Did these 3 Louisiana Men Survive the War? We honor them all on Memorial Day
"if you dare, look deep into their eyes. There you will find the horror of war absorbed deep within the soul."
While researching properties in New Orleans, one man's name led me to an article that I want to share with others. It includes 3 soldiers from - New Orleans, Slidell and Lafayette.
"They Came in Peace" - Christmas in Beirut, Part 3
04:02 PM CST on Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Brian Lukas / WWLTV Chief News Photographer
The makeshift Christmas ornaments lining the bunkers in front of the destroyed U.S. embassy were a welcome relief. It was a simple reminder of the hope that peace existed.Off in the distance, on the Mediterranean Sea, the sunset cast a shadow on the battleship New Jersey.
The broad, flickering light from her was the firepower from her massive guns unleashed on the Druse militias, who rocketed the Marine base at the International Airport on Beirut’s southern edge. We would find out that a Marine was severely wounded; later he died.Overnight, hooded Shiite Muslims and their Druse allies drove Lebanese army units from most of their checkpoints on the Muslim West Beirut commercial thoroughfares and residential neighborhoods. I woke up to a very loud mechanical clanking just outside my hotel.
The sounds of Lebanese military tanks rolling pass the hotel window quickly eliminated the little rest I hoped to get.Reports indicate at least 90 people were killed last night and more than 300 wounded in the fighting; in just two days, more than 160 people were killed, mostly civilians caught in the cross-fire. It’s a sickness – hatred is a cancer destroying everything here.At the Marine base this morning I could see the visible impact of the shelling by the U.S. 6th Fleet on the mountain range surrounding the base. Huge billows of smoke rose as the shells hit their targets.
Cpls. Herbert McKnight and Greg Nelson, both from the New Orleans area, said the Marine base was shelled by rockets overnight. Herbert was stationed in a sandbag bunker on the rooftop of the base. This bunker, accessible only by a ladder, is the highest point on the Marine base. It also appears to be a very vulnerable position, an obvious target for a sniper.Cpl. Nelson, from Slidell, manned a .50-caliber machine gun overlooking the Kalda mountain range near the rear of the base. Cpl. Brian Campbell, only 19 years old and from Lafayette, was quickly unloading supplies from a helicopter.
The choppers didn’t stay long. They couldn’t – mortars usually found their targets. Brian, Greg and Herbert, these young Marines, were reminders that wars are fought by the very young, often placed in horrific circumstances and forced to grow up quickly.Several times I asked them to move their helmet up so I could see their eyes while filming. “Son, can you move your helmet up just a little?” I said.
Later, I would say, “Marine, would you push your helmet back just a little?” 18-, 19-years old, here in hell, when others of their age are probably wrapping Christmas presents and acting goofy back home.But on the Marine base at the Beirut International Airport, the one focal point no one can pass without some reflection of what happened months earlier is the huge crater.
That crater once housed the Marines in a four story building.
Every time I moved past it, I thought of the young men like Greg, Brian and Herbert, and then I said a small prayer for the families of the 241 Marines that died here.The Marine base alarm is sounding. The Druse militias are firing mortars now. In a few seconds, we must make the decision to stay on the Marine base during the shelling and miss our satellite deadline, or leave and walk into the chaos and madness of the streets. We decide to leave. A condition-1 alert has been initiated. There are incoming mortar rounds in the distance, and the front gate will be locked shortly. The Marine base is the target.We had to leave quickly. But as I left the Marine base, I noticed a small memorial in front of the former Marine barracks. Despite the imminent danger, I couldn’t help but stop, notice and film the small bouquet of light blue flowers ringed around a Marine-issued camouflage hat.Above the flowers was a small, white sign facing east, toward the city of Beirut. The small sign simply described the Marines’ mission in Beirut: To the “24th MAU, they came in peace.”
It’s a dangerous world out there.Post Script – “Beirut Hostages”After we left Beirut in 1982, the civil war continued to rage. A more sinister series of events was about to occur. Several westerners living in Beirut were kidnapped and held as hostages. In 1984, the CIA station head William Buckley was abducted at gunpoint after leaving his apartment in West Beirut. He was held for more than a year. William Buckley was tortured and finally killed. Marine Col. William Higgins was abducted, and the horrific images of his body hanging from a tree circulated through the world. Other hostages were killed many endured immense brutality.
The victims were mostly journalists, diplomats or teachers. Most of the hostages were chosen not for any political activity or alleged misdeeds they had committed, but because of the country they came from and the ease of kidnapping them. The hostages were often treated quite cruelly, with repeated beatings and mock executions and death. It was amazing that we seemed to have slipped in and out, and through the crisis in Beirut without being victims of this cruel and sad civil war.
Ellie"
For the original article, click the Link Below. It will take you to a thread of articles.