The annual observance to mark the 39th anniversary of the 1983 Beirut bombing will be held at the Beirut Memorial on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
The observance will honor the 273 fallen service members, many of which were stationed at Camp Lejeune, and survivors who served in Lebanon from 1958 to 1984 and in Grenada.
The annual event is organized by the Beirut Memorial Advisory Board in cooperation with the City of Jacksonville, Marine Corps Installations East and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
Representatives from 1/8 Marines are key members of this observance as their battalion was deployed in Beirut during the bombing, and it was the barracks building for the 1/8 Battalion Landing Team that was bombed on Oct. 23, 1983.
Mayor Sammy Phillips is the sixth Jacksonville mayor to repeat the words “We will not forget” to the families of those who have names on the wall. It has become the solemn duty of the city’s mayor to renew the pledge at each observance.
