Posted on 04/18/2002 1:31:31 PM PDT by LarryLied
received via email:
Hello Everyone,
Just to let you know the Embassy in Bahrain was attacked yesterday at 4:00 p.m. The five Marine Security Guards and the two Regional Security Officers were the only ones protecting the Embassy. The Embassy was closed so luckily we only had to protect ourselves and the Embassy compound from destruction. The protest was a pro-Palestinian rally that started a few miles from the embassy and became fueled for violence as radical Muslim groups took charge and led the march on the embassy at 3:30 p.m.
The march was between 2600 and 3000 protestors, but we do not have an exact count because it just happened several hours ago. The protestors were throwing rocks, sticks and fire bombs at the embassy. Between 20 and 30 protestors climbed the wall and started setting the cars, trucks and embassy on fire. When the protestors climbed the walls, the 5 Marines were authorized to use necessary force.
We shot tear gas into the crowd of over 2600 people to try and turn them away from the compound and then continued destruction of our pov's and satellite communication equipment, which was outside the embassy but inside the compound wall. At 4:10 p.m. no firefighters had arrived, so three Marines had to leave the embassy under covering fire of the Marines with gas on the third floor to go to the back of the compound to put out the fires themselves.
We sustained minor injuries from the protestors attacking us with rocks and sticks as we chased them out of the compound and back over the walls using force, while the remaining Marine put out the fires to the best of his ability. After the fires were secured the Marines pulled back into the embassy and continued to force the protestors back onto the highway behind the embassy. The protests were mainly secured by 7:00 p.m. and the investigation was in full swing by this time as well. The Marines stayed at the embassy for security throughout the night and will continue to do so today.
The host government was embarassed that they could not control its own people and that their riot control police were no match for the number of protestors.
The King of Bahrain instructed the Ministry of Interior to fix the problem before dawn, so that minimal damage would be seen this morning. When the Marines were told at 6:00 a.m. this morning we could leave to go get some sleep, we drove past the outside of the embassy and were amazed. The grafitti had been painted over, the guard shacks that had been burned were replaced, the fire bomb burns on the wall had been painted over, the thousand's of rocks that had been thrown were swept away, and the barbed wire that surround the embassy the previous day was gone. Other than the total destruction of all government property inside the compound it looked to anyone passing by, that nothing had really happened.
The host government represenatives called the Ambassador last night and told him they would replace everything that was destroyed and that cost was not an issue. The Kingdom of Bahrain is so scared of pissing off the U.S. that it will do anything in its power to preserve its relationship with us even in the shadow of ignorance from it's own people. The entire fight was caught on video because we saw the Al Jazerra News choppers over our heads. The video may or may not be released because it will be handled the same way the Daniel Pearl murder was handled, since the government will try and pressure what is released and given the fact that the news agency that filmed the riot yesterday is the same one that had the Daniel Pearl murder on tape.
This is the story of what took place on April 5th 2002 in Manama, Bahrain at 3:30 p.m., regardless of what you see or hear. Before I leave and go treat my scrapes and cuts and then go to bed for about 12 hours, I would like to say that the two RSO's and five Marines kept the Embassy from burning to an embarassing pile of United States image, and successfully held off and injured any one that intended to come take our pride from us.
Did I mention the riot was at least 2600 people? Just wanted to make sure anyone out there who thought the Marines who guard the embassies were NOT bad ass boys with guns, does not have that in their heads anymore.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am off to bed because I am dead tired, but it was worth it because I had the time of my life yesterday, by far the most fun I have ever had. And one more thing, the American flag is still flying as high and bright as it was before the riot and the protestors' flags are lying on the ground covered in mud.
FR posts on the attack:
Bahrain Protesters Smash Windows at U.S. Embassy
Thousands protest Zionist atrocities(Bahrain:site of US Air and Naval base)
Protester Dies of Injuries Suffered in Demonstration Outside US Embassy in Bahrain
Some of those who jumped me were posting for hours after they were pinged to check out where the email came from. They've read this thread.
This is the type of silly stuff we were talking about the other day. Carrying arguments from one thread to another confuses readers and messes up FR. There was zero to be gained by trashing me for posting this and, as you can see, a lot to lose. What credibility they had left for instance. Sometimes people get the idea this is a chat room. But there are up to 20 people who read a thread for everyone who replies. And threads don't go away.
Yawn. What I was interested in wasn't the names, but the path the mail has travelled, which is in the headers. That can say something about wether it is authentic, or something that some pimply kid has spammed the net with from his room.
Anyway: A partial answer seems to be at hand. This seems to be an internet "floater" - it can be found on "Ernies House of Whoop Ass", which is a pretty nasty site all around and which SJackson linked in post 20. Anyone interested in finding it can just pop the house in google and go.
The only one I can see carrying "arguments" from other threads over to this thread seems to be you, Mr. Lied. You linked to one of your earlier threads using a misleading link. All your "hassle" on this thread seems to be from the fact that you're unwilling to offer any relevant information whatsoever that can verify anything about your mail.
I still don't see any headers from you :). I asked you very nicely for them, and was attacked for my trouble :)).
I don't know if I'm a them, if so it says I sleep.
I'd still go with what I said in 23, the tense changes, ie "The Marines" from a participant and the internet exposure would make be suspect. Sorry I couldn't stay up and respond earlier.
Yawn??? Didn't you get enough sleep last night? Well, maybe you can catch a nap over the wekend.
If you are referring to headers as shown in post #44, I'm sorry but I don't get those with my AOL email. If you'll freepmail me your email address, I'll ask my air force friend to forward the original to you. LarryLied does not have this information, he was doing me a favor posting the letter, as I was unable to do myself.
I went to Ernie's and the letter is posted there with this intro:
"This was a letter forwarded to me by someone who served with on Embassy Duty in Cairo before they left the service. I stripped the E-mail addresses to protect the Marines from a potential PR faux pas, but I think it's something that should be shared...."
Seems to me this letter is circulating throughout the military.
Not really. Catching roughly 4-5 hours out of every 24 these days. There's times I think I'm made of coffee :)).
If you'll freepmail me your email address, I'll ask my air force friend to forward the original to you
No need. Since this thing seems to be floating around the net, it takes on all the characteristics of a chain letter - so your friend may not have the original. The only way to check its authenticity is by going through official channels.
Correct. And the person who received the email has delivered confirmation as well as the fact that there are 3 press sources corroborating the information.
Not too bright are you, odie? The point is that anything free-floating on the net is by definition uncorroborated. I said how this might be confirmed or not, mangeball, and it doesn't involve collecting random recipients of this floater. I have better ways :)).
You are correct sir. I received the e-mail from a fellow Marine. Since I am currently at Headquarters I checked out the originator. Their is a LCpl XXXXXX, on MSG duty, but I show him being stationed in Cyprus, not Bahrain. I checked with my source at MSG HQ to see if this was current info, but he is on leave...
What is interesting now is not the letter at all. It is the fact that all the Israeli seminar posters are interest in is the truth of the email. One even suggested, gloatingly, that whoever wrote it is in big trouble.
Not the normal reactions of patriotic Americans. Some skepticism, yes, but not to the exclusion of all else. Not one of the seminar posters has even mentioned the implications of the facts we know are true: 50,000 protested the USA in Bahrain. Our Embassy was fire bombed. One person was killed. Hezbollah was involved.
More concerned about IDF assests and troops than US assets and troops?
Give it up. You couldn't rescue your credibility with 5 marines helping you.
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