Camp Lejeune Marines run 241 miles to honor victims of 1983 Beirut bombing ahead of 43rd anniversary

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Camp Lejeune Marines are honoring those who came before them ahead of the 43rd anniversary of the Beirut bombing on Friday.

To honor the 241 U.S. service members killed 43 years ago, Marines are running 241 miles in shifts over 48 hours leading up to Friday morning.

The relay started Wednesday afternoon at Lejeune Memorial Gardens.

Maj. Daniel Crain said groups of two, four, and at times squads will participate, so a good chunk of the battalion will be out at various points.

The annual Beirut Memorial Run remembers Oct. 23, 1983, when a suicide bomber drove a truck into the U.S. Marine barracks at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon. 241 U.S. service members, including 220 Marines, were killed. The Marines were part of a multinational peacekeeping force sent by President Ronald Reagan.

Some Beirut survivors were there as the relay began, including Richard Herbster, who says it could have been him.

“I moved to Talladega in 2022 and found out there’s a Marine Corps League there that’s named after one of the Marines on the wall, and he happened to be sleeping in the cot that I was supposed to be sleeping in when the bombing happened,” Herbster said. “They sent me back to ship to help load and unload helicopters; he took my place back in the barracks, and he ended up not here.”

Throughout October, the City of Jacksonville holds multiple events for Beirut veterans, including tying yellow bows around trees at the Memorial Gardens — a tradition Herbster drove nine hours to take part in.

“They deserve all the recognition that they get,” Herbster said.

The annual memorial service is Friday at 10:30 a.m. at the Beirut Memorial within Lejeune Memorial Gardens. It is open to the public. The keynote speaker is Lt. Gen. Robert Fulford, who took command of II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune earlier this year.