'I should've been in that building' | Beirut Survivor: Randy Gaddo

Randy Gaddo’s life was forever changed on October 23, 1983, when a truck bomb destroyed the barracks where he would have been working had he not stopped for a cup of coffee. The
blast claimed the lives of 241 U.S. servicemen in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. Today, Randy joins us to share his powerful story in the first of a limited series: Beirut Survivors.

00:00 - Intro
03:42 - Randy Gaddo's Path
06:53 - After Boot Camp
11:01 - What Happened in the Lebanon
14:34 - The Marines in Summer 83'
17:25 - Vietnam Experience
19:44 - Being a Target
27:01 - Dangerous Situations
34:24 - Getting News From Home
40:25 - The Bunkers Environment
45:27 - The 1983 Attack
50:15 - How Coffee Saved Randy Gaddo's Life
1:03:26 - Describing The Scene After The Attack
1:11:59 - Looking For Survivors
1:23:00 - Handling The Media
1:38:30 - Terrorism Warfare
1:43:34 - Toughs On U.S. Response
1:48:50 - Commemorating Our Heroes Legacy

Randy is a retired U.S. Marine Chief Warrant Officer-4 who served from 1976 to 1996. As a Marine, he spent nearly ten years as a combat correspondent before transitioning to a public affairs and media officer role for the remainder of his 20-year career. Randy is a seasoned
journalist, photojournalist, editor, and media relations expert. After his military service, he served as the Director of Leisure Services for Peachtree City, GA, for nearly 15 years, overseeing parks, recreation, and special events. Today, Randy runs his own business, RGCommunications©, offering freelance writing services and performing music as Boomerang Music.

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[ArmorOfGod]

These men don't get the respect they deserve. Beruit veterans are some tough guys and they should be respected for all they gave. God bless all these men amd women

[outdoorchilled]

Thanks for sharing. Remember watching this in the news as a teen. It was my "first" 9/11. I decided to join the Army (which i did later) and was deployed subsequently to another war. I guess each generation have their own "war". Thanks for your service Randy! ❤ from veteran now in Spain 🇪🇦🇺🇲

[jesserobert]

That was a great interview. Thank you! And Thanks for service to our great country

[sandraa.lelacheur]

Randy Gaddo,
I will never forget your story.
You lived through one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in American History.
I believe it was divine intervention that survived.
You were completely selfless in the way you cared for the wounded.
I want to thank for your service.
God Bless,
Signed Kansas half breed

[kCI]

My unit, HMM-261 was attached to 32 MAU deployed to Beirut twice in 1982 for the PLO and Embassy evacuation and a month later as part of the multi-national peacekeeping force. We were relieved in November 82 and returned to New River Air Station. Ten months later we were attached to 22 MAU for another MED cruise and were diverted to OUF in Grenada (just two days after the Beirut bombing). We spent one week in Grenada and then went straight to Beirut to relieve 24 MAU in Beirut. What a shit-hole mission Beirut turned into.

[r]

The most accurate article I read about our deployment was this one. Nothing else even came close.


'Presence' Meant Combat In Beirut: Lebanon, 1982-84
Richard Fournier

[niex]

Awesome interview! Thanks for sharing Jack.

[nathanspivey]

My dad was in 1/8 and deployed there when this happened. I would love to see him on this series with Jack Carr so he can tell his story. He never talks about it. Last name Spivey

[thewriteplaceforme]

First: thank you all for your service, in the military and as historians
The words of remembrance at the end were powerful - that saying a person's name brings them to life for a moment and it is our duty to remember.
Given the current events (I'm writing on 27 Sept, in case more stuff starts happening), this book could not have come out at a better time. I hope those in power hear your message.
Thank you for everything you're doing in service to truth and memory.
Regards and respect from Jerusalem.

[salcanto]

I was in the Corps during that period. I didn't get to 2/6 until after they deployed to Lebanon. They did a six month pump there then went on air alert when 1/6 got it. Semper Fi

[r]

We used to joke, that we were professional targets.

[r]

I haven't heard anybody mention that October 23rd 1983 was the first day of a 2-week "ceasefire"

[nathanspivey]

Good evening, my father was in the marine corps and in Beirut during this time. I know this may sound crazy but it’s not. My father has the barracks log book from the barracks that got attack.

[steve-kx]

A key issue is that the terrorists cased the BLT and saw that the Marine guards had no magazines inserted. This was an indication that they would most likely be able to attack without being fired upon. Knowing that things were heating up (embassy bombing, our increase in casualties and attack on Souk El Garb), the commanders and/or politicians — still unclear whose ROE call it actually was — should’ve doubled security and had weapons locked/loaded, but on safe. M-60s and/or M-249s at each post, with an NCO and non-rate (2 men minimum) at each. I’d have parked trucks around the building overnight and had engineers dig a tank ditch around the circumference - for both cover/foxhole purposes and as truck bomb deterrence. We knew a threat existed and that car bombs were commonplace. From what I’ve read, Col. Geraghty simply didn’t trust his men to keep loaded weapons, saying he worried about accidental discharges. The response to unload weapons altogether because of a worry about that (in a combat zone, no less!) is utterly baffling to me. Why couldn’t they simply stay on “safe” at minimum?

[chrisshaw]

I remember watching the news of the bombing and the next day I skipped school, got on a bus and went downtown to enlist in the Marine Corps