By Mireille Rebeiz
Early this September, Michael Stringent invited me and my family camping in upstate New York. I was not sure about it because this was noordinary trip. It was a reunion for Beirut veterans, specifically for those who were assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1stBattalion, 8th Marines, 24th Marine Amphibious Unit, 2nd Marine Division.
These Marines were all deployed to Beirut between May and November 1983, where Michael Stringent, and Jeff Darling, the mastermindbehind this gathering and host, served as infantrymen.
I was invited due to my research on the American presence in Lebanon during the civil war, but also because of my relationship with Beirutveterans that has become a beautiful story of humbling friendship and strong connection.
In my household, Michael Stringent is Uncle Stringe, or the Pop-Corn Man, because he works in the snack industry. He is a loud, stubborn,and proud Italian American who thinks St. Michael has the answer to everything. As for Jeff Darling, he is JD to us, a generous calm manwith beautiful blue eyes through which one can see his soul. Both are my American brothers, and I can rely on them for anything.
The Beirut veterans and I share a unique bond: we all survived the war in Lebanon, and the pain of what we witnessed still haunts us to thisday.
In fact, back in 1982, the Marines were called to participate in a Multinational Peacekeeping Force (MNF) in a war-torn Lebanon.
The creation of the State of Israel in 1948 led to the killing of thousands of Palestinians and their displacement from their lands. Many endedup as refugees in neighboring countries. In 1964, Palestinian refugees got organized and created the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO),which started fighting against Israel from Jordan then Lebanon.
The Lebanese opinion was divided on the Palestinian cause, between those who wanted to sign peace with Israel, and those who wanted tofight alongside the Palestinians. This division was costly, and in April 1975, Lebanon descended into a civil war that put Lebanese Christiansin opposition to Lebanese and Palestinian Muslims.
In June 1982, Israel Defense Forces, under the orders of the Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, launched Operation Peace for Galilee and invadedLebanon with the purpose of eliminating Palestinian fighters firing rockets into northern Israel.
Iran responded to Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and its brutal siege in Beirut, which killed 17,000 to 19,000 people, by training Shia fighters inthe Bekaa valley. Also, Iran rejected the MNF’s role as peacekeepers and viewed them as an extension of American imperialism in the region.
On Oct. 23, 1983, two terrorist attacks targeted the American and French barracks killing 241 American servicemembers and 58 Frenchparachutists. To this day, the Beirut barracks bombing is the deadliest single-day attack on American military since World War II. TheIslamic Jihad, a pro-Iranian group, claimed responsibility for both attacks. Today, it is allegedly linked to the Iran-backed Shia terroristgroup known as Hezbollah, or The Party of God.
When the Marines returned home, they were asked to forget about what they saw in Lebanon and move on. I moved to the United Statesthinking that I am leaving it all behind me.
Little did we know that one carries war within, and the current events in Gaza and Lebanon are resurrecting images of Beirut in 1983 andopening wounds that never really healed.
The scenario is the same, so are the players: Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, and the United States.
And if history is repeating itself, it is because the world ignored veterans and survivors’ stories, and in the last four decades, there has beenno serious effort to negotiate sustainable peace in the region. War and weapons became the only language of communication between allparties.
As hate is festering, the Israeli hostages remain hostages, Palestinians and Lebanese civilians continue to die, and the Beirut veterans and Icontinue to watch in disbelief the epic failure of humanity.