U.S. cannot allow another Osama bin Laden

This article originally appeared in The Washington Times on October 23, 2023.

Forty years ago, 241 Marines, sailors, and soldiers were killed when two terrorists drove trucks into the Marine Barracks at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

It was the deadliest day in U.S. Marine history since Iwo Jima in 1945. It was the single deadliest attack on Americans anywhere in the world before 9/11 and was the single deadliest terrorist attack on Americans overseas ever. This attack was committed by Hezbollah, which at the time was a little-known militant group. Hezbollah, founded in Lebanon a year prior, acted at the direction of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which had seized power in Iran just four years prior.

The bombing of the Marine Barracks was one of the lowest points of Reagan’s presidency, particularly because of a limited presidential response. It was a rare miss by President Ronald Reagan.

At least one person that day was paying particularly close attention. Osama bin Laden apparently took note and saw Mr. Reagan’s response to the attack as an invitation to stage his terrorist attacks, ultimately culminating in the deadliest day in American history on 9/11.

Our main lesson today is that the words and actions of the leader of the free world matter, and in wartime, the actions of an American commander-in-chief can shape world events. 

Read full op-ed in The Washington Times.