On this day 26 years ago at the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon a suicide bomber drove a truck filled with the equivalent of 12,000 pounds of TNT into the barracks that housed the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, NC and detonated himself and his payload taking the lives of 220 Marines, 18 Navy Corpsmen, and three US Army soldiers.  Another 60 Americans were wounded.  This was the single deadliest single-day death toll for Marines since the Battle of Iwo Jima of World War II, and the deadliest single-day death toll for the US military since the first day of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam.
    Take a moment in your day to remember those that paid the price for the freedoms we all enjoy and know that it comes with a cost.  That cost is personal sacrifice, fallen comrades, and families left behind.  Being a combat veteran myself, I still thank the men and women that served before me and made it possible for me to be able to serve my country.  I am also thankful for those that still fight in my place now that my wars are over.
    Rest in peace my brothers, you and your sacrifice will never be forgotten. 

Semper Fidelis!!!