Jim Baird: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleague in remembering the 36th anniversary…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleague in remembering the 36th anniversary of the appalling terrorist attack on American troops stationed in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 23, 1983. This horrific attack took the lives of 241 U.S. troops and injured countless others. This incident marked the highest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima. My friend and fellow Hoosier, Greg Pence, was stationed in Beirut just 10 days before the terrorist attack and lost many fellow marines in the bombing. Here with us today, seated in the gallery, are a few of the Gold Star families who lost their loved ones and family members on that fateful day. Mr. Speaker, freedom truly is not free, and I thank them for their sacrifice and pay tribute to the brave servicemembers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend and protect the United States of America.”