Hampered by a multitude of unexploded ordnance, sniper fire, and terrorist’s attacks, the presence of the Marines in Beirut turned to tragedy when on the morning of 23 October 1983 two truck bombs struck separate buildings housing U.S. Marines and French forces killing nearly 300 American and French servicemembers. It was the single deadliest day in U.S. Marine Corps history since World War II’s Iwo Jima battles.
