Phantom Blooper
10-19-03, 07:34 PM
Tributes collect at Beirut shrine
October 19,2003
TIMMI TOLER
DAILY NEWS STAFF
At the Beirut Memorial, usually at the foot of "The Peacekeeper," they find them - a faded picture of a mother and child, a candle with an American flag beside it or a patch with military insignia.
The tributes to the troops killed in the 1983 terrorist bombing range from the obvious - a handmade wreath with flowers - to the obscure, a single Marlboro cigarette enclosed in a cellophane bag.
A folded letter written by a sailor asks if he should remain in the Navy. A journal logs the thoughts written by a Marine just days before 9-11.
Since the Beirut Memorial was dedicated in 1986 at the entrance to Camp Johnson, mementos from the past or pieces of the present have been left behind by visitors. Since 1989 when the statue was put in place, most have been dropped at its feet.
That doesn't surprise Ron Bower, a member of the Beirut Advisory Board who has written a historical account of the Beirut Memorial. The memorial was planned shortly after the attack that killed 241 service members, most of them Marines and sailors from Camp Lejeune.
The 20th anniversary of the Oct. 23 bombing will be recalled with observances Thursday at the site in Jacksonville.
"It's a place that maintains a great deal of emotional sanctity," Bower said. "It offers a place where people can come and renew their spirit."
And the items they leave behind are handled with care.
Master Sgt. Ed Wafford, facilities chief at Marine Combat Service Support Schools, is in charge of the Marine detail at Camp Johnson. Its members collect these items on a daily basis.
Flowers are left at the memorial for a week then removed. The rest of the items are carefully itemized in a log book, and then sent to the Camp Lejeune base historian.
Wafford's crew, which also safeguards the memorial, has collected more than 20 items this year.
"The most common items we find are flowers and flags; you can only imagine what the people were thinking that left them behind," said Wafford.
"When you see the awards, medals and photographs left behind, you can't help but pay reverence and respect to it - you know that person is going through some sort of healing process."
Wafford said letters are a common find, and the Marines have guidelines on how to deal with them.
"If they're not sealed, they are OK to read," said Wafford. "If they are sealed, they stay sealed. We respect the privacy of the person that wrote it."
Bower said the site remains powerful even 20 years after the act of terrorism.
"It offers an emotional bond for people," Bower said.
"It's similar to touching the headstone at a gravesite and being able to tell that person, 'I'm here.'"
He said he also believes it offers a point of departure for visitors who may not have known any of the men whose names are engraved in the wall.
"People can go there and understand that there are things much bigger than themselves and what's happening to them on a daily basis. They can see that in the grand scheme of life, those things aren't that important."
October 19,2003
TIMMI TOLER
DAILY NEWS STAFF
At the Beirut Memorial, usually at the foot of "The Peacekeeper," they find them - a faded picture of a mother and child, a candle with an American flag beside it or a patch with military insignia.
The tributes to the troops killed in the 1983 terrorist bombing range from the obvious - a handmade wreath with flowers - to the obscure, a single Marlboro cigarette enclosed in a cellophane bag.
A folded letter written by a sailor asks if he should remain in the Navy. A journal logs the thoughts written by a Marine just days before 9-11.
Since the Beirut Memorial was dedicated in 1986 at the entrance to Camp Johnson, mementos from the past or pieces of the present have been left behind by visitors. Since 1989 when the statue was put in place, most have been dropped at its feet.
That doesn't surprise Ron Bower, a member of the Beirut Advisory Board who has written a historical account of the Beirut Memorial. The memorial was planned shortly after the attack that killed 241 service members, most of them Marines and sailors from Camp Lejeune.
The 20th anniversary of the Oct. 23 bombing will be recalled with observances Thursday at the site in Jacksonville.
"It's a place that maintains a great deal of emotional sanctity," Bower said. "It offers a place where people can come and renew their spirit."
And the items they leave behind are handled with care.
Master Sgt. Ed Wafford, facilities chief at Marine Combat Service Support Schools, is in charge of the Marine detail at Camp Johnson. Its members collect these items on a daily basis.
Flowers are left at the memorial for a week then removed. The rest of the items are carefully itemized in a log book, and then sent to the Camp Lejeune base historian.
Wafford's crew, which also safeguards the memorial, has collected more than 20 items this year.
"The most common items we find are flowers and flags; you can only imagine what the people were thinking that left them behind," said Wafford.
"When you see the awards, medals and photographs left behind, you can't help but pay reverence and respect to it - you know that person is going through some sort of healing process."
Wafford said letters are a common find, and the Marines have guidelines on how to deal with them.
"If they're not sealed, they are OK to read," said Wafford. "If they are sealed, they stay sealed. We respect the privacy of the person that wrote it."
Bower said the site remains powerful even 20 years after the act of terrorism.
"It offers an emotional bond for people," Bower said.
"It's similar to touching the headstone at a gravesite and being able to tell that person, 'I'm here.'"
He said he also believes it offers a point of departure for visitors who may not have known any of the men whose names are engraved in the wall.
"People can go there and understand that there are things much bigger than themselves and what's happening to them on a daily basis. They can see that in the grand scheme of life, those things aren't that important."