WEBVTT 00:00.235 --> 00:03.235 (melancholic music) 00:07.060 --> 00:11.660 - I know there are no words that can express our sorrow 00:11.660 --> 00:15.823 and grief of the loss of those splendid young men, 00:16.900 --> 00:19.038 and the injury to so many others. 00:19.038 --> 00:22.038 (melancholic music) 00:23.810 --> 00:26.685 - [Gen. David H. Berger] When I thought about speaking here today, 00:26.685 --> 00:30.460 I reflected on the events of October 23rd, 1983. 00:30.460 --> 00:33.270 And it didn't take me long to think what I wanted to say 00:33.270 --> 00:35.070 because that event had really such 00:35.070 --> 00:36.723 a profound impact on me. 00:37.720 --> 00:39.150 I was a young 2nd lieutenant 00:39.150 --> 00:43.800 in 1983 before Donna and I hadn't even our first son. 00:43.800 --> 00:46.560 We just finished our time at Twentynine Palms 00:46.560 --> 00:48.480 and I was the 81's platoon commander 00:48.480 --> 00:50.600 with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. 00:51.640 --> 00:54.010 It was a month-long combined arms exercise 00:54.010 --> 00:55.833 and I thought I knew everything. 00:56.830 --> 00:58.500 There wasn't any ongoing war, 00:58.500 --> 01:01.600 so from my little window of the world, if you did well 01:01.600 --> 01:04.420 at a CACs, that was everything there was to know. 01:04.420 --> 01:06.120 Or at least that's what I thought. 01:07.090 --> 01:09.700 And though we heard from the Vietnam vets in our ranks 01:09.700 --> 01:11.680 that there was so much more to war, 01:11.680 --> 01:14.430 all we knew was running around the desert for training. 01:15.290 --> 01:18.380 The bombing in Beirut quickly disavowed me 01:18.380 --> 01:21.220 and everyone else of any such thought. 01:21.220 --> 01:23.750 We knew the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit was 01:23.750 --> 01:26.110 in Beirut conducting a peacekeeping mission, 01:26.110 --> 01:28.420 but most of us thought it was fairly routine work 01:28.420 --> 01:29.253 they were doing. 01:30.460 --> 01:32.410 We didn't know about the ongoing attacks 01:32.410 --> 01:35.010 the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit was dealing with 01:35.010 --> 01:37.280 on a near daily basis. 01:37.280 --> 01:38.350 Marines who were conducting 01:38.350 --> 01:41.130 a supposedly peaceful security patrol, 01:41.130 --> 01:44.363 who were harassed and attacked in the streets by protestors. 01:45.410 --> 01:48.470 Those of us whose only experience was CAC didn't understand 01:48.470 --> 01:52.150 the complexities of interacting with a hostile population 01:52.150 --> 01:53.550 that we weren't at war with. 01:54.840 --> 01:56.530 - The situation was so confusing. 01:56.530 --> 01:58.510 The Marines on the ground reported enemy firing 01:58.510 --> 02:02.330 at all directions, from several different locations. 02:02.330 --> 02:06.050 Despite the chaos, Marines performed exceptionally. 02:06.050 --> 02:09.000 They only returned fire when they were authorized to do so 02:09.000 --> 02:10.830 and they protected civilian populations, 02:10.830 --> 02:12.930 supported the Lebanese armed forces 02:12.930 --> 02:16.390 and they stayed alert and ready to handle new situations. 02:16.390 --> 02:18.720 Throughout September and October 1983, 02:18.720 --> 02:21.370 the situation rapidly deteriorated. 02:21.370 --> 02:23.050 The Marines received a string of visitors 02:23.050 --> 02:24.450 to gain a firsthand account. 02:25.320 --> 02:27.960 Visitors range from congressional delegations, 02:27.960 --> 02:30.860 the commandant of the Marine Corps, General PX Kelley, 02:30.860 --> 02:33.740 the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral James Watkins 02:33.740 --> 02:35.600 and Marine generals like General Gray, 02:35.600 --> 02:36.780 and Navy flag officers, 02:36.780 --> 02:39.290 like the commander of the 6th Fleet. 02:39.290 --> 02:41.870 All we saw was that it couldn't be that bad 02:41.870 --> 02:44.360 because all those senior leaders were visiting. 02:44.360 --> 02:46.090 - Well those senior leaders recognized 02:46.090 --> 02:47.460 the precarious situation. 02:47.460 --> 02:51.010 The rest of us were unaware of much that was happening. 02:51.010 --> 02:54.790 When we heard the news from 6:22 AM on Sunday, 02:54.790 --> 02:57.120 the 23rd of October 1983, 02:57.120 --> 03:00.479 our illusion of an easy deployment came crashing down. 03:00.479 --> 03:02.812 (explosion) 03:06.717 --> 03:08.634 (high-pitched ringing) 03:14.460 --> 03:17.030 I suddenly realized the challenges of war 03:17.030 --> 03:20.680 even on a seemingly simple or routine missions. 03:20.680 --> 03:24.600 There was so much more than we could ever learn at CACs. 03:24.600 --> 03:26.243 And there was the human toll. 03:27.320 --> 03:29.330 I had yet to know death in service, 03:29.330 --> 03:33.840 but here laid 273 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers killed 03:33.840 --> 03:35.690 by an unknown enemy. 03:35.690 --> 03:37.370 Servicemen just like me. 03:37.370 --> 03:41.023 Same age, background, training, everything. 03:42.130 --> 03:44.223 The events of that day changed me. 03:45.170 --> 03:47.440 It changed me to forever challenge myself 03:47.440 --> 03:49.540 even more to be ready. 03:49.540 --> 03:52.610 There was always something extra I could do better 03:52.610 --> 03:54.700 to prepare myself and my Marines. 03:55.580 --> 03:58.070 These were all things that many others already knew 03:58.070 --> 04:01.140 in practice, but the bombing changed me in an instant 04:01.140 --> 04:03.590 from the other side of the world. 04:03.590 --> 04:06.340 - The impact of Beirut still shapes us today. 04:06.340 --> 04:08.190 Marines today remember the incredible acts 04:08.190 --> 04:10.830 of selflessness and sacrifice. 04:10.830 --> 04:13.150 Your Marine Corps in this community continue to pay homage 04:13.150 --> 04:15.050 and commemorate the lives lost, 04:15.050 --> 04:17.960 the families of the fallen and the legacy left. 04:17.960 --> 04:21.660 We will never forget that their sacrifice was not in vain. 04:21.660 --> 04:23.160 Legacy matters. 04:23.160 --> 04:25.190 Every member who was present that day contributed 04:25.190 --> 04:26.630 to that legacy. 04:26.630 --> 04:29.390 We will always remember you and your families. 04:29.390 --> 04:31.370 And our Marines today carry on that legacy 04:31.370 --> 04:32.530 as they continue to train 04:32.530 --> 04:34.950 and deploy around the world to defend our nation 04:34.950 --> 04:38.270 and protect our freedoms, just like they did in 1983. 04:38.270 --> 04:42.105 And we remain semper fidelis, always faithful. 04:42.105 --> 04:44.688 (melancholic music)