thedrifter
10-23-08, 05:25 AM
Ceremony honors former 1/8 commander
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Formation on Liversedge Field brings Beirut veterans together
October 22, 2008 - 7:08PM
JENNIFER HLAD
He remembers a commotion and going to the window.
1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment Commander Lt. Col. Larry Gerlach was in his second-floor office the morning of Oct. 23, 1983. When the suicide bomb exploded, he was blown from the building.
He doesn't remember much else.
"We didn't know if he was going to live or die," remembers Monte Hoover, a captain at the time of the bombing who retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Gerlach was in the hospital for months recovering from his injuries, and he didn't really know about the bombing until December. He was medically retired from the Marine Corps and never had a chance to have a change of command ceremony.
Wednesday, his men presented him with the colors of the unit he commanded. The flag replaced the one destroyed in the bombing.
"The greatest honor of my life was being commanding officer of 1/8," Gerlach told his Marines, lined up in formation on Liversedge Field at Camp Lejeune. "I'll treasure these colors for the rest of my life."
The formation brought together veterans from various tours of Beirut - including some who served in Lebanon in 1958, many from the 1982-1984 time frame and a few who served in the country in 1976 and 2006.
William Kilgore, a lance corporal with 1/8's Charlie Company at the time of the bombing, said it was good to be able to get together with the other men from the unit.
"These guys are better friends than any friend back home," he said.
He called Lee Haynes, who also served in Charlie Company, his "brother."
Haynes said the events surrounding the bombing anniversary can help the men heal.
The morning of the bombing, Haynes and another man were on post when the hairs on their arms and the backs of their necks stood up.
"It's an old expression, but I felt like someone walked over my grave," Haynes said. After the explosion, it took a few minutes before they realized the battalion landing team's headquarters was gone.
"It's something you never forget," he said, looking around at his fellow veterans. "But this is a good day."
Bernard Manly was asleep when the bomb went off. He woke up wedged between two slabs of concrete, upside down, but he could see trucks driving by through a hole in the wreckage.
"I didn't know what had happened," Manly said.
It wasn't until the Marines began digging him out that he realized the magnitude of the destruction.
"One Marine looked down and said to me, ‘You're one lucky son of a *****!'" Manly said.
For 10 years after the bombing Manly said he repressed the memories. But then it all came flooding back.
"I realized there was a big part of me that was still there," he said. Being with other Beirut veterans helps the healing process, he said.
Gerlach said he never stops thinking about the men he served with and those he lost.
"They gave their lives, performing the noble mission," he said. "These weren't just numbers to me, they were real, live people."
Contact interactive content editor Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467. Click here for more stories, photos and videos related to the Beirut anniversary.
Ellie
Comments 0 | Recommend 2
Formation on Liversedge Field brings Beirut veterans together
October 22, 2008 - 7:08PM
JENNIFER HLAD
He remembers a commotion and going to the window.
1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment Commander Lt. Col. Larry Gerlach was in his second-floor office the morning of Oct. 23, 1983. When the suicide bomb exploded, he was blown from the building.
He doesn't remember much else.
"We didn't know if he was going to live or die," remembers Monte Hoover, a captain at the time of the bombing who retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Gerlach was in the hospital for months recovering from his injuries, and he didn't really know about the bombing until December. He was medically retired from the Marine Corps and never had a chance to have a change of command ceremony.
Wednesday, his men presented him with the colors of the unit he commanded. The flag replaced the one destroyed in the bombing.
"The greatest honor of my life was being commanding officer of 1/8," Gerlach told his Marines, lined up in formation on Liversedge Field at Camp Lejeune. "I'll treasure these colors for the rest of my life."
The formation brought together veterans from various tours of Beirut - including some who served in Lebanon in 1958, many from the 1982-1984 time frame and a few who served in the country in 1976 and 2006.
William Kilgore, a lance corporal with 1/8's Charlie Company at the time of the bombing, said it was good to be able to get together with the other men from the unit.
"These guys are better friends than any friend back home," he said.
He called Lee Haynes, who also served in Charlie Company, his "brother."
Haynes said the events surrounding the bombing anniversary can help the men heal.
The morning of the bombing, Haynes and another man were on post when the hairs on their arms and the backs of their necks stood up.
"It's an old expression, but I felt like someone walked over my grave," Haynes said. After the explosion, it took a few minutes before they realized the battalion landing team's headquarters was gone.
"It's something you never forget," he said, looking around at his fellow veterans. "But this is a good day."
Bernard Manly was asleep when the bomb went off. He woke up wedged between two slabs of concrete, upside down, but he could see trucks driving by through a hole in the wreckage.
"I didn't know what had happened," Manly said.
It wasn't until the Marines began digging him out that he realized the magnitude of the destruction.
"One Marine looked down and said to me, ‘You're one lucky son of a *****!'" Manly said.
For 10 years after the bombing Manly said he repressed the memories. But then it all came flooding back.
"I realized there was a big part of me that was still there," he said. Being with other Beirut veterans helps the healing process, he said.
Gerlach said he never stops thinking about the men he served with and those he lost.
"They gave their lives, performing the noble mission," he said. "These weren't just numbers to me, they were real, live people."
Contact interactive content editor Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467. Click here for more stories, photos and videos related to the Beirut anniversary.
Ellie