One Moment in Time
by Major Robert T. Jordan USMC (Retired)

Mayor Jones, General Krulak, General Smith, General Benard, Colonel Driver, Distinguished Guests
Thanks: Doris Downs, Abe Rosen, Mike Ellzey, Ron Bower

"One moment in time... One horrible moment in time.

That's why we're here today. To remember... to remember a moment 15 years ago when 241 of our brothers... our sons... our husbands... our fathers... were taken away from us by the singular act of a religious zealot. But this was not a religious act. It was a political act of frustration... and it defines the kind of struggle that we may expect in future.

It's easy to condemn the truck bomber that took these precious lives from us. But he was exploited by others who used him as a tool. The reason they chose to act in this way was that they feared their interests were being thwarted. The Multinational Forces were having their intended effect. Their mission of "presence" was creating a stability that would have eventually allowed the Lebanese government to once more establish the rule of law. l think it's important to recall the events that led to that fateful moment that draws us here today.

I'm often asked: What was this mission of "presence"?

A noble experiment... a bit naive perhaps... but one that served to delay the Lebanese civil war for almost two decades once before. Soldiers, sailors and Marines came to those shores once before. In July, 1958... 40 years ago... President Eisenhower ordered an amphibious task force, combined with airborne units, to take up positions in the hills surrounding Beirut. Their arrival preempted a power play that may have launched Lebanon into a blood bath. Their presence forced the opposing factions to resort to political actions that avoided armed conflict. Though they were tested repeatedly, the Marines and soldiers refused to be drawn into the conflict. Though shots were traded from time to time... for the most part, they held their fire... hunkered down... and continued their mission. Ironically, a peaceful transition of power took place on October 23, 1958. Their mission complete, the U.S forces departed two days later.

No wonder, then that the Reagan administration chose this model when the government of Lebanon once more asked Multinational Forces of U.S., French and British units to assist in establishing stability. The Marines landed August 21,1982, to assist in the withdrawal of the PLO. By September 1st, the PLO was evacuated. By September 10, the Marines were backloading to their ships. But the massacres at Sabra and Shatilla of almost 800 Palestinian non-combatants, on September 18, outraged the world. On September 20th, the Multinational forces returned.

With each evolution of Marine Amphibious Units, it seemed that the political climate in Beirut was getting better. By May, 1983, however, the climate in Beirut's southern suburbs began to get more tense. The truck bombing of the U.S. embassy was the first effort of the dissidents to target U. S. public opinion to force the U.S. to withdraw. When constant bombardment, harassing fire, sniping attacks, grenades and car bombing of convoys failed to force us to withdraw it was decided to coordinate an attack of both the French and U.S. headquarters. Then came that terrible moment. Oct 23, 1983. In a whitehot flash, 241 sleeping US soldiers, sailors and Marines perished. Over 80 Frenchmen died moments later. Scores were wounded... and others carry unseen scars within their souls.

It is this moment that brings us here today. We come to honor the sacrifice of those who died. We come to console those who continue to suffer their loss. And we come... many of us... to heal our troubled souls.We come to recall this moment... to remind others of what happened in that distant land. Those of us who survive left a part of our hearts there. We are incomplete. There isn't a day that passes without our thoughts going back to that time... to that place... to the friends that we lost there.

The words of the late LCpl Jeffrey B. Owens of Virginia Beach ring in our hearts. Before he died on that fateful October day, he told a Time reporter, "Our job is not yet finished. We must not leave this country in such a critical state. Marines never leave a job undone."

Jeff exemplifies the brave young men who endured the testing in Beirut. They knew their mission well. Some define courage as the ability to endure. These young men were disciplined... and they were courageous... and they endured. The average Marine, soldier and sailor was only about 19 years of age. But I'd count them the par of those heroes who endured similar testing at the Chinese Legation in Peiking... at Samar... at Bataan... at Wake Island... at the Frozen Chosin... and at Khe Sahn.

Well, I'm sure Jeff now knows that Lebanon enjoys a tentative peace. But it was much too long in coming. Had our political leaders possessed the dedication and courage of men like Jeff Owen... and those companions whose names are now engraved on this wall, we could have finished that job. And we may have avoided the Gulf War... Somalia and Bosnia. It's true that we were withdrawn before we could finish our mission--but we did not fail. A legacy of peace in Lebanon remains... and the lessons learned have saved countless lives in the many expeditions that have been deployed since.

Yes... we come together in this moment to honor the loss of these young heroes who died in Beirut and in Grenada. They died pursuing the noble quest of freedom for others. But let us not forget the living who also endured.

When I entered the Corps many years ago, we were taught that the Marines who endured the ordeal in Samar were held in such respect that fellow Marines taking notice of their presence would often say: "Gentlemen, please stand. This Marine served on Samar." Well... today I'd like to have the Beirut survivors and those who served in Grenada to stand. Ladies and gentlemen... these men deserve your respect... they endured band they held true to their trust ... in Beirut and in Grenada.

For those of you who have lost loved ones... l know the pain of loss you feel. l lost my wife, Midge, three years ago. A hole still remains in my heart. But some time ago I stopped dwelling on what l lost ... and began remembering that I enjoyed 38 years of magic and rainbows with her. l urge you to focus not on what you've lost... but on the joys you shared with your loved one.

The songstress, Whitney Houston, sings the Olympic anthem "One Moment in Time." Give me one moment in time... when I can be more that I thought I could be. These men here today... and those whose names are engraved here... had that moment in time. And each, in their own way, proved to be "more than they thought they could be." Let us then, in our remembering, recall the good things they shared with us... their ready smiles... their sensitive hearts... their pride in being part of something greater than themselves.

... l leave you with the BVA motto: "The First Duty is to Remember." Semper Fi! "