The Root : The Marines in Beirut,August 1982-February 1984

Terrorism, insurgency, truck bombings - the definitive account of this precursor to today's conflicts in the Middle East.

It was early one morning in October 1983 in Beirut, Lebanon.

Terrorists drove a truck loaded with 12,000 pounds of explosives into the atrium of a building housing the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit.

The explosives were detonated, razing the four-sto steel and concrete building, killing 241 Americans, and injuring many more.

Shortly thereafter, the U.S pulled its forces out of Beruit.

Within months of the attack, author Eric Hammel was granted an historic opportunity to interview survivors of the bombing and those who came to their rescue.

This book is their story and captures the Marines' mission in Lebanon, including largely unreported battles fought in and around Beirut.

Using recollections from the nearly 200 people interviewed, the book recounts in vivid detail the terrorist attack on unit headquarters, and how the survivors came out alive.