Every October, as the Marine Corps birthday gets closer, there's another date that Marines carry with them: October 23. On that morning in 1983, the Corps lost more Marines in a single day than on any day since Iwo Jima.
What happened
In 1982, at the request of the Lebanese government, the United States agreed to put a military presence in Lebanon as part of a multinational peacekeeping force. On March 24, 1983, the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, got orders to Beirut (MCB Camp Lejeune).
Early on Sunday, October 23, 1983, a truck packed with explosives drove into the headquarters building of Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, at Beirut International Airport. The blast collapsed the building. When the final count was tallied, 241 Americans had been killed: 220 Marines, 18 Navy sailors, and 3 Army soldiers (Marines.mil; Marine Corps History Division, U.S. Marines in Lebanon 1982–1984). The Marine Corps' official history notes it was the highest loss of life for Marines in a single day since D-Day on Iwo Jima in 1945.
How Marines remember
The Beirut Memorial stands outside Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, honoring those lost (Beirut Memorial). Marines there also hold an annual Beirut Memorial Run, where participants run 241 laps, one for each service member lost (Marines.mil).
Why it matters to me
When you join the Corps, you inherit its history, the hard days included. Beirut is part of that inheritance. The Marines, sailors, and soldiers in that building were there on a peacekeeping mission, and many were young men just starting out. On October 23, I'll take a moment to remember them, and I'd ask anyone reading this to do the same. If you know a Beirut veteran or a Gold Star family from that day, reach out. It means more than you'd think.
Sources: Marines.mil · MCB Camp Lejeune Beirut Memorial · Marine Corps History Division
