On October 23, 1983, the Beirut Barracks were attacked when two truck bombs struck separate buildings that housed United States and French military forces in Lebanon, killing 241 American servicemen (220 Marines, 18 Sailors and three Soldiers).  Another 128 Americans were wounded in the blast.

Thirteen later died of their injuries, and they are numbered among the total number who died.  59 French military members were also killed in the attack.

This attack was the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since World War II’s Battle of Iwo Jima.

These attacks eventually led to the withdrawal of the international peacekeeping force from Lebanon, where they had been stationed since the withdrawal of the Palestine Liberation Organization following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

The SIGINT team assigned to this mission was 2nd Radio Battalion.  Listed below were those Marines involved in intelligence activities that were killed as a result of the attack (these five Marines were not SIGINTers).

Capt Walter WINT                 S-2, 24th MAU             Wilkes-Barre, PA
MSgt John PEARSON           S-2, Chief, BLT, 1/8       Jacksonville, NC
SSgt Thomas THORSTAD     CI Attached                 Chesterton, IN
SSgt Kevin COULMAN          CI Attached                 Seminary, NY
Sgt Ronald GARCIA              2nd ITT, Attached       Jacksonville, NC

The explosives used were later estimated to be equivalent to as much as 21,000 pounds of TNT.  An obscure group calling itself ‘Islamic Jihad’ claimed responsibility for the bombings.