The death of a Marine commander scarred by the 1983 Beirut bombing is a reminder of the risks that U.S. troops stationed within the Middle East still face

Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr.who died on March 20, 2024 on the age of 95, was considered Legend for his heroism in battle.

But despite his military success, Gray, who served because the twenty ninth commandant of the Marine Corps from 1987 to 1991, will all the time be related to one in all the darkest days in U.S. military history: the Bomb attack on a barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983. The terrorist attack killed greater than 300 people, including 241 US soldiers under Gray's commanddespite being within the United States on the time of the attack.

As a Scientist currently researching a project on this attackI can't help but notice that Gray's death happens right in the center a wave of violence In Lebanon This comes at a time when US troops stationed within the Middle East are once more being targeted by Islamist groups financed by Iran.

Marines in Lebanon

Gray's experience with U.S. involvement in Lebanon underscores the hazards American troops face when stationed in unstable areas.

On June 4, 1981He was given command of the 2nd Marine Division and all battalions that invaded war-torn Lebanon from 1982 to 1984.

At this point, the civil war within the country had already been raging for six years. It began on April 13, 1975and very like the rise in violence in Lebanon now, it was fueled by events south of the country's border.

Palestinians expelled or fleeing the territory that later became Israel in 1948 ended up as refugees in neighboring countries, including Lebanon. In 1964 the Palestine Liberation Organization was founded to represent the Palestinian people and fight Israeli occupation. Over within the mid-Seventies 20,000 PLO fighters were in Lebanon and launched attacks on Israel.

But their presence in Lebanon led to violence between Lebanese Christians and Lebanese and Palestinian Muslims. While some in Lebanon wanted peace with Israel, others desired to fight for the Palestinian cause.

Several cruel massacres marked the primary five years of the Civil War. In 1982 Israel began Operation Peace for Galileeinvaded Lebanon and occupied Beirut with the intent of destroying PLO forces.

The Lebanese authorities appealed to Western powers for help. In August 1982, the governments of the United States, France, Italy and the United Kingdom established a multinational peacekeeping force The aim was to revive peace and end fighting between Lebanese, Palestinians and Israelis.

It was not the primary time Lebanon asked the United States for help. At July 15, 1958As hostilities broke out between Christians and Muslims, 1,700 Marines arrived in Beirut able to fight. However, in contrast to 1958, the fighting within the Eighties was much fiercer and the war had already been raging for over five years.

While most Lebanese welcomed the foreign peacekeepers, many rejected them, viewing them as Western colonial interference in Muslim-majority countries.

Day of the attack

Then, on October 23, 1983Witnesses reported seeing a yellow Mercedes truck speeding toward the barracks where the American soldiers were housed. It carried 10,000 kilos of explosives, and the force of the explosion leveled the constructing, killing 220 Marines, 18 U.S. Navy sailors, and three U.S. Army soldiers.

A number of minutes later, an analogous attack occurred within the French Quarter, leaving several people dead 58 French paratroopers.

To this present day, this event stays the identical deadliest attack in sooner or later for the United States Marine Corps because the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.

Islamic Jihad, a pro-Iranian Shiite group, took responsibility for the attacks.

Gray, a two-star general, was alerted to the attacks shortly after midnight. The Beirut barracks bombing was a private matter for Gray; His troops were in Lebanon and he had visited them just months before the attack.

After the bombing, Gray got here over 100 funerals of the military personnel killed. He also offered his resignation in regards to the incident – ​​the one senior official to accomplish that. His application was rejected.

Lessons from 1983

One could draw many parallels between the Beirut barracks bombing in 1983 and current events.

In August 1982 President Ronald Reagan expressed grave concern about Israel's behavior in Lebanon and warned Israel against the offensive use of American weapons. In a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Reagan called Israel's siege of Beirut a “Holocaust.”.”

To reply to this human crisis, the Multinational Peacekeeping Force was tasked with doing so Evacuation of PLO fighters outside Lebanon to Tunisia. With that mission achieved, U.S. troops withdrew from Lebanon.

However, the escalation of violence led to their return. In fact, their families stayed behind while Palestinian fighters were evacuated. Then, after that Assassination of elected Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel On September 14, 1982, the Christian Phalangist militia entered the 2 refugee camps Sabra and Shatila and killed over 2,000 Palestinian civilians. Israel was considered not directly answerable for these massacres.

From that moment on, US troops were not noticed Muslim militias as peacekeepers, but as allies of Israel and partners in crimes against Muslim civilians.

Forty years later, American troops within the Middle East are still a goal for much the identical reason. And because of this, US soldiers saw increased hostility against them within the region.

There is one other parallel: just like the group that claimed responsibility for the attack in Beirut in 1983 financed by IranThis also applies to the groups answerable for attacks on US bases throughout the Middle East today.

Spurred by failures surrounding the 1983 bombing, Gray attempted reform the Marine Corps after the tragedy, with greater emphasis on intelligence gathering and understanding enemy groups.

And while it is correct to acknowledge a senior military officer who has dedicated his life to service, it’s equally essential to contemplate the causes that led to the deaths of those under his command – and the indisputable fact that lots of the aspects The terrorist bombings of 1983 still occur today.