NNA -nbsp;Today, U.S. Embassy Beirut marked the 40th anniversary of the October 23, 1983, bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut, in which a suicide bomber killed 241 U.S. servicemembers.nbsp;U.S.nbsp;Ambassadornbsp;Dorothynbsp;Shea, Deputy Chief of Missionnbsp;Amandanbsp;Pilz, and the Embassy community honorednbsp;and paidnbsp;tribute tonbsp;thosenbsp;who lost their lives in this attack.nbsp;
Ambassador Sheanbsp;and French Ambassador Herveacute; Magronbsp;laid a wreath at the U.S. Embassy memorial adorned with the phrase,nbsp;ldquo;They Came in Peace.rdquo;nbsp;nbsp;Members of thenbsp;U.S.nbsp;Embassyrsquo;s Marine Security Guard detachmentreadnbsp;the names of each victim, remembered their service, and honored their sacrifice. nbsp;
In her remarks, Ambassador Sheanbsp;emphasizednbsp;thatnbsp;the United Statesrsquo;nbsp;commitment tonbsp;the people ofnbsp;Lebanonnbsp;isldquo;so much stronger than any cowardly act of violence or terrorism.rdquo;nbsp;nbsp;She continued, ldquo;The motto of the U.S. Marine Corps isnbsp;semper fidelis, always faithful.nbsp; Today, 40 years after the Marine Corps Barracks bombing, we are forever faithful to the memory of those 241 servicemen and all those ndash; Americans, Lebanese, and others ndash; who have given their lives in support of peace.rdquo;nbsp;
Following are Ambassador Shearsquo;snbsp;completenbsp;remarks: nbsp;quot;Good morning.nbsp; Thank you,nbsp;all of you,nbsp;for joining us here today.nbsp;nbsp;Thank you, Your Excellencynbsp;Herveacute; Magro, defense attacheacute;, and other colleaguesnbsp;from our French embassy counterparts.nbsp;nbsp;Thank you, all of you, for being herenbsp;with usnbsp;amid difficult circumstances to pay our respects to those lostnbsp;and injurednbsp;40 years ago today.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Forty years ago, the Lebanese people were midway through a horrific civil war that killed tens of thousands and drove almost a million Lebanese to flee their homes.nbsp; At the request of the Lebanese government, the United States ndash; alongside our French, Italian, and UK allies ndash;nbsp;formed a new multinational force to help the Lebanese government regain full sovereignty over Beirut and the entire country.nbsp; Or, as Presidentnbsp;Ronaldnbsp;Reagan said at the time, to ensure that ldquo;the Lebanese people are allowed to chart their own future.rdquo;nbsp;nbsp;That is an aspiration we still hold.nbsp;
Andnbsp;sonbsp;in 1982, roughly 800 U.S. Marines landed in Beirut.nbsp; Along with their fellow French, UK, and Italian soldiers, they came in peace to help ensure the safety of the Lebanese people and bring an end to the tragic violence.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Thesenbsp;Marines were young men with bright futures ahead of them, and with a deep commitment to serving their country and the values we hold dear as Americans and Lebanese.nbsp;nbsp;Colleagues,nbsp;I would invite you to view the exhibit in our consular waiting room, which includes some photographs depictingnbsp;thenbsp;daily livesnbsp;of these Marines when they were herenbsp;in Beirut.nbsp; Thesephotosnbsp;capture some of their simple pleasures, like a pick-up soccer match or getting a haircut or playing with Lebanese children in the area around the Marine Corps Barracks.nbsp;
October 23, 1983, should have been one of those days.nbsp; It was a Sunday, so the compound would have been quiet.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
At 6:22 a.m., just a fewnbsp;momentsnbsp;before the morning reveillenbsp;wasnbsp;scheduled to sound, their bright futures were cut short in a matter of seconds.nbsp; A suicide bomber drove a truck filled with explosives into the barracks and detonated it, in an attack conducted with Iranrsquo;s support.nbsp;Thisnbsp;building was reduced to rubble.nbsp;241 U.S. servicemen were killed that day.nbsp; One more would die in the coming days due to injuries henbsp;sustainednbsp;during the attack.nbsp;
In a matter of seconds, a cowardly act of terrorism robbednbsp;thesenbsp;American servicemen of their bright futures.nbsp; Families were left forever grieving an unimaginable loss, and an entire nation was left in shock.nbsp;
A few minutes later, a second suicide bomber struck the French barracks, thenbsp;Drakkar, and killed 58 French paratroopers.nbsp;nbsp;Again,nbsp;I would like to recognizenbsp;his Excellencynbsp;Ambassador Herveacute; Magro, who is with usnbsp;herenbsp;today, and salute the memory of those French paratroopers,nbsp;whose futures were taken away from them far too soon.nbsp;nbsp;Queleursnbsp;acirc;mesnbsp;reposentnbsp;ennbsp;paix.nbsp;
We are here, today, 40 years later, to honor the memories of those who came in peace.nbsp;nbsp;We remember, and we honor them.nbsp;nbsp;
We are also here to say unequivocally that our commitment tonbsp;thenbsp;Lebanesenbsp;people is so much stronger than any cowardly act of violence or terrorism.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Today, wenbsp;reject, and the Lebanese people reject, the threats of some to drag Lebanon into a new war.nbsp; We continue to renounce any attempts to shape the regionrsquo;s future through intimidation, violence, and terrorism ndash; and here I am talking about not just Iran and Hizballah, but also Hamas and others, who falsely paint themselves as a noble ldquo;resistance,rdquo; and who most certainly donbsp;notnbsp;represent the aspirations ndash; or the values ndash; of the Palestinian people, while they try to rob Lebanon and its people ofnbsp;theirnbsp;bright future.nbsp;
The motto of the U.S. Marine Corps isnbsp;semper fidelis, always faithful.nbsp; Today, 40 years after the Marine Corps Barracks bombing, we are forever faithful to the memory of those 241 servicemen and all those ndash; Americans, Lebanese, and others ndash; who have given their lives in support of peace.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
We are also forever faithful to our values and principles, the very same ones that brought the U.S. Marines here in the 1980s, andnbsp;thenbsp;ones that I know we as Americans and Lebanese share today.nbsp; Those of us who are serving here today continue to work every day to promote those values and to be a positive force for Lebanonrsquo;s peace, stability, and national unity ndash; and today in particular, we do so in memory of those who paid the ultimate price.quot; — US Embassy in Lebanon
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