JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Wednesday marked the 41st anniversary of one of the worst days in United States Marine Corps history.
On October 23, 1983, a group called Islamic Jihad -- later found to have links to Hezbollah -- claimed responsibility for killing 241 U.S. military personnel, including 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers in a terrorist bombing of the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Terrorists drove two trucks filled with explosives later estimated to be equivalent to approximately 12,000 pounds of TNT into buildings housing a multinational peacekeeping force,
To this day, that event remains the largest one-day loss of life the Marine Corps has suffered since the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima.
After the attack, President Ronald Reagan said: "I know there are no words that can express our sorrow and grief for the loss of those splendid young men."
At the Beirut Memorial at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, they paused to remember on Wednesday.
"Though they are gone from our eyes, these Marines and sailors are not lost from your sight. Their courage and sacrifice serving as an inspiration for generations to come," said Navy Lieutenant LT Justin Brown, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment Chaplain.
Earlier, members of the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment conducted a 241-mile Run of Remembrance to honor the fallen.
Congressman Greg Murphy (R-North Carolina) released a statement, saying, "As we remember the selfless heroes who sacrificed their lives in service to our nation, I ask you to join me in praying for the continued peace and healing of their families."