Dashboards and Saddlebags the Destination Magazine™ Issue 030 September 2013 | Page 22

#94

photo credit: Jacksonville • Onslow Chamber of Commerce

Pay your respects at
Camp Lejeune’s Beirut Memorial
S

et in a wooded site in
Jacksonville on the edge of
Camp Lejeune Marine Base is a
special tribute to 273 soldiers who
perished in a terrorist attack in
Beirut, Lebanon. They were more
than soldiers to the people of
Jacksonville, one of North Carolina’s military heritage areas. The
U.S. Marine Corps’ 24th Marine
Amphibious Unit was sent to Beirut
on a peacekeeping mission. They
had been based at Camp Lejeune,
and they were friends, neighbors,
fellow church members, baseball
and soccer coaches – members of
the community. Jacksonville and
Onslow County in general has
always had a special relationship
with the military. The area is home
to five military bases as reflected
in the county’s slogan, “Pride in
Service, People and Place.” After the
tragedy, members of the community joined together with Camp
Lejeune to create this unique Beirut
Memorial. People from throughout
the community did everything they
could, including a girl auctioning
off her Cabbage Patch Doll, to
raise funds to complete it. The
memorial features two broken walls

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with a bronze statue of a soldier
standing on a pedestal between
them. The memorial is inscribed
“They Came In Peace.” It includes
the poem “The Other Wall” and has
the names of 273 members of the
community who gave their lives
in Beirut, including three that died
during a rescue mission in Grenada.
The site hosts an annual observance
in October with families of the
deceased, military officials and
members of the community.

Project 543 tells the story of
unique spots across North
Carolina we hope will become
some of your favorite places.
Why 543? Because that’s the
number of miles from Manteo,
on the coast, to Murphy, in the
mountains, and is traditionally
considered to be the width of
our state. The entries in this
project are in no particular
order, and we’ll add to them
each week. Check in often to
find inspiration for your next
trip, or start planning today at
VisitNC.com.

Dashboards and Saddlebags The Destination Magazine™