The First Duty is to Remember
This is a repost of something I wrote 3 years ago, commemorting the events of 25 years ago today in Beirut, Lebannon. (I did change the "22 years ago" to 25 today)
Here is a line to the online Beirut Memorial, which was offline for a while but seems to be back up and running.
The title to this post is a link to a list that has great meaning to me. If you believe the War on Terror started on 9/11, you definitely need to follow the link, and remember, it started long before that. (I changed it on 10/24/05, after finding a wonderful entry in a guestbook about that day).
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25 years ago today was my very first morning waking up on a Navy ship. I was onboard the USS Iwo Jima, waiting for a flight to my ship, the USS New Jersey floating around off the coast of Lebanon.
I didn't get to wake up to a bugle, or reveille, or some droll thing like that. Instead I was shaken out of a sound sleep, and asked what type blood I had, because they needed donations.
My blood type wasn't necessary, so instead I was sent to the flight deck, and told to unload helo's. That was the first time I had a chance to ask "What the hell's going on", and was told the Marine barracks had been destroyed by some kind of bomb.
When the helo's started landing we were told where to go, two at a time, and grab a stretcher. Believe me, this was not what I'd expected when I joined the Navy.
I don't know how many stretchers I carried, I only specifically remember one, that's because it was a SEAL I'd had a few beers with a couple of days earlier in Sicily, while we waited for a flight. I do know that medical overflow on the Iwo Jima held about 100 people, and it was pretty full.
Later that evening I was asked if I wanted to go to "the beach" and help with the search. I couldn't do it. I'd seen more death, and maiming in the first 10 hours I was awake that day than I had in 18 previous years (or the 23 since), and the idea of going and looking for people in ruble just wasn't working. Instead, I spent the next two hours on the fantail of the ship, alternating between crying and puking.
For the next two nights I slept in a Marine berth, directly above the wounded jarheads, sailors, and soldiers, listening to their pain, wondering what the hell I'd gotten myself into.
On 25 October I finally got a flight off of Iwo to my actual duty station, USS New Jersey. I will say I took great satisfaction in the fact that on December 14th we fired our 16" guns on some positions ashore. I was even happier in February 1984, when we fired 288 rounds on my watch. We completely depleted the stores for turret one that night, and had to give the duties to #2.
241 were killed 10/23/1983, hundreds others injured, many families destroyed, I will never forget them, you shouldn't either.
For those of you who believe George Bush or any other American is to blame for the "War on Terror", get a clue, the war started much earlier. It started even before my first hand experience, in April of 1983 when the US Embassy was bombed in Beirut killing 63, including 17 Americans.
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10/23/08
I also wanted to note in here, that for many years I was kind of a PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) doubter. I thought that "hey, I'd been through some trauma, and I'm okay", so folks must be whining. Then one night last year, The Travel Channel replayed Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" episode filmed in Beirut on 12 July 2006. For those who've forgetten, a new war started there on that day.
Seeing the images of the same types of landing craft I watched there for months, the same type helicopters (we haven't upgraded many) and shells going off in the same skyline during the evactuation caused me to start shaking, crying, and finally to turn the TV off. I didn't sleep right for the next few nights, and still haven't watched the whole episode. Some day.
Here is a line to the online Beirut Memorial, which was offline for a while but seems to be back up and running.
The title to this post is a link to a list that has great meaning to me. If you believe the War on Terror started on 9/11, you definitely need to follow the link, and remember, it started long before that. (I changed it on 10/24/05, after finding a wonderful entry in a guestbook about that day).
*****************************************************************
25 years ago today was my very first morning waking up on a Navy ship. I was onboard the USS Iwo Jima, waiting for a flight to my ship, the USS New Jersey floating around off the coast of Lebanon.
I didn't get to wake up to a bugle, or reveille, or some droll thing like that. Instead I was shaken out of a sound sleep, and asked what type blood I had, because they needed donations.
My blood type wasn't necessary, so instead I was sent to the flight deck, and told to unload helo's. That was the first time I had a chance to ask "What the hell's going on", and was told the Marine barracks had been destroyed by some kind of bomb.
When the helo's started landing we were told where to go, two at a time, and grab a stretcher. Believe me, this was not what I'd expected when I joined the Navy.
I don't know how many stretchers I carried, I only specifically remember one, that's because it was a SEAL I'd had a few beers with a couple of days earlier in Sicily, while we waited for a flight. I do know that medical overflow on the Iwo Jima held about 100 people, and it was pretty full.
Later that evening I was asked if I wanted to go to "the beach" and help with the search. I couldn't do it. I'd seen more death, and maiming in the first 10 hours I was awake that day than I had in 18 previous years (or the 23 since), and the idea of going and looking for people in ruble just wasn't working. Instead, I spent the next two hours on the fantail of the ship, alternating between crying and puking.
For the next two nights I slept in a Marine berth, directly above the wounded jarheads, sailors, and soldiers, listening to their pain, wondering what the hell I'd gotten myself into.
On 25 October I finally got a flight off of Iwo to my actual duty station, USS New Jersey. I will say I took great satisfaction in the fact that on December 14th we fired our 16" guns on some positions ashore. I was even happier in February 1984, when we fired 288 rounds on my watch. We completely depleted the stores for turret one that night, and had to give the duties to #2.
241 were killed 10/23/1983, hundreds others injured, many families destroyed, I will never forget them, you shouldn't either.
For those of you who believe George Bush or any other American is to blame for the "War on Terror", get a clue, the war started much earlier. It started even before my first hand experience, in April of 1983 when the US Embassy was bombed in Beirut killing 63, including 17 Americans.
****************************************************************
10/23/08
I also wanted to note in here, that for many years I was kind of a PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) doubter. I thought that "hey, I'd been through some trauma, and I'm okay", so folks must be whining. Then one night last year, The Travel Channel replayed Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" episode filmed in Beirut on 12 July 2006. For those who've forgetten, a new war started there on that day.
Seeing the images of the same types of landing craft I watched there for months, the same type helicopters (we haven't upgraded many) and shells going off in the same skyline during the evactuation caused me to start shaking, crying, and finally to turn the TV off. I didn't sleep right for the next few nights, and still haven't watched the whole episode. Some day.
Labels: 10/23/1983, Beirut, Terrorism
posted by Crazy Politico at 4:48 PM
5Comments:
You're welcome NM.
Someone asked me once, if that was your first day, how could you do 20 years? The answer was actually pretty easy, "How much worse could it get".
Amen. and Amen.
CP,
Thanks for the reminder. I was there with you. I was on the Virginia (CGN 38) then. If I remember right it was a quiet Sunday morning and then boom. We were just over a mile off the coast and the guys on watch could still hear it on the ship. We sent in about 30 guys to help with clean up. None of them came back the same. Some one had to do it, but no one should see that.
Bill,
Definitely a crappy day that changed my very small town midwest outlook on the world.
I definitely agree no one should have to see that. The triage area in the hanger on Iwo was something that made the worst episode of M*A*S*H look like Scrubs.
11 02 08
CP: Glad you are okay and sorry you had a panic attack. I have been diagnosed with PTSD and it is trippy. At times when I am okay a smell or certain color might stimulate bad memories. Usually I can control the kneejerk reaction to cry or yell or scream, but sometimes I feel like I am losing my mind. This is part of PTSD and I am happy there are more practitioners that treat it. Turns out that many of the standard antidepressants don't work, but EMDR and hypnotherapy, along with marijuana therapy (at least in Israel) have shown to be effective.
Take Care, and I hope you are enjoying your grandbaby!
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