thedrifter
12-03-08, 07:21 AM
Vermont Veterans honored at Statehouse
By Wilson Ring, Associated Press Writer | December 2, 2008
MONTPELIER, Vt. --In 1983, when Marine Corps Master Sgt. Richard Lemnah of St. Albans went to Beirut he was eligible to get out of the service, but he extended his time in the military so he could retire at his higher rank, his brother said Tuesday.
Just months before he could retire to Vermont, Lemnah, then 37, a Vietnam veteran, was killed in the Oct. 23, 1983 suicide bombing of the Beirut military barracks that killed 241 U.S. service members, most of them Marines.
Lemnah's service and his sacrifice was honored at the Vermont Statehouse Tuesday when his brother Robert Lemnah of Burlington accepted two state medals in his memory. They'll be given to Richard's widow, who couldn't attend the ceremony.
"I wish that had happened when my mother was still living. She's been gone for maybe five years," said Robert Lemnah, 71, of Burlington, a musician who served 29 years in the active duty military and National Guard. "I am sure she would have liked to have been here to receive this."
Every year since 2002, the state has honored veterans with the Vermont Veterans Medal, for honorable military service and the Vermont Distinguished Service Medal, for people who served in combat theaters.
At Tuesday's ceremony, the state also honored children of some of the Vermonters killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere by presenting them gold medals of remembrance.
Richard Lemnah was in Beirut in 1983 as part of an international peacekeeping mission when a suicide car bomber blew up the barracks where hundreds were staying. The victims included 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers. A separate and nearly simultaneous blast killed 58 French soldiers.
Robert Lemnah said he was on his way to a military school when he heard about the bombing in Beirut. His first thought was his brother would have survived, because his rank would keep him apart from other Marines.
"Dick is probably OK, Dick is a master sergeant. He was probably billeted in a different area," Robert Lemnah said he thought at the time. "That wasn't the case."
Richard Lemnah was honored in the aftermath of his death, there's even a road named after him in St. Albans. But over the years his sacrifice has been eclipsed by more recent losses, his brother said.
"I'd like to know how come it took so long. He certainly was worth honoring," Robert Lemnah said.
The idea to honor Richard Lemnah was conceived by his widow Marty who still lives in St. Albans, but was out of state on Tuesday, Robert Lemnah said.
"These medals will go to her in honor of Richard," he said after the ceremony.
Ellie
By Wilson Ring, Associated Press Writer | December 2, 2008
MONTPELIER, Vt. --In 1983, when Marine Corps Master Sgt. Richard Lemnah of St. Albans went to Beirut he was eligible to get out of the service, but he extended his time in the military so he could retire at his higher rank, his brother said Tuesday.
Just months before he could retire to Vermont, Lemnah, then 37, a Vietnam veteran, was killed in the Oct. 23, 1983 suicide bombing of the Beirut military barracks that killed 241 U.S. service members, most of them Marines.
Lemnah's service and his sacrifice was honored at the Vermont Statehouse Tuesday when his brother Robert Lemnah of Burlington accepted two state medals in his memory. They'll be given to Richard's widow, who couldn't attend the ceremony.
"I wish that had happened when my mother was still living. She's been gone for maybe five years," said Robert Lemnah, 71, of Burlington, a musician who served 29 years in the active duty military and National Guard. "I am sure she would have liked to have been here to receive this."
Every year since 2002, the state has honored veterans with the Vermont Veterans Medal, for honorable military service and the Vermont Distinguished Service Medal, for people who served in combat theaters.
At Tuesday's ceremony, the state also honored children of some of the Vermonters killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere by presenting them gold medals of remembrance.
Richard Lemnah was in Beirut in 1983 as part of an international peacekeeping mission when a suicide car bomber blew up the barracks where hundreds were staying. The victims included 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers. A separate and nearly simultaneous blast killed 58 French soldiers.
Robert Lemnah said he was on his way to a military school when he heard about the bombing in Beirut. His first thought was his brother would have survived, because his rank would keep him apart from other Marines.
"Dick is probably OK, Dick is a master sergeant. He was probably billeted in a different area," Robert Lemnah said he thought at the time. "That wasn't the case."
Richard Lemnah was honored in the aftermath of his death, there's even a road named after him in St. Albans. But over the years his sacrifice has been eclipsed by more recent losses, his brother said.
"I'd like to know how come it took so long. He certainly was worth honoring," Robert Lemnah said.
The idea to honor Richard Lemnah was conceived by his widow Marty who still lives in St. Albans, but was out of state on Tuesday, Robert Lemnah said.
"These medals will go to her in honor of Richard," he said after the ceremony.
Ellie