thedrifter
06-08-04, 07:35 AM
President shared pain of Marine community
June 08,2004
CAROLE MOORE
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The day President Reagan visited Camp Lejeune to attend a memorial service for those killed in the Beirut bombing dawned stormy and dismal.
It never got better on that Nov. 4, 1983, less than two weeks after 241 servicemen, most from Camp Lejeune and New River Air Station, were killed when a military outpost was bombed by terrorists in Beirut.
There was no sun. No blue sky. No rainbow. No promise that things would soon be better. Just a damp funk that enshrouded the entire community.
The weather perfectly matched the attitude of those who attended the service.
"As we approached the traffic circle in the dark, the mood was set for the day with the simple words, 'In Memoriam' on the announcement sign across from base headquarters," said Bonnie Throckmorton, a longtime Jacksonville resident and regular contributor to the Daily News.
She vividly recalled the heavy downpour as Camp Lejeune Marines awaited the arrival of their commander-in-chief.
"I remember watching the Marine uniforms turn from green to black as the water soaked in. The flags from all the base units formed the backdrop against the water. As they were whipping in the wind and rain, three helicopters came out of the darkness, flying just above the ground. We knew President Reagan had arrived," Throckmorton said.
From where the press sat during the service, many rows back from the raincoat-clad president, the world appeared as a sea of umbrellas. They mushroomed over the heads of guests, victims and the reporters who tried to take notes during the short, but moving, memorial service.
Reagan came to honor the Camp Lejeune Marines and sailors killed on Oct. 23, an event that sent Jacksonville and Camp Lejeune into a tailspin.
In the hours and days that followed the bombing, Marines prepared to deploy to Beirut to assist in rescue efforts and provide additional security. Jacksonville would be besieged with media representatives. Reporters from the networks and national newspapers and magazines converged on the town, along with the international press corps. Gen. Al Gray, who commanded the Second Marine Division, to which the Beirut contingent was attached, held regular press briefings.
Jacksonville residents discovered the extent of their loss as confirmed casualty numbers climbed. So many of the men who perished were friends, neighbors and integral parts of the community. Jacksonville, like the rest of the nation, looked to its president for both leadership and inspiration.
Reagan was popular in this conservative military town. Perceived as both pro-military and an able leader, most in Jacksonville felt that he was someone to take seriously in the world arena, a man who didn't bluff or back down from a fight. The kind of leader a fighting force such as the Marines could feel confident in following.
Glenn Hargett, who now works for the city of Jacksonville, was there for WJNC radio station, along with Ron Brown, the station's general manager. Throckmorton was there as a Marine wife.
Hargett remembers the scrambling for passes to attend the memorial services, which were followed by a private meeting between Reagan and the families of those who died.
"The rain may have kept some away, but I have a distinct memory of local officials, chamber members, the faith community and others waiting in long lines for the check in," Hargett said.
The press had arrived very early so their equipment could be searched. In those days members of the Fourth Estate weren't really accustomed to such scrutiny - not like in a post 9-11 world. Bags, purses, cameras, recorders and notebooks were carefully screened and reporters, photographers and sound crews passed through metal detectors. The press was in an area far behind the president, who was distinguishable only by his khaki raincoat and the cadre of Secret Service agents flanking him. First Lady Nancy Reagan, accompanied the president. Dressed in black, she hovered under a huge umbrella.
After their arrival from Cherry Point Air Station, the Reagans made their way through the crowd and shook hands with survivors of the blast who were seated on the front row. Many were in wheelchairs.
The ceremony was brief, but moving, and the president didn't speak. Hargett says the quote that resonated most with him came from one of the Navy chaplains at the service who observed, "You think that it would break the heart of God," in referring to the Marines who were lost in the bombing.
For Throckmorton, the most memorable - and poignant - moment was when a child's tiny voice cried out from the section in which the families were seated, "Where's my Daddy?"
"Never let it be said Marines don't cry," Throckmorton said.
It was a day no one who witnessed it would forget. Although the president didn't address the crowd, his presence spoke volumes to the Marines who attended the service and the families of those killed. President Reagan gave the impression of a man who stood tall and uncompromised; someone who remained unbent despite the cowardly attack in Beirut.
And those who were there said he had precisely the right stuff to lead the American people at that time and place in history.
http://www.jacksonvilledailynews.com/Photo/060804_regan.jpg
Regan Presidential Library
Helping bear a military community’s grief: The president and first lady mourn with those at Camp Lejeune on Nov. 4, 1983.
http://www.jacksonvilledailynews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=23206&Section=News
Ellie
June 08,2004
CAROLE MOORE
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The day President Reagan visited Camp Lejeune to attend a memorial service for those killed in the Beirut bombing dawned stormy and dismal.
