'No Time to Think': Beirut Vets Remember [25 years]

Military.com ^ | 10-23-08

[SJackson]

Sunday morning was like a holiday. It was the only day of the week when the Marines could sleep in, the only day they got hot food, remembers retired Master Gunnery Sgt. John Nash.

"We really looked forward to that Sunday morning, and the terrorists knew that," Nash said.

At 6:22 the morning of Oct. 23, 1983, Nash was lying in his cot, talking to a fellow corporal about whether they should go to the chow hall for breakfast. Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted by a boom Nash called "totally indescribable."

"It blew us all out of our racks," Nash said. The men lay on the ground for 30 or 40 minutes, afraid to move.

"If I had done anything else that morning, I wouldn't be here today," Nash said.

Nash, who was on the first floor of the Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment building that morning, was one of the lucky ones. A suicide bomber had detonated a five-ton truck full of explosives inside the four-story building, causing the headquarters to implode and crumble into a pile of rubble.

While Nash suffered a concussion and shoulder injuries, 241 others -- 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers -- were killed.

"Welcome to terrorism. Beirut, Lebanon, 1983, Oct. 23rd," Nash said.

[theoldmarine]

So which was it... master sergeant or gunnery sergeant???

[SJackson]

E-9, Master Gunnery Sergeant, same as a Sergeant Major, E-9, but different MOS. I think, been a while, maybe it’s changed.

[P8riot]

I was there and saw the aftermath, at least the human part of it. I was on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). Our hospital (sick bay), doctors, and corpsmen were working around the clock, and our food reefers were turned into a makeshift morgue. We spent 94 days off the coast afterward.

There was a bright spot, if you can call it that. I remember hearing the New Jersey's 16 inch guns beating the crap out of the Muzzie killers holed up in the Baka Valley.

[freema]

Cindy Lake (L) of Clermont, Florida makes a rubbing of the name her brother Donald W. Hildreth from the wall of the Beirut Memorial assisted by Cindy Lake of Melbourne, Florida (R) following the Beirut Memorial Observance Ceremony 25th Commemoration. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "They were brothers, they were soldiers, they were sailors and Marines," sang Christian country music artist Eric Horner. "They came in peace, and now they walk on peaceful shores."

As Horner sang his first two songs, the veterans, family members of victims and community members wiped away tears. But as he started the first verse of the third song, they began to stand.

By the time he reached the refrain, the survivors, families and guests were on their feet. They raised their arms, holding hands as many mouthed the words: "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me."

The rest of the story is at the Jacksonville Daily News

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'It's 25 years later, and it's still no easier'

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'No time to think': Survivors remember Beirut bombing

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Jacksonville Daily News Portal to 25th Anniversary Memorial Pictures of the Beirut Massacre

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[Jacquerie]

RIP Jim Surch USNA class of 1977.

[fatez]

I was in a Marine artillery battery that was part of the next float that was to relieve this unit before the bombing. I was scheduled to get discharged into the reserves right before my unit left. My first sergant asked me if I wanted to go on this float. I had to extend for 4 four years which I did not want to do at that time.

My unit made a little pit stop to liberate a little island south of Cuba before they went on to Lebanon. I ran into a bunch of my buddies that were still in that battery two years later. They told me they pumped out the rounds (175mm). They were traversing the guns and firing at will. Not just my unit, but others, 35,000 rounds of 105, 155, 175, 8 inch and 16 inch shells...

[rlmorel]

This is SGTMAJ Frederick B. Douglass. He was killed in the bombing of the USMC barracks in Beirut. I think of him every single year around this time, because he was one of the most impressive people I have ever seen.

I have a few anecdotes about him, he was from my state, and I saw him quite a bit over the course of a few years. There were a couple of stories, and I must say, the USMC was responsible for two of the most memorable nights of my life. He played a part in two of those nights.

When the JFK went into Alexandria, Egypt in 1977, there was an open invitation to the crew of the JFK to attend a party at the USMC quarters for the embassy.

Now, I have to tell you...when I heard that it was open house while I was ashore one night with a buddy, we said "Okay..let's go!" I thought there would be a thousand guys there in...what I didn't know. Maybe I thought it would be a soccer field on the grounds of the embassy or something like that...I was clueless, but my friend and I took a horse drawn carriage over...told them where to take us and away we went.

When we got there, it was a walled estate with a few buildings on it and a lot of vegetation. I was fairly lit by that time, and it was dark when we got there, but I do remember walking into that place. My memory is flawed here, because I have seen it in my thoughts so many times that I have no idea if it is reality or not. I remember going through a gate in what appeared to be a 10 foot high turquoise painted, cracked concrete wall. No broken glass or barbed wire on top of the wall. Anyone could have climbed over. I remember vegetation and some walkways inside what I guess had to be an acre. I also remember a lot of alcohol of all types flowing very freely. I thought the whole ship's company would have showed up, but I have to guess it was less than 100 people total, which was still a lot of people in that space. To be honest, it could have been 400 people in 4 acres...

But the most memorable part of that night was when I went to the bathroom. There was this little closet sized bathroom with a porcelain toilet in the outside wall side of the room, with two dinky little beat up aqua colored shutters right over the toilet at just below eye level.

