Pence: Remembrance of 1983 Beirut bombing is personal

Columbus Republican Rep. Greg Pence is one of a group in Congress looking to honor the Americans killed in the Beirut bombing in 1983.

He and three other congressmen authored a bill to make Oct. 23rd a national day of remembrance of the attack on the Marine Corps barracks. There were 241 American service members killed that day including 220 Marines.

Pence said the issue is personal for him. He served in the Marines from 1979 to 1984 and his battalion was ordered to Beirut in 1983. He said he was lucky that his unit shipped out just before the attack. He said he was able to return home safely to Columbus, but told himself that he would never forget those who died.

The bill was introduced on Thursday.