Oct 23, 1983

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On Oct 23, 1983, 241 US Marines were killed by a suicide bomb truck while they slept in their Beirut barracks. They were in Beirut as "peace-keepers", not as part of a military campaign. They were under politically inspired orders to not be on high-alert (lest we ruffle any Arab feathers). As a result, the guards could not even get off a shot as the truck crashed the gate.

I recall my anger and frustration at the terrorists and at the American pols who had so cavalierly put our men in harm's way. I was a Reagan guy, but this occurred on his watch, so IMO, he is responsible. Two days later (Oct 25, 1983) the US invaded Grenada. Talk about "wagging the dog".

I wrote the poem below at the time of the bombing. I intentionally made it metrically "tight", trying to simulate a military tattoo. In the intervening 18 years, I forgot the bombing and the poem. Life goes on (for some of us). The came Sept 11.

I cannot write a mere poem about Sept 11. It is too big to psychologically get my arms around. Maybe some day.

Here are some links for the Beirut bombing---

Marine Corps link

Arlington National Cemetary link

Beirut Memorial link

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 22, 2001

Answers

Semper Fi, Beirut

--

They slept with ease as young men do

Their bodies strong, their questions few

With trust in Corps they did repose

The mission theirs, the life they chose

--

From country folk and ghetto masses

came these men of 'lesser' classes

Brawling, brash, ingenuous

In many ways, the best of us

--

But as they slept the zealots hated

and leaders weak equivocated

"Show good faith, don't shoot at trucks"

dear peace-keep sleeping sitting ducks

--

With smiling mullah metal madness

careened the truck of dreadful sadness

into their dream-filled foreign night

STUNBLAST BLINDING SAVAGELIGHT

--

Bodies broken, screams hung in air

Faces frozen in bloody stare

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow

Two hundred and fifty Marines ago

--

Lars 10/83

-- (lars@indy.net), October 22, 2001.


God save us from the "true-believers".

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 22, 2001.

Great piece, Lars. Too bad you had reason to blink it into existence. I'd rather it had remained unbirthed. And so it goes...

-- Rich (living_in_interesting_times@hotmail.com), October 22, 2001.

Lars, your poem is beautiful, and sad.

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), October 22, 2001.

That poem sucks, and the fact that you wrote it explains why you insist on being such a gung-ho meathead. Gotta stay "true to your guns" no matter how stupid. Grow up boy, that was 18 years ago.

-- (get@brain.now), October 22, 2001.


You are right, 18 years ago tomorrow. That's why I posted it, douchebag.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. Shall I translate for you? Naaaa, you wouldn't get it in English either.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 22, 2001.


Hey!!! Lars used the meme word!

I bet he's got that nasty creepy crawly in his head like Chekov did in Star Trek: Wrath of Khan. Didn't know Doc would go to such extremes to acquire meme recruits.

-- Rich (living_in_interesting_times@hotmail.com), October 23, 2001.


Wake the fuck up!. Lars is so out of it he doesn't know "meme" from "phlegm". He doen't know that Dubya and Osama are collaborating.

-- (sniggering@you.idiots), October 23, 2001.

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