About the Beirut Coin
This challenge coin is to honor those who gave of themselves the ultimate sacrafice, while serving as peacekeepers of the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force, Beirut, Lebanon, 1982-1984.
On one side of the coin honors those who served as part of the American contingent of the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force, Beirut, Lebanon, 1982-1984. "They Came In Peace". The number 241 honors those killed on October 23, 1983. (220 Marines, 18 Sailors, and 3 Soldiers.)
The other side of the coin honors the branches of service of all those KIA. (The United States Air Force was also a participant of the MNPF, however they did not have any service member killed in the line of duty.) The number 270 honors the names of 273 names on the Beirut Memorial (aka the 'Other Wall'). The other 3 names on the Beirut Memorial are those KIA while serving in Grenada.
To learn more about the men whom this coin honors, as well as the mission, please visit the Beirut Memorial Online.
As a result of the sales of the coin thru July 2006, A donation in the amount of $400 was donated to the American Gold Star Mothers, in the attention of Mrs. Judith Young, outgoing and now Past National President and Beirut Gold Star Mother, which assisted her with her 2006 National Convention expenses in July of 2006.
We will continue to use the proceeds as a fundraiser for various non-profit organizations.
SSGT Chuck Hall (USMC Ret.), Historian for the Beirut Stamp Initiative, documents:
On Sunday, October 23,1983 at approximately 6:20 a.m. 241 Marines, sailors and soldiers were killed and hundreds of others were wounded or disabled. This was the result of a suicide truck, laden with explosives carrying the equivilant of 20,000 pounds of TNT that detonated on the ground floor of BLT 1/8 headquarters barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The largest non-nuclear explosion of its time. Other servicemen from 1982-1984 perished from sniper fire and other atrocities. Others died years later or are permantly disabled as the result of their wounds. This makes a total of 270 Marines, sailors and soldiers that died during a peacekeeping mission.
October 27th 1983 President Ronald W. Reagan broadcasted a speech to the American people about the BLT 1/8 24th MAU headquarters barracks bombing. Here is a quote from his speech seconds before closing, “They were not afraid to stand up for their country or, no matter how difficult and slow the journey might be, to give to others that last, best hope of a better future. We cannot and will not dishonor them now and the sacrifices they’ve made by failing to remain as faithful to the cause of freedom and the pursuit of peace as they have been.”
Since then, countless Gold Star Mothers, Family Members, Beirut Veterans, and American Citizens have petitioned to have a commemorative USPS Postage Stamp commissioned. Having been denied for over 18+ years thus far, they still remain dedicated to their cause. You can visit the Beirut Stamp Initiative website and if you haven't already done so, sign their online petition showing your support.
Related Websites
Beirut Veterans.info
BeirutStamp.com
BeirutVeterans.org
