Loved ones honor and remember Marines killed in Beirut bombing: 'It needs to be observed and not forgotten'

JACKSONVILLE, NC — It's been 40 years since a suicide bomber hit an American military barracks at Beirut International Airport, killing 241 U.S. service members, most of them Marines.

The solemn anniversary was marked at a memorial to those killed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Tammy Freshour, whose husband 1st Lieutenant David Nairn was killed in the attack, had never visited the memorial prior to the October 2023 ceremony.

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"I just couldn’t handle it before that. I knew I couldn’t," Freshour said.

She called the ceremony honoring her late husband and others special and helpful with the healing.

"It was good to see other family members still having such strong emotions," she said. "Makes me feel like, I’m okay, I’m in good company."

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That feeling of camaraderie is what drew other family members to the ceremony.

"I’m not by myself.  I’m not alone. I’m not the only one who remembers my husband and all the other men who sacrificed their lives for a mission, an honorable mission," Thomasine Bayard, whose husband was killed, said.

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Marines who survived the attack also attended to honor those who never came home.

"It’s nice to regroup with Marines I’ve served with, you know, some of them are not able to come for PTSD reasons or health reasons," survivor Tony Blaha said. "It needs to be observed and not forgotten."

Survivor Mike Puckett said he relives that period of time every day of his life.

"There’s no way I can forget this," Puckett said. "After the tragedy, after the bombing, we spent time cleaning up, making sure the bodies were returned home properly.  My unit did that."

More than 3,000 people attended the 40th-anniversary ceremony to remember and honor those killed in the attack.

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"We will always be here, just as we always honor the veterans of Belleau Wood, we honor veterans of Iwo Jima, we Honor the Marines of BLT 18," General Eric Smith said.

For Tammy Freshour, both the ceremony and the wall brought her peace.

"I’m still in love with the military and our Marines," she said. "Especially my Marine.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.