the Deadly Bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut — and Biden’s Afghanistan – Opinion

23 October 1983: A suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with explosives to the U.S. Marine bars in Beirut, Lebanon. 241 U.S. personnel were killed.

The U.S. Marine Corps suffered the worst single-day loss of life since World War II’s Battle of Iwo Jima. This also marks the most tragic single-day casualty for the United States Armed Forces (USAF) since the start of the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War. The way that we see Islamist terror has been forever altered by it. It should.

I beg your pardon for these atrocious typos.

USA Today reported that the Americans had been in Lebanon in 2013 as part of an operation to restore stability in the nation. Then-President Barack “Red Line” Obama said: “They came in peace.”

Needless to say, as I began to write — actually before I started, which is why I wrote the article —my mind drifted (immediately shot) to another, much more recent suicide terrorist bombing that killed U.S. troops.

In hopefully the last “nation-building” adventure the United States foolishly chooses to attempt — every one of which has failed — American forces first went to Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, to track down Al-Qaeda and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was finally killed by Navy SEAL Team 6 on May 2, 2011 — but American servicemen and women remained in the war-torn country.

Joe Biden, the hapless American politician, announced that all U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan had been evacuated. The withdrawal began in May and ended in September. The rest is history — a terrible history that will forever stain the presidency of Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. and damage respect of and trust in America for years to come. It didn’t have to end that way.

On August 26, two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked frenzied crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport in the waning days of an airlift of those fleeing the Taliban takeover. According to Afghan officials and U.S. military personnel, the attack resulted in at least 60 Afghanis being killed and 13 U.S. soldiers being injured. It didn’t have to happen that way.

It didn’t need to be that way, period. It wasn’t about leaving. Biden abandoned strategically important locations, leaving behind untold numbers American citizens trapped behind enemy lines by the Taliban terrorist group.

The History channel reported that many Americans wondered if President Ronald Reagan was able to achieve a strong policy goal in Lebanon after the bombardment of barracks in Lebanon. There were serious questions about security in war-torn Beirut.

Although the U.S. Peacekeeping Force occupied an area close to the airport, it was not allowed for the Marine Commander to keep a secure perimeter.

Reagan made a speech on October 23 and pledged that the US would keep the marines alive in Lebanon. But, four months later, Reagan announced that the American participation in the peacekeeping force was ending.

The main force of Marines left Lebanon on February 26, 1984. Only a few marines remained to protect the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

Are you ringing any bells?

Joe Biden, incidentally, was not available to comment.

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