[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16089]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEIRUT BOMBING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I am on the floor today in remembrance of the 
bombing of the United States Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, 
30 years ago.
  On October 23, 1983, at approximately 6:20 in the morning, a truck 
packed with explosives broke security and detonated outside of the 
barracks, killing 241 Americans and wounding 128 more.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe it is appropriate that, on the 30th 
anniversary of this act of terrorism, we recognize the sacrifice of the 
individuals who lost life and limb, and join with the families and 
friends of the victims in mourning their loss.
  Furthermore, I believe that we should learn from the example of 
America's leader at the time of the bombing, President Ronald Reagan. 
President Reagan appreciated the sacrifice made by our servicemembers 
and was deeply pained by the loss of life.
  While many other Presidents would have continued sacrificing young 
men and women for the sake of the mission in Lebanon, President Reagan 
acknowledged his mistake. I would like to take a moment to read a 
statement he made regarding the bombing:

       Perhaps we didn't appreciate fully enough the depth of the 
     hatred and the complexity of the problems that made the 
     Middle East such a jungle. Perhaps the idea of a suicide car 
     bomber committing mass murder to gain instant entry to 
     Paradise was so foreign to our own values and consciousness 
     that it did not create in us the concern for the marines' 
     safety that it should have.
       In the weeks immediately after the bombing, I believed the 
     last thing we should do was to turn tail and leave. Yet the 
     irrationality of Middle East politics forced us to rethink 
     our policy. If there would be some rethinking of policy 
     before our men die, we would be a lot better off. If that 
     policy had changed toward more of a neutral position and 
     neutrality, those 241 marines would be alive today.

  I have read these quotes from President Reagan to honor the sacrifice 
of the 241 marines and their families. They did not die in vain, but 
gave their lives to bring peace to a troubled area.
  The leaders of our country must learn from tragedies like Beirut that 
our men and women in uniform are very precious. Our foreign policy must 
be formed with a better understanding of the commitment and purpose in 
a mission before we risk the life of one single American.
  I believe sincerely that this was the point President Reagan was 
making as he remarked with remorse on the bombing of the marine 
barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 23 of 1983.
  Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege to represent Camp Lejeune Marine 
Base and other bases in eastern North Carolina, and I have visited the 
Beirut memorial many times to look at the names, certainly people I 
never knew and probably would not have known.
  But the point is that our foreign policy continues today in 
Afghanistan. We have had six Americans killed in the last week. In the 
bill that passed recently to raise the debt ceiling, there was $30 
billion for Karzai, who is a crook.
  I do not understand this Congress, why we continue to sacrifice our 
young men and women, and why we continue to send money that we do not 
have to a foreign dictator and we cut programs for children and seniors 
who want to have a meal.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, in closing, I honor the 241 who died by 
saying I ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform, to 
please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. And Dear 
God, I ask You to continue to bless America.

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