Sign-In
Cart
Beirut, 1983: The Marine Barracks Bombing, the French Drakkar Attack, and the Day Peacekeeping Changed Forever
Paperback
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9798183948387
Publisher: Independently Published
Pages: 566
Weight: 2.14
Height: 1.15 Width: 7.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
Publisher: Independently Published
Pages: 566
Weight: 2.14
Height: 1.15 Width: 7.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
Beirut, 1983
On the morning of October 23, 1983, Beirut became the site of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks against Western military forces in modern history.
At approximately 6:22 a.m., a suicide truck bomb struck the U.S. Marine barracks at Beirut International Airport, collapsing the four-story headquarters building of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. The attack killed 241 American service members: 220 Marines, 18 Navy personnel, and 3 Army soldiers.
On the morning of October 23, 1983, Beirut became the site of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks against Western military forces in modern history.
At approximately 6:22 a.m., a suicide truck bomb struck the U.S. Marine barracks at Beirut International Airport, collapsing the four-story headquarters building of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. The attack killed 241 American service members: 220 Marines, 18 Navy personnel, and 3 Army soldiers.
Minutes later, a second suicide vehicle bomb struck the French Drakkar building across the city, killing 58 French paratroopers. In American memory, the Marine barracks bombing became a defining wound for the Marine Corps. In French memory, Drakkar became a national military tragedy. Together, the two attacks marked a coordinated strike against the Multinational Force and exposed the deadly gap between peacekeeping language and battlefield reality.
Beirut, 1983 tells the full story of that morning and the conflict that made it possible. It examines Lebanon's civil war, the Israeli invasion, Syrian influence, Iranian revolutionary reach, the rise of Hezbollah, and the difficult mission faced by American, French, Italian, and British forces. It follows the Marines at the airport, the French paratroopers at Drakkar, the warnings that preceded the bombings, the rescue efforts beneath the rubble, the casualty notifications that reached families at home, and the investigations that followed.
This is not only a story of terrorism. It is a story of mission ambiguity, force protection, intelligence failure, national grief, and military memory. It is also a memorial to the men who died: Marines, sailors, soldiers, and French paratroopers who came to Lebanon under the banner of peace and were killed in a war that had already marked them as targets.
For too long, Drakkar has remained secondary in many English-language accounts. This book restores the French dead to the center of the story, beside the American dead, where they belong.
They came in peace.
The war came for them anyway.
Author Bio
Wayne J. Gombar is a United States Marine Corps veteran, federal infrastructure professional, and historical nonfiction author whose work focuses on military history, national security, crisis response, and the human cost of conflict.
Raised in Washington, D.C., Gombar built a career spanning more than three decades in telecommunications, critical infrastructure, federal contracting, security systems, and mission-support operations for government and defense-related customers. His professional background includes work supporting complex infrastructure programs for federal agencies, correctional institutions, military installations, and national-security environments.
As an author, Gombar writes with a focus on disciplined research, operational context, and respect for those who served. His books examine not only what happened, but why it happened, how decisions were made, and how military events shaped families, institutions, doctrine, and national memory.
In Beirut, 1983, Gombar brings together his Marine Corps background and his interest in military history to examine the October 23, 1983, attacks on the U.S. Marine barracks and the French Drakkar building. The book reflects his commitment to honoring both the American and French dead while explaining the broader history of Lebanon, the Multinational Force, force protection, terrorism, and the painful lessons written into that morning.
Gombar lives in South Carolina with his wife, Tracey and their pups, Tucker and Trixie.
Beirut, 1983 tells the full story of that morning and the conflict that made it possible. It examines Lebanon's civil war, the Israeli invasion, Syrian influence, Iranian revolutionary reach, the rise of Hezbollah, and the difficult mission faced by American, French, Italian, and British forces. It follows the Marines at the airport, the French paratroopers at Drakkar, the warnings that preceded the bombings, the rescue efforts beneath the rubble, the casualty notifications that reached families at home, and the investigations that followed.
This is not only a story of terrorism. It is a story of mission ambiguity, force protection, intelligence failure, national grief, and military memory. It is also a memorial to the men who died: Marines, sailors, soldiers, and French paratroopers who came to Lebanon under the banner of peace and were killed in a war that had already marked them as targets.
For too long, Drakkar has remained secondary in many English-language accounts. This book restores the French dead to the center of the story, beside the American dead, where they belong.
They came in peace.
The war came for them anyway.
Author Bio
Wayne J. Gombar is a United States Marine Corps veteran, federal infrastructure professional, and historical nonfiction author whose work focuses on military history, national security, crisis response, and the human cost of conflict.
