Beirut Stamp Initiatiave - Honoring the MultiNational Peacekeeping Force, Beirut Lebanon

Beirut Stamp Initiative

They Came In Peace - Beirut Memorial - Jacksonville, NC

"At approximately 0622 on Sunday, 23 Oct. 1983, the Battalion Landing Team headquarters building in the Marine Amphibious Unit compound at Beirut International Airport was destroyed by a terrorist bomb. The catastrophic attack took the lives of 241 Marines, sailors and soldiers and wounded more than 100 others. The bombing was carried out by one lone terrorist driving a yellow Mercedes Benz stake-bed truck that accelerated through the public parking lot south of the BLT headquarters building, where it exploded. The truck drove over the barbed and concertina wire obstacle, passed between two Marine guard posts without being engaged by fire, entered an open gate, passed around one sewer pipe barrier and between two others, flattened the Sergeant of the Guard's sandbagged booth at the building's entrance, penetrated the lobby of the building and detonated while the majority of the occupants slept. The force of the explosion [12,000 pounds] ripped the building from its foundation. The building then imploded upon itself. Almost all the occupants were crushed or trapped inside the wreckage."
-DoD Commission Report

In memory of those lost to the first act of
terrorism towards Americans on October 23, 1983
and to the others who died while serving
both before and after

and

To honor the
Peacekeepers of the
Multi-National Peacekeeping Force
Beirut, Lebanon

"They Came In Peace"
Semper Fidelis

Our objective is to have this stamp commissioned on/before the 25th Anniversary
October 23, 2008

ACTION ALERT: Contact your Congressional Representative!

UPDATE: The following letter, along with supporting documentation, was hand delivered to the USPS Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee for their reveiw for their July 2008 Meeting. We hope by reapplying for a Beirut Stamp honoring the Beirut Memorial will finally be accepted and passed. We still need you to write your congressional representative and ask for their support with H. Res. 887.

Founders:
Mrs. Judith C. Young
Co-Founder, Beirut Stamp Initiative
Co-Founder, Beirut Connection
Past National President, American Gold Star Mothers
Member, Board of Directors, Beirut Veterans of America
Mother of Sgt. Jeffrey D. Young, USMC
2nd Recon, 2nd MAR DIV
KIA Beirut Oct. 23, 1983

Mrs. Joan Muffler
Co-Founder, Beirut Stamp Initiative
Co-Founder, Beirut Connection
Mother of L/Cpl John F. Muffler, USMC
KIA Beirut Oct. 23, 1983

Historian:
Chuck Hall
SSGT USMC (Ret.)
Charlie Company, 1/8,
1st Platoon Guide
Beirut, Lebanon May 83-Nov 83

Webmaster:
Bill Kibler
24th MAU, MSSG 24, Supply Plt
L/Cpl
10/82 - 2/83
E-Mail the Webmaster

In The News

Fitting Tribute
USAF Times
Mother recalls tragic period: Anniversary of son's death in Beirut near
Marines Magazine
One more stamp would fit right in
Stamp of approval
National Memorial Day Parade 2005
USMC's "Your Corps" Video (11/04)
[ Low Res | High Res ]
Wreath presented at Tomb of the Unknown, Arlington National Cemetery
Oct. 23, 2004
Howell, MI Veteran of Beirut Wants Mission Honored
Useless Knowledge.com
Sister of Survivor Keeps Beirut Bombing in Mind
Beirut Marines Remembered at Arlington Cemetery
Postal Honors Elusive
Piecing Together the Past
Peterson vs. Iran
(AKA Beirut Families Lawsuit)

24th Marine Amphibious Unit Commanding Officer Timothy J. Geraghty, far right, discusses ongoing recovery efforts at the destroyed BLT 1/8 headquarters in Beirut Lebanon with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Paul X. Kelley and Vice President George H. Bush on Oct. 25, 1983.

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference.
The Marines don't have that problem."

- President Ronald Reagan, 1985

"Their loss is not in vain and we will not break faith with them in the tasks we have ahead... We did not know they would be the first casualties -- among the first -- in the war on terrorism"

- Lt. Gen. Jan C. Huly, USMC
Arlington Cemetery, October 23, 2003

"The terrorist threat to our nation did not emerge on Sept. 11, 2001. Long before that day, radical, freedom-hating terrorists declared war on America and on the civilized world. The attack on the Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983,..."

