![]() The 24th MAU expanded the mission of presence during their deployment to Beirut. On 30 October 1982, the 24th MAU relieved the 32d MAU. Throughout their deployment the 32d MAU did not engage in any combat. The Marines spent the majority of their time constructing defenses and building bonds with the local population and other MNF troops. ![]() The 32d MAU’s time in Beirut was relatively peaceful, with the exception of a Marine killed during mine sweeping operations and the occasional stray round of small arms fire from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Farmer described the mission as “80 percent political, 20 percent military.” This mission would remain in place for the Marines throughout the entirety of their deployment. The Marines mission revolved around the concept of providing “presence.” American political leaders thought that the presence of armed Marines would deter the warring factions from fighting and provide time for the Lebanese government to regain control of the situation. On 29 September, the 32d MAU landed on the coast of Lebanon and occupied positions around Beirut International Airport (BIA). With Lebanon descending back into instability and chaos, President Ronald Reagan again ordered the 32d Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) to Beirut as part of the MNF. Though the evacuation briefly ended the fighting, the assassination of the newly elected Lebanese president, followed by the massacre of Palestinian refugees in Beirut camps shattered any hopes of a lasting peace. Marines, French, and Italian forces, evacuated more than 6,000 PLO members over the course of 17 days. ![]() Beginning on 25 August, a MNF comprised of U.S. spearheaded the resolution to the conflict by proposing the evacuation of PLO fighters from Beirut. The superior Israeli forces quickly reached the outskirts of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The United States and international community unsuccessfully sought a resolution to the fighting, and Israel invaded southern Lebanon in June 1982 in order to defeat the PLO. However, PLO forces remained and used Lebanon as a base of operations for harassing attacks into Israel. While these were the major combatants, three major religious groups and 47 different sects and political factions all vied for power during this time.Īt the request of the Lebanese Government, Syrian troops restored order to the region and remained in country under an Arab League mandate. The increasing friction between the factions ignited a civil war in 1975 between PLO, Christian, and Muslim forces. The presence of these immigrants exacerbated festering, age-old ethnic and religious differences. ![]() Palestinian refugees fleeing the conflicts and members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) exiled from Jordan in 1970-71 sought safe haven in Lebanon. ![]() The immediate cause of the fighting in the 1980s that precipitated Marine involvement directly stemmed from the Arab-Israeli conflicts of 19. The conflicts in Lebanon that preceded Marine involvement in 1982 were complex, the causes multifaceted, and the roots of the violence traced back centuries. The bombing was the deadliest single day for the Marine Corps since D-Day at Iwo Jima in 1945, and came to symbolize the Marine mission in Lebanon. Unfortunately, the Marines were fighting an enemy using terrorist tactics and 241 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers, lost their lives in a suicide truck bombing on 23 October 1983. As the MNF gradually compromised their neutrality, the Marines became targets of militias and responded with deadly force as a means of self-preservation. The United States government intended to provide a neutral, stabilizing force in Lebanon, but this proved increasingly difficult as the mission progressed. The Marines were to maintain a visible “presence” in the capital of Beirut, in the hopes that it would deter further bloodshed among the various warring factions and militias fighting for control of the country. The Beirut Bombing: Thirty Years Later Prepared by Historical Reference Branch Graduate Student Intern from University of West Florida Public History Program, Summer 2013Ī little more than thirty years ago, in 1982, the Marines began a peacekeeping mission as part of a multinational force (MNF) in war torn Lebanon. ![]()
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