the former, and one begins to wonder what really happened…I believe that there may be some evidence that the Jews of the area may have been more closely aligned with Islam than later history would have you suspect. The first govenor of Muslim Jerusalem was Jewish or a Jewish convert.
Rick Moran: Muslims do worship a moongod and leatherneck is correct. Furthermore The Lord Jesus said that in the last day there would be many false prophets coming and deceiving many. Islam has fooled millions if not billions from hearing the real truth. Biblically Jesus says He is the truth and He and the Father are one and can’t be seperated. Muslims don’t believe in the divinity of Jesus and only a Divine Power can forgive sin. Muslims believe that Jesus was a mere prophet and prophets are unable to forgive sin. Muslims do believe that Jesus wasn’t divine and can’t forgive sin. Their beliefs are truely false. I know this sounds very preachy but someone needs to say what Islam really is.
Rick,
Google allah, or moon god worship. Read the archaeology concerning same. I am confident you will come to the conclusion the G-d of Abraham is a G-d of love, and life. The false moon god allah is a god of death.
History has proven me correct. What say you Rick?
As a young U.S.A.F. airman in the U.K., I volunteered on a special detail to help clean-up the base-morgue after a marathon prep of 17 of the victims. It was a sobering experience.
Yoyu’re trying to prove a point with GOOGLE???
Go to the source. The Koran. Talk to a Muslim. I don’t care how many unhinged bigots believe in the “archeology” of Allah being a moon god, it is not true, it is not what Muslims believe, and by using the term you are only revealing your ignorance and bigotry.
Once again, a quagmire has resulted in the Muslim faith being a multi-facited institution. Religion/Political Party. Leatherneck. I knew what you meant. First thing that came to mind…their flag, symbols etc.
Religion and politics seem to be one in the same with them- criticism is a sticky wicket. Idoicy, probably not. Flirting with pejoritives….????
PS. In my prior posts, I wanted to better articulate a few things as I feel they may have been neglected in haste\. Reagan/US should have done more in the middle east for the act of war waged upon us in Beruit and of our fallen soldiers. If that was not clear…my apologies.
I get testy because sometimes people forget just what a threat the Soviets had been for so many years. IJ was not as organized as it is today. Blasting Libya kept things quiet for a while and certainly shut up that fruitcake in the colorful capes.
Even today with the Mini Me of Iran going over and hob-nobbing with Mr. Sulfur himself in Venezuela. Really scary. That region is extremley unstable and too close in proximity for comfort. Dictators in S and Central America are easily bought. They have but one loyalty, and that is to power.
God bless all soldiers who have and do put their lives on the line for our rights, well being and freedom.
You’re wrong. They do not worship the same God as Christians. You are the loon if you believe that. Talking to a Muslim who believes that’s it’s okay to lie to you if it benefits Islam is not a vaild basis for an argument.
To all you Marines, the heart of this old soldier was broken that day and I still remember. Having worked side by side with US Marines in combat, I know that they are indeed true warriors. They also make some of the best Americans I ever had the pleasure to meet.
God bless you all
When I was a young HM3 stationed at BMC Jax, my roomate was HM2(FMF) Michael Morrison-one of the survivors of the Beirut bombing and it was because of him that I became the Corpsman that would eventually serve in 4 squadrons and take care of more injured Marines and Sailors than I could count.
Every trauma call, and the like was a reflection of his method of teaching the “baby docs” what would be expected of us.
Thanks Mikey and hope you are enjoying your retirement. Semper FI to the Marines and the “Docs” that take care of them!
HM1(AW) Paul K. Fischer
USN Retired
GSP
#48 comment was intended for Rick Moran, not Leatherneck. Just wanted to make that clear.
#6 buck i
i haven’t seen anyone giving reagan a pass for the lebanon withdrawal in 82. it was definetly wrong. clinton made the same mistake when he withdrew from somalia in 93.
Moran says:
Our funding of the 1953 Iranian coup and our continued meddling in Iranian affairs is what motivated the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979. If Iran was involved in Hizbullah’s 1983 attack in Beirut, it’s likely because we funded a brutal, genocidal dictator’s war by providing him with chemical weapons which he then proceeded to use against civilian Iranian populations. We also provided Saddam with satellite photographs to help in his bombing runs, as well as other strategic information. Over half a million Iranians were killed in that war. If Iran is our enemy, as you assert, it is without a doubt an enemy of our own creation.
Of course, with the invasion of Afghanistan and the overthrow of the Taliban (which the Iranians helped by providing troops), and the invasion of Iraq and overthrow of Saddam, Iran is very much in our debt. We took out their enemies, including their genocidal next-door neighbor. We have established Iran as the dominant military presence in the area. They’re not going to screw that up by attacking us. As ill-advised as an attack on Iran by the US would be, it’s not something that Iran seeks. We may have screwed up the occupation of Iraq, but we made quick work of Saddam. The Iranian Mullahs have to have that deposition fresh in their mind.
Again I will say that Muslims do not worship the same God that Christians worship. Muslims do not believe that Jesus was divine, they only believe that he was a prophet. Jesus said the work was Finished. Salvation is available to all and the muslims reject this Truth. Leatherneck is correct when he states that Muslims only worship a false idol and its not the God of Abraham.
