Move to Lounge if need be.

Happy Birthday to my Marine Brethren as we celebrate 233 years today.

Let's remember those, of all branches who are in harm's way, and those who have attained that ultimate honor and gone on before, that makes it possible for freedom and for us to celebrate another Marine Corps Birthday.
You know what is sad, the Empire State Building people refused to light the Building in Gold light today in honor of the Marine Corps Birthday but they have no problem doing it for Mariah Carey, cats and other things. http://www.nypost.com/sev...ting_the_corps_137740.htm

I was going to post this next a couple weeks ago but it was a hard time for me. I finally mustered the courage to go to a memorial of what was for me and others, a 9/11...the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Marine Bks in Beirut, something a majority of Americans have forgotten or prefer to forget. I guess that since it did not happen on American soil it did not have enough significance to make a memorable impression on any American other than those and the families touched by it. No one in the civilian world I asked in the past years even remembers, yet many historians believe it was the one of the very first terrorists attacks against the US. For those of us who were there during and/or afterwards, it was very very real and it was sobering and it was engraved on our hearts and our minds and the ghosts of the horrors remain as clear today as when it happened. Oct 23, after the candlelight cermony I sat in my car in the parking lot for 4 hours, just thinking and remembering, grieving. But it was a good time as I was reaquainted with brothers I had not communicated with in years and it was good.
But for those who don't know or don't remember, Oct 23, 1983 a suicide bomber drove a truck with 2000 pounds of explosives into the complex where Marines were billeted and exploded it killing 241 Marines, Navy and Soldiers. and wounded 100 others and killed 50 French soldiers.

Something I would input here, is that Those Marines were sent on a Peace Keeping Mission, which is against the very nature of Marines, and to top it off, for a majority of the time prior to the bombing, orders were that we could not load our weapons or even our magazines, unless ordered from higher ups. Even when snipers to shots Marines were not allowed to load or return fire, and just hunkered praying that one or a ricochet did not hit them. We were sitting ducks.

And then after the bombing Reagan ordered up missions to retaliate against who the believed to be responsible, Hezbollah(and who has popped their ugly head up again over there? Hezbollah) but Caspar Weinberger canked the missions for diplomatic/oil reasons, the traitor. The shedding of our brothers went unanswered.

A short history lesson for many who don't remember or were not around. Next time you see a Marine, or a military person, or a vet, you stop and think and wonder at what horrors they may have seen and what ghosts they live with every day, so that we may all live free....and never forget the history and the sacrifices from Beirut, to the Mid East, to Vietnam, to Korea, the WW's and so on and remember someone paid a price for all of it, some with life, some with disability, and some with scars and internal wounds that you will never see or know.

I leave a few links below for those interested in reading a little more on it and a couple quotes.
Pres Reagan-

I would encourage you to read at least President Reagan's full speech transcript in one link below

25th Remembrance Beirut Memorial

Beirut Memorial On Line - History | Reagan's Speech

Beirut Memorial On Line - History | DOD Report

Beirut Memorial On Line

BEIRUT VETERANS OF AMERICA

Semper Fidelis....t

And tomorrow is Veterans Day for ALL VETS....my brethren of all services I thank you for your service and sacrifices as well!

 

Chuckling..Hey Tokyo, I spent a good bit of time in Japan, Iwakuni..and a lot down on Kadena AFB on Okinawa and then at the DMZ in Korea...boy it has been a long time since I was over there....it was a lot of fun..t

 

Yes and that was something else...and the machine gun nests all over the hillside..I was also at a korean air base about 50 miles from DMZ and they told us NO walking on the roads after dark,....Guard towers all over..said to wait at the end of the road where tent city was for a bus...if we walked around the base after dark they would shoot us.....eerie...t

 

here are some Pics of the "other Wall" at Jax...t The Memorial at Night 10.22.08 2200 hrs

 

Thanks Bro...we did a couple missions, that I can't discuss, small ones land based but like you said nothing like what was supposed too...

IF only we had, we might not have probs with Hezbollah now...and IF only they had let Schwarzkoff go on in and get Saddam when he had a clear road in the 90's, we would not be where we are at now in Iraq...we start and don't finish only to have it come back and bite us in the butt...t

 

Oh Lord, don't get me started on that:no: the treatment of Vietnam vets and POW's are my pet peeve....it was/is horrible! My uncle came back from Nam and was spit on...he was the main reason I joined as soon as I could..he died in his late 40's in the 90's from agent orange and the government denied him benefits for it up until the last few days, the sob's. My family doctor and specialists think I have had some sort of parasitic thing now that I got while serving abroad or from contaminated water at Lejeune and/or El Toro, both places I spent a great deal of time...and the military is denying it all.....t

 

Semper Fi Bro!...tim

 

Hey FinFan....General Barrows, the commandant before Kelley, just passed away last week....another great General!... WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |General Robert H. Barrow laid to rest in St. Francisville

 

That sounds about right...I went in in 78, so I saw a couple of commandants..Saw Gen Kelley from a distance once....t