One early morning in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. I was jogging along the trail I used to run when stationed there years ago. The sights and sounds that characterize the culture there echoed through: birds chirping, cadence calls in the distance as Marine units participate in early morning runs, and the sun just starting to peek through an orange sky. Then suddenly, a silhouette appears in the distance. There at the end of the running trail, a common point in which to turn around, sits a lonely monument, bronze, with names carved in stone, in remembrance of the Marines, Sailors and Soldiers that died in the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut.
These men may not have completely understood why they were in Beirut, classified officially as a peacekeeping mission. As military men and women, we are conditioned not to have opinions or pass judgement on the rightness of our cause--that is for the President or the private citizen to do. We have only to carry out our mission, be it peace or combat. Fittingly, carved on this monument, are the words:
THEY CAME IN PEACE
Perhaps this monument will serve another purpose, as a reminder to what can happen when nations or people are not able to resolve their differences. Stone is an interesting medium. Its effect is permanent, and perhaps the only thing we remember about past civilizations, being the only surviving record. Stone most certainly has its place for expression. The electronic medium, in contrast, is more immediate, more volatile, more distributable, and will serve another purpose, to remind us of the ultimate sacrifice that all of these men have made in the service of their country.
Scanning over the 247 names, one in particular stands out as slightly different--an HM3 Joseph P. Milano. This was not a Marine, but a Navy Corpsman. Most people do not know that a Navy Corpsman is different from a Marine, for Corpsman are indistinguishable within a unit; they march with Marines, eat with them, train with them, and ultimately, in this case, they died with them.
It is because of the small awareness of this monument, that I have worked with the parents and loved ones to help create The Beirut Memorial On Line. In this way, others will be able to read, reflect and again be reminded of the sacrifice that these men have made.
