26 years after attack on Marine barracks in Beirut, families stymied again in bid for restitution
On Veterans Day, Christine Devlin stood in the cold in Westwood for the unveiling of a new memorial to local soldiers lost overseas, including her son Michael, one of the 241 servicemen killed in the bombing of the US Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983.
Devlin is among 30 Massachusetts relatives of victims of the Beirut attack who have been fighting for more than a decade to get compensation for what many consider the first major terrorist attack against the United States. After a federal judge ruled in 2007 that Iran was liable for $2.65 billion in damages to be shared by 150 families seeking restitution, they believed they were on the cusp of victory.
But now, the Obama administration is going to court to try to block payments from Iranian assets that the families’ lawyers want seized, contending that it would jeopardize sensitive negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and establish a potentially damaging precedent.
In a little-noticed filing in federal court, the Justice Department is arguing that giving the money to the victims “can have significant, detrimental impact on our foreign relations, as well as the reciprocal treatment of the United States and its extensive overseas property holdings.’’
The Obama administration’s position is a blow to those like Devlin, who is still waiting for some measure of justice for her son, who was 21 when Hezbollah terrorists rammed a suicide truck bomb into the peacekeepers’ headquarters.
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7 comments:
When I was about three years old my mother used to put me in the sand box to play with a kid named Keith, he was a year or so older than me. I cant remember his last name, moms got a picture tucked away somewhere of us playing in that sand box without a care in the world. Keith was killed in this bombing. I really feel like sh!t that I dont even remember his last name. We lived in Berlin, MD then.
MY GOD what is this non american president gonnA DUE NEXT?????Honestly I would not shed a tear if this bastard would get blown up here or one of his visits to the Far East.
I just looked and I think his full name was;
Keith J. Laise
USMC LCPL
East Stroudsburg, PA
(We moved and they moved, why did it take me so long to find this out).
I will dedicate my families Thanksgiving this year to Keith, gone but not forgotten.
God Bless America. Just look at at the prior post. This man is as anti-american as they come.
Joe I think we all should start a campaign to send that car dealers three dollars each. Have him place signs in every state.
Why would anyone want to serve in the military under this or any previous administration? whether it be under reagan, bush, clinton, bush or obama, everyone of those admisistrations have let our service members die in these attacks without so much as a wimper out of any of them!
When do they send their children to die needlessly? Biden's son what a joke, went over for a few months as a lawyer, stayed in the rear with the gear, just to embellish his record!
Evidently we haven't killed enough of these sob's! When we finally do this sh!t will stop!
Grow some balls and start laying waste to these fanatics!
One damn proud Former Marine!
It's not alright for American's to receive money from other countries but it's our fricking duty to send money over seas?!! WTF!!
We have elected the enemy-that is undeniable.
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