At about 6:22 a.m. on October 23, 1983, a suicide bomber drove a 19-ton yellow Mercedes stake-bed truck into the U.S. Marine compound at Beirut International Airport. He circled the public parking lot, crashed through barbed wire, blew past two sentry posts and a final gate, and drove straight into the lobby of the BLT 1/8 headquarters. The truck was packed with gas-enhanced explosives equal to 12,000 pounds of TNT, one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history. It collapsed the four-story cinderblock barracks onto the Marines sleeping inside.
The compound’s defenses were crippled by peacetime rules of engagement. Because the Marines were there as peacekeepers, not combat troops, orders from U.S. European Command, implemented locally by Col. Timothy Geraghty, required sentries to keep weapons unloaded with no round chambered. By the time the guards realized the truck wasn’t going to stop, they didn’t have time to load, chamber, and fire.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 241 American service members.
Read their names out loud and they will never be forgotten.
Cpl. Terry W. Abbott
Lance Cpl. Clemon S. Alexander
Pfc. John R. Allman
Cpl. Moses J. Arnold Jr.
Pfc. Charles K. Bailey
Lance Cpl. Nicholas Baker
Lance Cpl. Johansen Banks
Lance Cpl. Richard E. Barrett
HM1 Ronny K. Bates
1st Sgt. David L. Battle
Lance Cpl. James R. Baynard
HN Jesse W. Beamon
GySgt. Alvin. Belmer
Pfc. Stephen Bland
Sgt. Richard L. Blankenship
Lance Cpl. John W. Blocker
Capt. Joseph J. Boccia Jr.
Cpl. Leon Bohannon Jr.
SSgt. John R. Bohnet Jr.
Sgt. John J. Bonk Jr.
Lance Cpl. Jeffrey L. Boulos
Cpl. David R. Bousum
1st Lt. John N. Boyett
Lance Cpl. David W. Brown
Cpl. Anthony Brown
Lance Cpl. Bobby S. Buchanan Jr.
Cpl. John B. Buckmaster
Pfc. William F. Burley
HN Jimmy R. Cain
Cpl. Paul L. Callahan
Sgt. Mecot E. Camara
Pfc. Bradley J. Campus
Lance Cpl. Johnnie D. Ceasar
Pfc. Marc L. Cole
Sp4 Marcus A. Coleman
Pfc. Juan M. Comas
Sgt. Robert A. Conley
Cpl. Charles D. Cook
Lance Cpl. Curtis J. Cooper
Lance Cpl. Johnny L. Copeland
Cpl. Bert D. Corcoran
Lance Cpl. David L. Cosner
Sgt. Kevin P. Coulman
Lance Cpl. Brett A. Croft
Lance Cpl. Rick R. Crudale
Lance Cpl. Kevin P. Custard
Lance Cpl. Russell E. Cyzick
Maj. Andrew L. Davis
Pfc. Sidney J. Decker
Pfc. Michael J. Devlin
Lance Cpl. Thomas A. Dibenedetto
Pvt. Nathaniel G. Dorsey
Sgt. Maj. Frederick B. Douglass
Cpl. Timothy J. Dunnigan
HN Bryan L. Earle
MSgt. Roy L. Edwards
HM3 William D. Elliot Jr.
Lance Cpl. Jesse Ellison
Pfc. Danny R. Estes
Pfc. Sean F. Estler
HM3 James E. Faulk
Lance Cpl. Benjamin E. Fuller
Pfc. Richard A. Fluegel
Cpl. Steven M. Forrester
HM3 William B. Foster Jr.
Cpl. Michael D. Fulcher
Lance Cpl. Michael S. Fulton
Cpl. William Gaines Jr.
Lance Cpl. Sean R. Gallagher
Lance Cpl. David B. Gander
Lance Cpl. George M. Gangur
SSgt. Leland E. Gann
SSgt. Ronald J. Garcia
Lance Cpl. Randall J. Garcia
Lance Cpl. David D. Gay
SSgt. Harold D. Ghumm
Lance Cpl. Warner J. Gibbs Jr.
Sgt. Timothy R. Giblin
ETC Michael W. Gorchinski
Lance Cpl. Richard J. Gordon
Lance Cpl. Harold F. Gratton
Sgt. Robert B. Greaser
Lance Cpl. Davin M. Green
John W. Hendrickson
Lance Cpl. Thomas A. Hairston
Sgt. Freddie Haltiwanger Jr.
Lance Cpl. Virgil D. Hamilton
Sgt. Gilbert Hanton
Lance Cpl. William Hart
Capt. Michael S. Haskell
Pfc. Michael A. Hastings
Capt. Paul A. Hein
Lance Cpl. Douglas E. Held
Pfc. Mark A. Helms
Lance Cpl. Ferrandy D. Henderson
MSgt. Matilde Hernandez Jr.
Cpl. Stanley G. Hester
GySgt. Donald W. Hildreth
SSgt. Richard H. Holberton
HM3 Robert S. Holland
Lance Cpl. Bruce A. Hollingshead
Pfc. Melvin D. Holmes
Cpl. Bruce L. Howard
Cpl. Terry L. Hudson
Lt. John R. Hudson
Lance Cpl. Lyndon J. Hue
2nd Lt. Maurice E. Hukill
Lance Cpl. Edward F. Iacovino Jr.