A “brutal, genocidal dictator?”
All is relative when talking about dictators.
Amnesty International estimated in 1978 that the Shah had executed around 15,000 dissidents from 1953-78 while jailing another 45,000 – many of them communists who sought to overthrow his regime.
In the first 4 years after the revolution in 1979, the Iranian regime executed 150,000, jailed another 275,000, and destroyed the reforms initiated by the Shah that was bringing Iran slowly toward a much more open, westernized society.
Genocidal? Get your facts right. It’s a word that makes you sound important, like you know what you’re talking about but entirely inappropriate in the context you are using it.
Even the mullahs aren’t “genocidal” in their brutality. They are thuggish tyrants but hardly the murderous butchers like a Saddam or a Kim are.
And are you saying the Iranians provided troops to help us overthrow the Taliban?
Proof please. Because according to everything I’ve ever read on the subject, their assistance took the form of urging the Northern ALliance to work with us – a dubious kind of help since who else were they going to side with in the conflict?
Iran also apparently helped with the endgame negotiations that brought Karzai to power by once again, interceding with the NA and getting them to accept our man in Kabul.
The Iranians – and their buddies on the left – point to this as “proof” that the Iranians (after nearly 30 years of the most rabid hostilitity imaginable) wanted to make nice with us. What they never get around to mentioning is that even before Karzai entered Kabul, we had asked the Iranians to turn over several top al-Qaeda leaders including Osama’s brother who had taken up residence in Iran.
They refused. Nice friends, huh?
The point is, being grievance mongers about what went on 60 years ago is silly and stupid. And making excuses for Iran now is equally dumb.
This is the largely unknown Pearl Harbor of the Global War on Terror. God bless the 241.
Anyone who believes that a nuclear Iran would not use that capability against Israel, and us is either blind, stupid, or both.
They are already killing our soldiers and they, along with Syria, are wiping out the Christian leaders in Lebanon. Their goal is world domination and their false religion is Islam.
Keep your head in the sand because when you finally try to pull it out you may just find it to be detached. Islam is coming to America and we had better wake up and stop it now before it’s too late.
I will never forget that weekend in 83. I was stationed at 29 Palms and my son was just born on the 21st. We had not paid much attention to the news but when we heard about the bombing all I could do was cry for my fellow Marines and sailors that died that day. Every year on my son’s birthday I think of all of them as well. God Bless them all and God Bless our military members serving today in harms way.
Apologists for Islam, and the Democrats use the same strategy as Rick. Slander the writer who dares to write the truth. Use the word bigot, or raciest to label anyone who does not agree with them.
Islam is a false religion. I can not be a raciest, because Islam is not a race. If anyone is a bigot Rick, it is yourself. Someone who is blindly, or obstinately devoted to a party or creed.
Use Yahoo, or at&t.net if you dislike Google Rick. Look for the Doctoral level theses on Islam, allah, or moon god. Perhaps, you will wake up someday.
That’s true, but it doesn’t mute the blowback from out meddling.
I was referring to Saddam with that remark — specifically to the al-Anfal campaign, which is widely regarded as being genocidal.
USA Today: Iran helped overthrow Taliban, candidate says. U.S. sources downplay their role, but confirm that Iranian troops were on the ground.
Immediately after out invasion of Iraq, the Iranians attempted to start broad negotiations with the United States. Among the things they put on the table: accepting a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, stopping their material support of Palestinian militias, coordination in Iraq, decisive action against terrorists and cooperation on nuclear safeguards. This initiative had the support of then-president Khatami and supreme religious leader Khamenei. They may have not been ready to completely make nice in 2001, but when they saw how we in three weeks toppled Saddam (something they couldn’t do in eight years), they decided that it was in their best interest to start cooperating — especially since Bush had lumped them in the “Axis of Evil” with the recently invaded Iraq. The Bush administration didn’t even respond to their offer of negotiations.
If we’re not willing to engage them diplomatically, what hope is there for a peaceful resolution?
I was with the 24 MAU in 83. The policy at the time was that one ship from the ARG would be released to go to a liberty port in a rotation. Although it was only time per ship for the deployment. Each ship would take Marines from the MAU, with some coming from almost every unit. 150 Marines were sent to the USS Austin on Fri and we departed for Alexandria, Egypt Fri night. We were just in sight of the coastline when the ship did a 180 and headed back. Eventually they announced over the 1MC that a bombing had occurred. Updates kept driving the numbers of dead higher and higher. When we arrived off Beirut we were sent ashore almost immediately. Navy working parties from the various ships came ashore and did a lot of the digging out and cleaning up. Because we arrived over 24 hours after the bombing all that survived had already been recovered. But the work continued recover all the remains. I will never forget the smell. You could tell when you were standing over a place where a body lay, even if you could not see it. We piled almost a small mountain of personal equipment next to the MSSG HQ and burned it all. I’ve seen some battlefields since, in Liberia, the Gulf and OIF, but this one sticks with me the most. Day after day of having to go back to that site. I was glad we left in late Nov.
These people will stop at nothing. It was Marines on this occasion, but they will just as easily do the same to a shopping mall or a school. I remain surprised that it has not happened here more often. It’s only a matter of time.