Nancy and President Reagan sorrowfully view the decorated caskets of Marines killed in Beirut, Lebanon Christmastime massacre at the foreign airport barracks. While the Marines maintained a "Visible peacekeeping presence," they seamed more like "sitting ducks" to a Congress and other critics of the leadership of a few officers - including Army and Navy men. Although President Reagan insisted the Marines "have staying power", this horrifying slaying of 240 young men started his administration casting about for a Lebanon solution that would work and not become a trap for the United States. April 23, 1983 (maybe should read October 23, 1983? - also, why is the writer of this postcard calling this the Christmastime Massacre? - It was October, and there are no documents that I can find calling it that.)
Colorphoto: Michael Evans
White House
This postcard is unused.
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The Beirut Barracks Bombing (October 23, 1983 in Beirut, Lebanon) occurred during the Lebanese Civil War, when two truck bombs struck separate buildings housing United States and French military forces—members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon—killing 299 American and French servicemen. The organization Islamic Jihad, later known as Hezbollah, claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The blasts 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 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
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