It never got better on that Nov. 4, 1983, less than two weeks after 241 servicemen, most from Camp Lejeune and New River Air Station, were killed when a military outpost was bombed by terrorists in Beirut.
There was no sun. No blue sky. No rainbow. No promise that things would soon be better. Just a damp funk that enshrouded the entire community.
The weather perfectly matched the attitude of those who attended the service.
"As we approached the traffic circle in the dark, the mood was set for the day with the simple words, 'In Memoriam' on the announcement sign across from base headquarters," said Bonnie Throckmorton, a longtime Jacksonville resident and regular contributor to the Daily News.
She vividly recalled the heavy downpour as Camp Lejeune Marines awaited the arrival of their commander-in-chief.
"I remember watching the Marine uniforms turn from green to black as the water soaked in. The flags from all the base units formed the backdrop against the water. As they were whipping in the wind and rain, three helicopters came out of the darkness, flying just above the ground. We knew President Reagan had arrived," Throckmorton said.
From where the press sat during the service, many rows back from the raincoat-clad president, the world appeared as a sea of umbrellas. They mushroomed over the heads of guests, victims and the reporters who tried to take notes during the short, but moving, memorial service.
Reagan came to honor the Camp Lejeune Marines and sailors killed on Oct. 23, an event that sent Jacksonville and Camp Lejeune into a tailspin.
In the hours and days that followed the bombing, Marines prepared to deploy to Beirut to assist in rescue efforts and provide additional security. Jacksonville would be besieged with media representatives. Reporters from the networks and national newspapers and magazines converged on the town, along with the international press corps. Gen. Al Gray, who commanded the Second Marine Division, to which the Beirut contingent was attached, held regular press briefings.
Jacksonville residents discovered the extent of their loss as confirmed casualty numbers climbed. So many of the men who perished were friends, neighbors and integral parts of the community. Jacksonville, like the rest of the nation, looked to its president for both leadership and inspiration.
Reagan was popular in this conservative military town. Perceived as both pro-military and an able leader, most in Jacksonville felt that he was someone to take seriously in the world arena, a man who didn't bluff or back down from a fight. The kind of leader a fighting force such as the Marines could feel confident in following.
Glenn Hargett, who now works for the city of Jacksonville, was there for WJNC radio station, along with Ron Brown, the station's general manager. Throckmorton was there as a Marine wife.
Hargett remembers the scrambling for passes to attend the memorial services, which were followed by a private meeting between Reagan and the families of those who died.
"The rain may have kept some away, but I have a distinct memory of local officials, chamber members, the faith community and others waiting in long lines for the check in," Hargett said.
The press had arrived very early so their equipment could be searched. In those days members of the Fourth Estate weren't really accustomed to such scrutiny - not like in a post 9-11 world. Bags, purses, cameras, recorders and notebooks were carefully screened and reporters, photographers and sound crews passed through metal detectors. The press was in an area far behind the president, who was distinguishable only by his khaki raincoat and the cadre of Secret Service agents flanking him. First Lady Nancy Reagan, accompanied the president. Dressed in black, she hovered under a huge umbrella.
After their arrival from Cherry Point Air Station, the Reagans made their way through the crowd and shook hands with survivors of the blast who were seated on the front row. Many were in wheelchairs.
The ceremony was brief, but moving, and the president didn't speak. Hargett says the quote that resonated most with him came from one of the Navy chaplains at the service who observed, "You think that it would break the heart of God," in referring to the Marines who were lost in the bombing.
For Throckmorton, the most memorable - and poignant - moment was when a child's tiny voice cried out from the section in which the families were seated, "Where's my Daddy?"
"Never let it be said Marines don't cry," Throckmorton said.
It was a day no one who witnessed it would forget. Although the president didn't address the crowd, his presence spoke volumes to the Marines who attended the service and the families of those killed. President Reagan gave the impression of a man who stood tall and uncompromised; someone who remained unbent despite the cowardly attack in Beirut.
And those who were there said he had precisely the right stuff to lead the American people at that time and place in history.
http://www.jacksonvilledailynews.com/Photo/060804_regan.jpg
Regan Presidential Library
Helping bear a military community’s grief: The president and first lady mourn with those at Camp Lejeune on Nov. 4, 1983.
http://www.jacksonvilledailynews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=23206&Section=News
Ellie