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City of Jacksonville to host annual Beirut Memorial Observance on Thursday

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published October 23, 2025 at 6:43 AM EDT
The Beirut Memorial is a memorial to the 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers who were killed in the October 23, 1983 Beirut barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon. It is located outside of Camp Gilbert H. Johnson, a satellite camp of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ginnie Lee)
The Beirut Memorial is a memorial to the 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers who were killed in the October 23, 1983 Beirut barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon. It is located outside of Camp Gilbert H. Johnson, a satellite camp of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

The City of Jacksonville will host its annual Beirut Memorial Observance on Thursday.

It’s been 42 years since 241 American service members were killed in the suicide truck bomb attacks in 1983, many Marines from Camp Lejeune; then Jacksonville Mayor, Zander Guy, promised the city that they would never forget those killed and current Mayor, Sammy Phillips, is the sixth mayor to keep this promise.

The memorial will be held at the Lejeune Memorial Gardens at 10:30am. Brigadier General Joel F Schmidt, Assistant Division Commander and Mayor Phillips are among those scheduled to speak.

The public is invited to attend and parking will be at the Veterans Cemetery. Officials add that guests will have to enter a security checkpoint that does not allow glass containers, illicit substances, weapons, tasers, drones and more.
Annette Weston
Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to eastern North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of kiddo cuddling, reading, and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston