JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – Northwoods Park Middle School students met with survivors of the 1983 Beirut Bombing on Thursday to learn about the attack and Jacksonville’s Beirut Memorial.
The Beirut Bombing on Oct. 23, 1983 killed 241 U.S. service members, including many Marines from Camp Lejeune. A suicide bomber drove a truck into the U.S. Marine barracks at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon.
The Marines had been part of a multinational peacekeeping force.
Veterans, including retired Marine Jack MacDonald, spoke to students about their experience. He said volunteering with young people has helped him find hope. He said that he has struggled with PTSD.
“When I started working with these young adults, they really brought me back,” MacDonald said. “I was at the edge where I didn’t know if I was going to make it. But they brought me back and showed me that they care; my city cares, so it brought my hope back.”
Students made yellow ribbons and visited the Carolina Museum of the Marine.
Copyright 2026 WITN. All rights reserved.