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Posted on 03/02/2026 8:44:57 PM PST by 11th_VA
Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Marine Mike Zawacki of Webster said when Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants attacked the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon on April 18, 1983, it was the start of a different kind of warfare.
“And then Sunday, Oct. 23, 1983, Hezbollah drove a truck bomb into the Marine barracks at 6:22 a.m.”
Zawacki said the bomb was some 12,000 pounds. On detonation, it took the four-story barracks and blew it "a story and half" in the air.
“And then it came down and pancaked with our Marines, sailors and soldiers in it — killing 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers," said Zawacki.
Three local Marines perished that day: Lance Cpl. John McCall, Staff Sgt. Alexander Ortega and Pfc. Craig Stockton.
Zawacki's unit had deployed to Lebanon as peacekeepers. He said the flashbacks have taken him decades to learn to live with.
"When pieces of those Marines land on your body and on your uniform and your helmet and your flak jacket and your hands as you're aiding to the wounded and the dead, those images just never go away," he said.
The U.S. strikes on Iran nearly 43 years later have been "more than a long time coming," Zawacki said.
"Iranian-backed Hezbollah caused all that, and has caused numerous deaths to our people and even their own people over the last 43 years," he said.
“We’re finishing it” - says Marine Mike Zawacki on the current war with Iran. He is a local survivor of the Beirut barracks bombings in 1983 by Iranian proxy Hezbollah…
“We're finishing the global war on terrorism," Zawacki said. "And I believe within our lifetime, we're going to see real peace in the Middle East."
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From his mouth to God’s ear!
Yes, I believe he’s finally feeling vindicated.
I am praying for our military, the total success of this mission and for freedom for all Persians.
Reminds me of this song even though Springsteen has TDS:
https://youtu.be/_eehLPcXxBQ
Although I’m a long-time supporter of President Reagan, his failure to respond to the Beirut barracks bombing was a massive mistake. He essentially turned tail and ran by pulling our military out of Lebanon instead of bringing the fight to the enemy. That bombing caused the largest number of deaths to our Marines since Iwo Jima, but our president did nothing to avenge that attack. In fact, no president since has done so until President Trump did.
Those bastards blew out that whole building.
Ditto - in the eyes of the world, we were somewhat a paper tiger. Unfortunately, putting troops in harms way like Bush W did was no improvement. Hegseth has the background to fight on our terms - I’m totally impressed with what’s happening to our new military and Dept of War …
Agreed. Immediately after 9/11/01, chasing down Bin Laden was the right thing to do, but George W. Bush basically blew that mission off to take a hard turn against Iraq because Hussein disrespected Bush's father. Then he set up years of nation building in both Afghanistan and Iraq. What a terrible waste. And what a terrible irony that GWB was followed in office by Barack HUSSEIN Obama.
1983.
And the current Dems still think it’s a rush to judgment and Trump should lay off the Iranians.
His reasons for going after Iraq had nothing to do with his father.
The reason for going after Iraq was to set the stage for taking down Iran, which would not be possible without Saddam’s departure as well. Iraq at the time was harboring both Abu Nidal and his ANO followers, as well as the founder and leader of what we would later know as ISIS, Zarqawi. Saddam Hussein was also harboring and providing a pension and home for the 1993 WTC bomb maker.
It was an Iraqi agent who drove two of the future 811 pilot-hijackers to the planning session to bomb the USSCole … and that Iraqi agent was subsequently captured by Jordan , carrying in his pocket litter contact information for the 1993 WTC bombing cell, which, as I recall, was based out of NJ.
Obama knew that the plan was to use Iraq as staging for taking down the regime in Iran, which is why the first thing that SOB did was pull out our forces and allow the insurgents back into Iraq from Syria, leaving us with just Afghanistan. And Biden took us out of Afghanistan. All of this was to provide Iran with security from US strikes while they fiddled around with trying to warm up to Iran.
Yes. And from Iran:
No apology no restitution no nothing. No reparations.
The Iran government would do it again if they could.
The Mullah’s leadership and Shiite brand of Islam is irredeemable.
There is no co-existing with Mullah government. None. They must be completely destroyed, obliterated.
50 years is nearly 3 generations of evil America-hating Iran. Decades of murder, violence and propaganda against the US.
Their form of government must be destroyed along with their ability to harm others by military action. There is no alternative. The mullah government and all aspects of their military must be eradicated. Completely.
Reagan was dealing with a much bigger enemy: the Soviet Union or the Evil Empire as he put it. He won and the World is much better because of that. With the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan he used Islamic jihad to his favor.
Yep. Reagan ordered a strike on Hezbollah and the traitor Weinberger belayed it! Then we just left with our tail between our legs, did Grenada, and these men were just forgotten for decades, as Iran and it’s proxies got stronger.
Plenty of pansies on FR whining about the fate of the mullahs and IRGC.
That’s the entire point. He and his crew were hit by Iran.
I’m glad I got to see the payback for the Marine Barracks bombing. My Dad in heaven is happy as well. Thank you President Trump.
Reagan was focused on something impossible and much larger, ending the Soviet Union and when that bomb went off the invasion of Grenada had been already started before the explosion, within 47 hours of that explosion we were in ground combat in Grenada.
In time he got around to some Iran payback but he never let his emotions divert him from his primary goal of Russia, it is much easier for America to operate in a world without this.
My cousin, a Navy Corpsman, was one of the sailors killed.
I was there. It looked like a small nuke bomb had detonated. Bad times.
Reagan used to say to members of his party, "Never speak ill of another Republican." Obama, and indeed almost all Muslims, are that way about any Muslim or Muslim enterprise.
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