Raised in Washington, D.C., Gombar built a career spanning more than three decades in telecommunications, critical infrastructure, federal contracting, security systems, and mission-support operations for government and defense-related customers. His professional background includes work supporting complex infrastructure programs for federal agencies, correctional institutions, military installations, and national-security environments.
As an author, Gombar writes with a focus on disciplined research, operational context, and respect for those who served. His books examine not only what happened, but why it happened, how decisions were made, and how military events shaped families, institutions, doctrine, and national memory.
In Beirut, 1983, Gombar brings together his Marine Corps background and his interest in military history to examine the October 23, 1983, attacks on the U.S. Marine barracks and the French Drakkar building. The book reflects his commitment to honoring both the American and French dead while explaining the broader history of Lebanon, the Multinational Force, force protection, terrorism, and the painful lessons written into that morning.
Gombar lives in South Carolina with his wife, Tracey and their pups, Tucker and Trixie.
Also in
Armed Forces
Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World
Wallace, Chris
Hardcover
From $11.99
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
Ambrose, Stephen E.
Paperback
$11.99
A Crisis of Peace: George Washington, the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the Fate of the American Revolution
Head, David
Hardcover
$14.99
The Last of the Old Breed: An Oral History of the Final Marines from World War II
Davis, Scott
Hardcover
$27.00
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Paperback
$21.59
Kennedy's Coup: A White House Plot, a Saigon Murder, and America's Descent Into Vietnam
Cheevers, Jack
Hardcover
$33.25
Losing Freedom: Socialism and the Growing Threat to American Life, Liberty and Free Enterprise
Dee, Laura
Blue, Linden
Paperback
$15.59
God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood
Craven, Jasper
Hardcover
$27.55
The Boys in the Light: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood
Willner, Nina
Hardcover
$33.25
Until the Last Gun Is Silent: A Story of Patriotism, the Vietnam War, and the Fight to Save America's Soul
Delmont, Matthew F.
Hardcover
$28.80
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
Ambrose, Stephen E.
Paperback
$18.99
The Confederacy Myth: How an Insurrection of Slaveholders Tried to Destroy the United States
Williams, Connor
Hardcover
$28.50
The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
Gladwell, Malcolm
Paperback
From $10.99
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Hardcover
$38.00
Send It: Canada's Snipers at War in Afghanistan
Bahmanyar, Mir
Cullen, Gordon
Nisbet, Barry C.
Paperback
$24.99
The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America Into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us at Home
Freeman, Ben
Hartung, William D.
Hardcover
$27.00
The Making of the American Mind: The Story of Our Declaration of Independence
Spalding, Matthew
Hardcover
$31.34
George Washington's One-Man Army: The Life, Legend, and Battles of Peter Francisco
Palmer, John T.
Hardcover
$32.95
Ortiz's War: The Allies' Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France
Reynolds, Nicholas
Sanders, Katie
Hardcover
$28.49
The Winter Army: The World War II Odyssey of the 10th Mountain Division, America's Elite Alpine Warriors
Isserman, Maurice
Paperback
$18.04
Splendid Liberators: Heroism, Betrayal, Resistance, and the Birth of American Empire
Jackson, Joe
Hardcover
$35.10
American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant
Tyson, Ann Scott
Paperback
$19.99
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam
Moore, Harold G.
Galloway, Joseph L.
Paperback
$18.99
Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War
Tapper, Jake
Hardcover
$28.50
Henry Knox's Noble Train: The Story of a Boston Bookseller's Heroic Expedition That Saved the American Revolution
Hazelgrove, William Elliott
Hardcover
$34.95
A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II
Makos, Adam
Alexander, Larry
Paperback
From $10.99
Doom 34: A Firsthand Account of the Top-Secret Mission that Launched Operation Desert Storm
Morriss, Trey
Hardcover
$28.45
Aberration in the Heartland of the Real: The Secret Lives of Timothy McVeigh
Painting, Wendy S.
Paperback
$23.70
A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II
Alexander, Larry
Makos, Adam
Hardcover
$29.45
This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History, Fiftieth Anniversary Edition
Fehrenbach, T. R.
Paperback
$31.30
PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy
Doyle, William
Paperback
$18.04
Partisans and Redcoats: The Southern Conflict That Turned the Tide of the American Revolution
Edgar, Walter B.
Paperback
$12.34
Shot Down: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth
Snyder, Steve
Paperback
$18.95
Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance
Grdovic, Mark
Paperback
$24.99
George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution
Kilmeade, Brian
Yaeger, Don
Paperback
$19.95
Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
Miller, Donald L.
Paperback
$21.85
No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden
Owen, Mark
Maurer, Kevin
Paperback
$19.00
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
Ambrose, Stephen E.
