XBradTC

By

XBradTC

·

Beirut mission renewed: Marines take pride in returning to guard embassy | Army Times | armytimes.com

The return of Marines to Beirut as full-time embassy guards for the first time in more than 30 years is a notable milestone for those who fought to maintain stability in Lebanon, a country oft-wracked with religious and ethnic tensions. As of early September, Marine security guards are again manning Post One in Beirut. From…

The return of Marines to Beirut as full-time embassy guards for the first time in more than 30 years is a notable milestone for those who fought to maintain stability in Lebanon, a country oft-wracked with religious and ethnic tensions.

As of early September, Marine security guards are again manning Post One in Beirut. From their perch in the lobby they screen building visitors and, most importantly, safeguard classified information for the first time since the 1980s.

The post holds profound significance for Marines young and old. The embassy there was bombed in 1983 and again in 1984. But the most vicious attack occurred in October 1983 when a suicide bomber in an explosive-laden truck destroyed the Marine Corps barracks at the Beirut airport killing 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers. Official investigations would later reveal that the explosion was the largest non-nuclear blast in history up to that point — equivalent to 21,000 pounds of TNT.

via Beirut mission renewed: Marines take pride in returning to guard embassy | Army Times | armytimes.com.

Interesting, as today marks the 31st anniversary of one of the deadliest terror attacks against the US. Never forget.

Tags:

  1. Tarl

    Hope the Marines get to have magazines in the weapons and rounds in the chamber this time. It usually helps if your armed guards are, you know, armed.

    Like

  2. captainned

    “Official investigations would later reveal that the explosion was the largest non-nuclear blast in history up to that point — equivalent to 21,000 pounds of TNT.”

    Not quite, or even close. That’s 10.5 tons. Even back in 1945 at the Trinity site they blew 108 tons of TNT laced with fission products as a practice run for the real thing. The Soviet N1 launch failure/explosion (1969) is rated at 7 kilotons and both Halifax (1917) and Texas City (1947) come in around 3 kilotons.

    Like

  3. xbradtc

    Yeah. And there were some other tests as well that simulated nukes that were a bit more powerful.

    Like

  4. captainned

    I left those out because they happened after 1983.

    Like

  5. xbradtc

    Like

  6. R

    They used ,270 metric tons of Nitramex 2H explosive blow up Ripple Rock in 1958. I doubt they fit them into a single truck.

    Like

  7. Quartermaster

    I seem to remember reading of a 1 million pound ANFO charge somewhere. It may have been in my Blaster’s Manual and will have to check when I get home.

    Like

Leave a comment