Today in History- October 23rd BEIRUT BARRACKS BLOWN UP:October 23, 1983A suicide bomber drives a truck packed with explosives into the U.S. Marinebarracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. military personnel. That same morning, 58French soldiers were killed in their barracks two miles away in a separatesuicide terrorist attack. The U.S. Marines were part of a multinational forcesent to Lebanon in August 1982 to oversee the Palestinian withdrawal fromLebanon. From its inception, the mission was plagued with problems--and amounting body count.In 1975, a bloody civil war erupted in Lebanon, withPalestinian and leftist Muslim guerrillas battling militias of the ChristianPhalange Party, the Maronite Christian community, and other groups. During thenext few years, Syrian, Israeli, and United Nations interventions failed toresolve the factional fighting, and on August 20, 1982, a multinational forceincluding 800 U.S. Marines was ordered to Beirut to help coordinate thePalestinian withdrawal.The Marines left Lebanese territory on September 10 butreturned in strengthened numbers on September 29, following the massacre ofPalestinian refugees by a Christian militia. The next day, the first U.S. Marineto die during the mission was killed while defusing a bomb. Other Marines fellprey to snipers. On April 18, 1983, a suicide bomber driving a van devastatedthe U.S. embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans. Then, onOctober 23, a Lebanese terrorist plowed his bomb-laden truck through three guardposts, a barbed-wire fence, and into the lobby of the Marines Corps headquartersin Beirut, where he detonated a massive bomb, killing 241 marine, navy, and armypersonnel. The bomb, which was made of a sophisticated explosive enhanced bygas, had an explosive power equivalent to 18,000 pounds of dynamite. Theidentities of the embassy and barracks bombers were not determined, but theywere suspected to be Shiite terrorists associated with Iran.After the barracksbombing, many questioned whether President Ronald Reagan had a solid policy aimin Lebanon. Serious questions also arose over the quality of security in theAmerican sector of war-torn Beirut. The U.S. peacekeeping force occupied anexposed area near the airport, but for political reasons the marine commanderhad not been allowed to maintain a completely secure perimeter before theattack. In a national address on October 23, President Reagan vowed to keep themarines in Lebanon, but just four months later he announced the end of theAmerican role in the peacekeeping force. On February 26, 1984, the main force ofmarines left Lebanon, leaving just a small contingent to guard the U.S. embassyin Beirut.------------------------------------------------------------------MORE GENERAL INTEREST42 B.C. Brutus commits suicide1855 Rival governments in bleeding Kansashistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=general&month=10272962&day=10272988AUTOMOTIVE1970 The Blue Flame Rockets Into The Record Bookshistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=automotive&month=10272962&day=10272988CIVIL WAR1864 Battle of Westport, Missourihistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=civil&month=10272962&day=10272988COLD WAR1956 Hungarian protest turns violenthistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=coldwar&month=10272962&day=10272988CRIME1998 An abortion-performing doctor is murderedhistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=crime&month=10272962&day=10272988ENTERTAINMENT1950 Al Jolson dieshistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=entertainment&month=10272962&day=10272988LITERARY1942 Michael Crichton is bornhistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=literary&month=10272962&day=10272988OLD WEST1813 American fur traders turn over Astoria, Oregon, to the Britishhistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=oldwest&month=10272962&day=10272988VIETNAM WAR1965 1st Cavalry Division launches Operation Silver Bayonethistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=vietnamwar&month=10272962&day=10272988WALL STREET1975 Middle Class Gets a Breakhistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=wallstreet&month=10272962&day=10272988WORLD WAR II1941 Soviets switch commanders in drive to halt Germanshistorychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=worldwarii&month=10272962&day=10272988