Hardcover
$30.40
The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware
O'Donnell, Patrick K.
Paperback
$19.00
The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue
Tougias, Michael J.
Sherman, Casey
Paperback
$18.99
Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism
Waugh, Billy
Keown, Tim
Paperback
$10.44
The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army
Lockhart, Paul
Paperback
From $9.99
Countdown Battle of the Bulge: The 40 Days of World War II That Crushed Hitler's Last Hope
Wallace, Chris
Hardcover
$34.20
Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man
Vladic, Sara
Vincent, Lynn
Paperback
$20.90
The State and the Soldier: A History of Civil-Military Relations in the United States
Schake, Kori
Hardcover
$28.45
The Last Stand of Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
Hornfischer, Estate Of James D.
Hardcover
$28.45
All-Star Quilts of Valor, 2nd Edition: 37 Patriotic Patterns from Star Designers
Quilts of Valor Foundation
Paperback
$28.49
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Philbrick, Nathaniel
Paperback
$19.00
Taking Midway: Naval Warfare, Secret Codes, and the Battle That Turned the Tide of World War II
Dugard, Martin
Hardcover
$30.40
No Ordinary Dog: My Partner from the Seal Teams to the Bin Laden Raid
Chesney, Will
Layden, Joe
Paperback
$19.95
War Is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier
Butler, Smedley D.
Paperback
$11.35
Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins
Jacobsen, Annie
Paperback
$22.79
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution
Philbrick, Nathaniel
Paperback
$17.10
The Memoirs of General William Tecumseh Sherman: The Complete Annotated Edition
Sherman, William T.
Hardcover
$37.95
Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage
Drew, Christopher
Sontag, Sherry
Paperback
From $10.99
Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force
Schilling, Dan
Longfritz, Lori
Paperback
$18.99
W.E. Fairbairn's Complete Compendium of Lethal, Unarmed, Hand-to-Hand Combat Methods and Fighting
Fairbairn, W. E.
Hardcover
$76.25
The Boys of Winter: Life and Death in the U.S. Ski Troops During the Second World War
Sanders, Charles J.
Paperback
$21.80
Military Ribbon Guide Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force & Coast Guard
Foster, Col Frank C.
Paperback
$18.69
The Bulge and Beyond: The Things Our Fathers Saw-The Untold Stories of the World War II Generation-Volume VI
Rozell, Matthew
Hardcover
$43.74
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
Hornfischer, James D.
Paperback
From $10.99
The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc: Ronald Reagan, D-Day, and the U.S. Army 2nd Ranger Battalion
Brinkley, Douglas
Paperback
$17.99
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
Luttrell, Marcus
Paperback
From $11.99
Fakers: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Disinformation Front Line
Cormac, Rory
Hardcover
$50.74
On Desperate Ground: The Epic Story of Chosin Reservoir--The Greatest Battle of the Korean War
Sides, Hampton
Paperback
$18.05
Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich
Webster, David
Paperback
$22.00
Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution
O'Donnell, Patrick K.
Paperback
$19.00
Special Reconnaissance and Advanced Small Unit Patrolling: Tactics, Techniques and Procedures for Special Operations Forces
Wolcoff, Edward
Paperback
$23.70
The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West
Nelson, Megan Kate
Paperback
$18.99
Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now
Barnard, Sandy
Brust, James S.
Pohanka, Brian C.
Paperback
$28.45
Thunder in the Mountains: Chief Joseph, Oliver Otis Howard, and the Nez Perce War
Sharfstein, Daniel J.
Paperback
$18.00
World War II Generation Speaks: The Things Our Fathers Saw Series, Vols. 1-3
Rozell, Matthew
Hardcover
$87.44
Such Troops as These: The Genius and Leadership of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson
Alexander, Bevin
Paperback
$27.00
Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations Into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis
Jacobsen, Annie
Paperback
$21.84
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (Large Print Edition)
Hillenbrand, Laura
Paperback
$34.00
Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II
Kershaw, Alex
Paperback
$20.90
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War (National Book Award Finalist)
Faust, Drew Gilpin
Paperback
$18.05
Pentagon 9-11: Scars You Can't See A Chief Master Sergeant's Reckoning with Truth, Trust, and Coming Home
Woody, Roger A.
Paperback
$15.15
A Soldier's Life: A Black Woman's Rise from Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion
Cummings, Edna W.
Hardcover
$28.45
The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45
Ambrose, Stephen E.
Paperback
From $9.99
Killing Custer: The Battle of Little Bighorn and the Fate of the Plains Indians
Welch, James
Paperback
From $10.99
Everything You Were Taught about the Civil War Is Wrong, Ask a Southerner!
Seabrook, Lochlainn
Paperback
$24.99