Navy SEAL Vet Jack Carr's First-Ever Nonfiction Book Traces the Roots of the Global War on Terror

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Fans of Navy SEAL veteran and author Jack Carr are probably still reading “Red Sky Mourning,” his seventh installment in “The Terminal List” series (which has also been adapted to a television series on Amazon Prime). On Sept. 24, 2024, the prolific author will offer his readers something entirely new in the form of his first nonfiction book: “Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror.”

Carr, along with historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist James M. Scott, delve into the story of that fateful day in Lebanon when 241 American service members were killed in one of the deadliest attacks against U.S. troops in the Middle East ever. To this day, the barracks attack remains the single greatest loss of life the Marine Corps has experienced since the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. “Targeted: Beirut” is intended as the first in a series from Carr to offer a multifaceted exploration of the roots of modern terrorism.

In 1983, Lebanon was in the middle of its protracted civil war. Israel had invaded Lebanon the previous year, further complicating a conflict that already had more than a dozen major combatants. The United Kingdom, France, Italy and the United States deployed troops to Beirut as the peacekeeping Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) to ensure the withdrawal of foreign forces and to train Lebanon’s armed forces to restore order and assert control of the legitimately elected government.

Among these Marines deployed to the country was a 1,400-strong Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU), 800 of whom were deployed to the Lebanese capital to facilitate the withdrawal of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) fighters. Initially, the mission appeared successful and the PLO withdrew from Beirut, protected from Israeli attacks by U.S. Marines. But things were far from peaceful for the peacekeepers.

The Marines, headquartered at Beirut International Airport, were subjected to fire from the surrounding city and required artillery support, as well as air support from F-14 Tomcats and even naval gunfire, to aid in their defense. Lebanon’s Muslim population also grew increasingly resentful of the MNF, believing the foreign troops were taking sides with Christian Maronite militias in the ongoing conflict.

“Targeted: Beirut” picks up the story in April 1983, when a van packed with around 2,000 pounds of explosives all but destroyed the U.S. embassy in Beirut, killing 32 Lebanese citizens, 17 Americans, and 14 bystanders. It was the deadliest attack on an American diplomatic center to that date. The terrorist group Islamic Jihad, allied with the Islamic Republic of Iran, claimed responsibility for the bombing at the time. It is widely considered the beginning of Islamic attacks on the United States.

Using survivor interviews, military records and other documents, Carr carefully compiles a behind-the-scenes look at the story of the Oct. 23, 1983, bombing of the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and the events leading to the pivotal moment. Along with the stories of the men and women on the ground in Lebanon, it also traces the conversations made at the highest levels of the U.S. government, including President Ronald Reagan himself. “Target: Beirut” is nonfiction history from the perspectives of those who were there, and is as engrossing as anything in Carr’s “The Terminal List” series.

“Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror” is due on bookshelves Sept. 24, 2024, but is available for preorders in hardcover, e-readers and audiobooks now.

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