Iran targeted and intentionally murdered American servicemembers who had been deployed to Beirut, Lebanon on a peacekeeping mission. The Marines were not permitted to carry loaded weapons and, despite being fired upon by factions of Islamic extremists, had to seek special permission before returning fire. The Marines, the finest fighting force in the world, showed tremendous restraint by not engaging in active combat under the circumstances.
The suicide bombing on October 23, 1983 was, at the time, the single largest non-nuclear explosion in world history. It was the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jim in World War II; and the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Armed Forces since the first day of the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. The bombing of the Marine barracks is very much the beginning of the United States’ war against terror.
(Civil Action# 1:19-cv-377), currently pending before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
The plaintiffs are American servicemembers and members of their families that were personally affected by the
October 23, 1983 terrorist bombing.
