your support at the Christopher Columbus Park
Nine lovely trees, said Chris Devlin of
Gibson Sothebys International Realty, …One for my son Michael and
the other eight heroic boys we lost. On the 22nd of October, 1983,
the son of Gibson Sothebys International Realty agent Chris Devlin was
granted a special nights sleep in the international terminal
building that was a barracks for the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit.
Usually sleeping in his self-made 10×4 bunker that was four feet
deep, this was a special privilege for Chris son; however a
privilege that would be devastating.
Originally from the town of Westwood, Massachusetts,
Mr. Michael Devlin, as brave as any young man in the Marines could
possibly be, ventured off to Beirut thirty years ago. Michael was a
man who was not tasked to fight, but solely to keep peace during a
terrible time of civil war. So at 6:22 AM on that day in October, a
Mercedes truck rushed into the camp and cracked into the lobby of
the building, packed with six tons of explosives. Michael was one
of the 241 individuals who lost their life on this terrible day, of
which 220 were Marines. Still to this day, a casualty count so
massive in numbers has not been seen over a one day span for the
Marines since Iwo Jima.
Of those who lost their lives from the Bay State like
Michael Devlin, eight other Marines from Massachusetts sadly
perished. Lance Cpl. Bradley J. Campus of Lynn; Sgt. Maj. Frederick
B. Douglass of Cataumet; Lance Cpl. Sean R. Gallagher of North
Andover; Sgt. Edward J. Gargano of Quincy; Lance Cpl. Richard J.
Gordon of Somerville; Capt. Michael S. Haskell of Westboro; Sgt.
Steven B. LaRiviere of Chicopee; and Pfc. Thomas S. Perron of
Whitinsville were all there on the 22nd of October, 1983.
The lovely trees Chris now refers to?
These can be found proudly swaying in a quiet corner of the
Christopher Columbus Park in Bostons North End. Here at
the Massachusetts Beirut Memorial, nine dogwood trees, one for each
individual lost, sits in simple elegance. Our own Chris, who is the
mother of seven, is the main reason why this memorial had been
erected here in the first place after years of buttonholing pols,
raising funds, and spreading the word of these mens story.
During this coming Saturday the 19th of October, the
public is welcome to a dinner the night before the rededication
ceremony. This ceremony on Sunday, October 20th, will see a highly
devoted community of family, friends, and those who would like to
show support gather at the Christopher Columbus Park to reflect and
mark this 30 year anniversary. Former Marine chaplain, Rev. George
W. Father Pooch Pucciarelli, who appointed the dead and pulled many
wounded from the disaster thirty years ago, will be in attendance.
Furthermore, a brand new fundraising campaign will commence this
year, with hopes that the damaged bricks, scarred and chipped
granite, and landscaping of the area will be brought back to its
original state of glory and pride.
Michael left UMass and went into the Marines to help
pay for his tuition, Chris stated. But he
grew to love it. I remember suggesting the Air Force to him,
because I thought it was safer. But he said no. A mothers love will
truly never die, and Chris lives everyday
with the knowledge and closure knowing that her son passed doing
exactly what he loved and always wanted to do; serve the Red,
White, and Blue.
For more details on the fundraising efforts, the dinner and how
to purchase tickets for it, and the rededication ceremony, please click here.