PRESS RELEASES
U.S. Embassy Commemorates Embassy Victims of the 1983 and 1984
Bombings
19 April 2004
Beirut April 19, 2004 -- The Embassy of the United States of America
held today a brief commemoration ceremony on its premises at Awkar
to pay respects to 61 American and Lebanese employees of Embassy
Beirut who died in the bombings of April 18, 1983, and September
20, 1984. U.S. Ambassador Vincent M. Battle, the American and Lebanese
Embassy staff, as well as families and former colleagues of the
victims attended the ceremony. The ceremony was held at the memorial
which was erected and dedicated in 2002 on the Embassy compound
at Awkar, and which bears the words "They Came In Peace,"
in addition to the names of the Americans, Lebanese, and one Tunisian
who died in Lebanon between 1976 and 1995 while working for the
United States Government.
In his remarks for the occasion, Ambassador Battle noted that,
"Nowhere more than in Lebanon do people understand the devastating
consequences of war. However, nowhere more than in Lebanon...do
we also understand the healing powers of reconciliation and recovery,
and the importance of remembrance" He added, "we put our
energies each and every day into an effort to ensure that the sacrifices
being made...will bring one day a just peace, the rule of law and
good governance for all the people of the region."
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