October 23, 1983

It was 25 years ago today that the United States got a rude invitation to the age of terrorism. A truck bomb crashed through the gate of the Marine barracks in Lebanon and made its way into the lobby of the building. Then its cargo of 12,000 pounds of TNT exploded. 241 American soldiers died.

Shortly afterward President Ronald Reagan made the decision to withdraw from Lebanon. Osama bin Laden would later say that Reagan's move convinced him that if the U.S. gets its nose bloodied, it will retreat. That image was further reinforced by the U.S. experience in Somalia.

Here's an account of the attack by some survivors, and the ramifications of that terrible day.