Pfc. John J. Ingalls
WO1 Paul G. Innocenzi III
Cpl. James J. Jackowski
Lance Cpl. Jeffrey W. James
Lance Cpl. Nathaniel W. Jenkins
HM2 Michael H. Johnson
Cpl. Edward A. Johnston
Lance Cpl. Steven Jones
Pfc. Thomas A. Julian
HM2 Marion E. Kees
Sgt. Thomas C. Keown
GySgt. Edward E. Kimm
Lance Cpl. Walter V. Kingsley
Sgt. Daniel S. Kluck
Lance Cpl. James C. Knipple
Lance Cpl. Freas H. Kreischer III
Cpl. David A. Lewis
Lance Cpl. Keith J. Laise
Lance Cpl. Thomas G. Lamb
Lance Cpl. James J. Langon IV
Cpl. Steven B. Lariviere
Sgt. Michael S. Lariviere
MSgt. Richard L. Lemnah
Sgt. Val S. Lewis
Cpl. Joseph R. Livingston
Lance Cpl. Paul D. Lyon Jr.
SSgt. Charlie R. Martin
Maj. John W. Macroglou
Cpl. Samuel Maitland
Pfc. Jack L. Martin
Cpl. David S. Massa
Sgt. Michael R. Massman
Pvt. Joseph J. Mattacchione
Lance Cpl. John Mccall
Sgt. James E. Mcdonough
Lance Cpl. Timothy R. Mcmahon
Lance Cpl. Timothy D. Mcneely
HM2 George N. Mcvicker II
Pfc. Louis Melendez
Sgt. Richard H. Menkins II
Sgt. Michael D. Mercer
Lance Cpl. Ronald W. Meurer
HM3 Joseph P. Milano
Cpl. Joseph P. Moore
Lance Cpl. Richard A. Morrow
Lance Cpl. John F. Muffler
Cpl. Alex Munoz
Cpl. Harry D. Myers
1st Lt. David J. Nairn
Lance Cpl. Luis A. Nava
Pfc. Robert P. Olson
Sgt. John A. Olson
CWO3 Richard C. Ortiz
Pfc. Jeffrey B. Owen
Cpl. Joseph A. Owens
Cpl. Connie R. Page
Lance Cpl. Ulysses Parker
Lance Cpl. Mark W. Payne
GySgt. John L. Pearson
Pfc. Thomas S. Perron
Sgt. John A. Phillips Jr.
HMC George W. Piercy
1st Lt. Clyde W. Plymel
Sgt. William H. Pollard
Sgt. Rafael I. Pomalestorres
Cpl. Victor M. Prevatt
Pfc. James C. Price
SSgt. Patrick K. Prindeville
Pfc. Eric A. Pulliam
HM3 Diomedes J. Quirante
Lance Cpl. David M. Randolph
GySgt. Charles R. Ray
Pfc. Rui A. Relvas
Pfc. Terrence L. Rich
Lance Cpl. Warren Richardson
Sgt. Juan C. Rodriguez
Lance Cpl. Louis J. Rotondo
Lance Cpl. Guillermo Sanpedro Jr.
Lance Cpl. Michael C. Sauls
1st Lt. Charles J. Schnorf
Pfc. Scott L. Schultz
Capt. Peter J. Scialabba
Cpl. Gary R. Scott
Cpl. Ronald L. Shallo
Cpl. Thomas A. Shipp
Lance Cpl. Jerryl D. Shropshire
Lance Cpl. James F. Silvia
Lance Cpl. Stanley J. Sliwinski
Capt. Vincent L. Smith
SSgt. Thomas G. Smith
Lance Cpl. Kirk H. Smith
Lance Cpl. Edward Soares
1st Lt. William S. Sommerhof
Lance Cpl. Michael C. Spaulding
Lance Cpl. John W. Spearing
Lance Cpl. Stephen E. Spencer
Lance Cpl. Bill J. Stelpflug
Lance Cpl. Horace R. Stephens
Pfc. Craig S. Stockton
Lance Cpl. Jeffrey G. Stokes
Lance Cpl. Thomas D. Stowe
Lance Cpl. Eric D. Sturghill
Lance Cpl. Devon L. Sundar
Lt. James F. Surch Jr.
Cpl. Dennis A. Thompson
SSgt. Thomas P. Thorstad
Pfc. Stephen D. Tingley
Lance Cpl. John J. Tishmack
Pvt. Lex D. Trahan
Pfc. Donald H. Vallone Jr.
Cpl. Leonard W. Walker
Cpl. Eric R. Walker
Cpl. Eric G. Washington
Cpl. Obrian Weekes
1stsgt Tandy W. Wells
Lance Cpl. Steven B. Wentworth
Sgt. Allen D. Wesley
GySgt. Lloyd D. West
SSgt. John R. Weyl
Cpl. Burton D. Wherland Jr.
Lance Cpl. Dwayne W. Wigglesworth
GySgt. Scipio Williams Jr.
Lance Cpl. Rodney J. Williams
Lance Cpl. Johnny A. Williamson
Capt. Walter E. Wint Jr.
Capt. William E. Winter
Cpl. John E. Wolfe
1st Lt. Donald E. Woollett
HM3 David E. Worley
Pfc. Craig L. Wyche
Sfc James G. Yarber
Sgt. Jeffrey D. Young
1st Lt. William A. Zimmerman