The sink was full of unmentionable things...as was the floor. (The only time in my life I ever saw a more filthy, disgusting and revolting floor was at a little island in the Abacos called Nippers. (see this link at http://www.nippersbar.com/)

Anyway, I am relieving myself, one hand on the wall to stay upright, and I hear someone talking on the other side of those little shutters. Someone is getting chewed out, and I mean, royally. I heard scaps of "You piece of shit..." and '...kick your ass..." and "...embarrassment..."

So, I lazily reach over, open the shutters and peer out. There is a big, muscular black guy chewing this baby faced blond haired guy out. Heck, I am 19 or 20, and even to me he looked like a kid. And this black guy swivels his head to look at me and says "If you don't close that window and mind your own business, you're going to be sorry."

Man, I shut those shutters quick. It was SGTMAJ Douglass, the Top on the JFK. (I don't know if he was SGTMAJ at that time)

He was a most impressive guy.

There were two other occasions that stuck out in my mind...he was sparring in the hangar bay with a guy from my squadron who we nicknamed "Bruce Lee" (his real name was Timmy Naurimaya) because he came to the squadron with a reputation as some high level blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do. They were sparring in the Hangar Bay, and it was pretty interesting to the uninitiated to see this big 6'4" (I think) guy sparring against this 5'4" guy.

But it was the other time I saw him that left the biggest memory (until, of course, I opened those shutters) was in Naples, Italy one night. Raining like hell, 0200 on the pier waiting to go back to the ship on a liberty launch with maybe 200 guys. Probably, all of them were drunk on that nasty Peroni beer, as was I. No wonder Naples was such a lousy place...all the people drank Peroni!

Anyway, the boats had not been running for maybe an hour, and things were heating up. Two guys got into a fight, everyone else urged them on. The volume rose, then for some reason there was a whole bunch of Shore Patrol guys surround some drunk guy with a stanchion in his hands (from one of the rope guides for people to stand in line)

The rope still went through the top of it, and the guy swing it like a baseball bat. None of the Shore Patrol wanted to risk getting clocked in the face by this drunk guy. (This was before the days of tasers) The crowd began to fairly enjoy this unusual spectacle, and began to voice pointed encouragement at a loud volume.

All this on the waterfront under spotlights.

I kind of remember coming back to reality for a few seconds and becoming aware of how unruly and bordering on being out of control this was. As I looked back at the guy yelling and clumsily waving the metal rope stand, SGTMAJ Douglass walked right up to the guy past the Shore Patrol and clocks the guy with an accurate, well delivered roundhouse. The guy drops like a sack of cement, and it seemed like before he even hit the ground the SGTMAJ turns to us and yells out "YOU MEN SHUT UP. NOW."

You could have heard a frikking pin drop.

THAT was astounding. Everyone just stopped like a switch had been flipped.

After I got out of the Navy, I went to college on the GI Bill (one of the last to get in before it went the way of the Dodo) I was reading the Boston Globe one morning, and the story was about the recent bombing of the Beirut Marine Barracks. I was just heartsick as I read this, and then there...down at the bottom of the page, was the face of that Marine SGTMAJ. Staring out of the picture, I saw the same eyes that I saw on that dock, and the same eyes looking back at me through those shutters. Very intense eyes.

I nearly fell out of my chair. I knew who that guy was. He had been killed in the bombing of the barracks, I think he was the highest ranking enlisted man killed there.

I have a huge amount of respect for US Marines. I look at this man who gave his life in the dedicated service of his country, and I know that he is not unique in the USMC. For that I thank God, and I am grateful to his memory, and to all those who serve and have served.

(Hand Salute)

[cgk]

Thank you for posting this.

God rest our heroes’ souls and continued prayers for our hero survivors and their families.

I will never forget.

[freema]

A beautiful memoir and tribute, rlmorel.

After he returned from Beirut, Simmons said it was difficult to build close bonds with other Marines. He didn't want to risk losing his friends again, he said. Comes with the territory. Alas he is not alone.

[rlmorel]

Man. That is such a sad thing to hear...many of these men just went on with their lives and carried that around with them.

I pray for him and others like him.

[SJackson]

Thanks, it’s important to remember

[freema]

Oops. That last part: Comes with the territory. Alas he is not alone. was not supposed to be italicized.

Those were my words. ♥

[freema]

AJC Remembers Victims of 1983 Hezbollah Bombings in Beirut

[exit82]

Thanks for sharing your memories of this outstanding man.

And thank you for your service to our country.

[freema]

NY Slimes Op-Ed Contributor

From Beirut to 9/11

By Robert C. McFarlane-Published October 22, 2008

[freema]

Video: Beirut Marines remembered at memorial

[freema]

This sounds like it might be your float...

http://www.jdnews.com/news/milam_60224___article.html/beirut_marine.html

[grey_whiskers]

Thanks for the story.

THESE are the men who make America great!

Belated RIP and thanks for your service, Frederick.

[fatez]

Yep, that was the float...Didn’t recongize any of the names since they were not in my unit.