- Dr. Condoleezza Rice
National Security Advisor
Statement to Commission on Terrorist Attacks
April 8, 2004

"We pay tribute to their service that allows us to live. They went to protect the innocent and shield the most vulnerable. The mission was inherently dangerous, and they had the courage to be involved in something bigger than themselves... Beirut was the first battlefield in the Global War on Terrorism"

- Maj. Gen. David F. Bice,
Marine Corps Inspector General
October 23, 2004, Camp Lejeune, NC

For the brothers I lost who have fallen for our freedom I didn't say goodbye,
Though I know they paid the price that all who serve must be willing to die.
I have those in my heart and though not in my sight, I know they're near at hand.
For when I die and lay to rest, as my final Taps is played by the Marine Corps best.
It won't be 'Goodbye' I'll be saying, but 'See ya later' and 'Hello' to those near at hand.

- Jack Anderson.
Beirut Bombing Survivor
August 2005

"Beirut did not mean that much to American History and not enough people were killed."

- USPS Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee
One of the several reasons given to deny us during the past 18+ years.
( See the Beirut Stamp Initiative Resolution )

Recent entries on the Stamp Petition worth noting:

Proud father of L/Cpl Dwayne W. Wigglesworth - KIA Beirut Oct. 23 1983. Actually there should be 241 stamps... but we need the first one at least by the 25th aniversary on Oct 23, 2008. Please ask all your family ands friend to sign this petition
Henry Wigglesworth, #10390

As the daughter of a deceased WWII serviceman and the proud Mother of a United States Marine, I can only say what an honor it will be to place that stamp on ever piece of mail going out of my home and business.
Teresa Harden, #10325

I sign this Petition as the father of a Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy with the hope that by remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice the world will be a safer place as my son fulfills his committment and duty this country.
Michael J. Iacopino, #10285

I was just a kid at the time, but I remember these guys. I'm sure there are still many family members and friends who have yet to have a day go by without remembering. For "them" to say that these men don't merit a postage stamp is an insult, but regardless, they will always be heros.
Donald Steitz, #9827

As a Beirut veteran, it really hurts my heart for those that didn't make it back, with the rest of us. Not a year has goes by, that all those servicemen who died in Beirut, and their love ones, do I not think about and pray for. This year will make the 23rd year anniversary, and I've only been able to get to the monument in North Carolina, one time. But with my career in the Corps coming to a close, and knowing that the Jacksonville, N.C. area will be my home, I look forward to all the many years to come and visit the site. May God bless them, and keep them and their loved one's.
Master Sergeant Frank J Raymond, #9774

I was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1982 and have lived in the US since 1983... I not only Lebanese but a US Marine. I think this stamp is important and that every Marine should know this was an act of terrorism and does not portray the Lebanese people or culture in anyway. God Bless

Ibrahim Kobeissi. #8431

Honor my father and the other brave men who died needlessly
Tyson Hendrickson, #8421

I "sign" this petition as US Army Soldier, for the Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines that died.
Casey Cross, #8386

My uncle served honorably and was severely wounded and subsequently medically retired from injuries while in Beirut. I'm adding my name to this petition in his honor.
GySgt John D. Crites, #8151

I was 13 yrs. old when the Beirut bombing happened....that one incident prompted me to join the service in 89. At age 13 I cried for the loss of those Marines as did my mother and father. Thats when I knew for sure what the word HERO ment. I became an airborne medic years later for the Army. It was those Marines that I could not help or save as a boy who gave me the courage to help and save the rest of this countries heros as an adult. May God bless the famlies of those who were lost. Even if they never get a stamp which they truely earned as the first real American casualties in the war on terror.... It started with those brothers.. Those HEROS.
Aerron M. Tate, #6355

Read these and others, and please sign our petition and show your support!

ACTION ALERT!

12/18/2007 - Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC) has reintroduced legislation supporting a congressional resolution for the Beirut Stamp.

Please contact your Congressional Representative and ask them to sign onto H. Res. 887 "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in remembrance of the victims and in honor of the veterans of the peacekeeping mission in Beirut, Lebanon, from 1982 to 1984. "

Find your Representative

Bill Status via thomas.loc.gov

Current Co-Sponsors on the bill


In Memoriam (links to Beirut Memorial Online) "The Other Wall" The Other Wall has 273 Names 270 for Beirut, and 3 for Grenada

The Beirut Story:
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(Requires Flash) A very moving presentation / documentary.

Arlington Cemetery - 22 who are buried there