PORTSMOUTH — Lt. Col. David Fallon said he didn’t realize the “full price that Rhode Island paid” on Oct. 23, 1983 until just recently, when he visited the Beirut Memorial Hall at Naval Station Newport.

The hall is named in honor of the nine Marines from Rhode Island who were killed during a terrorist bombing while on a peacekeeping mission.

“I remember it shocking me, actually,” said Lt. Col. Fallon, a Marine who from 2002 to 2004 served in the same “Beirut Battalion” as those who died in 1983: The 1st Battalion 8th Marines. “I’ve served in a lot of units and it’s rare to meet a Rhode Islander in the Marine Corps, and understandably so. For me to understand nine Marines lost that day — it hit me.”

Lt. Col. Fallon was guest speaker Sunday at the Portsmouth Historical Society for the 33rd annual memorial service honoring the nine Rhode Island Marines and 232 other service men and women who lost their lives in the Beirut Barracks Bombings.

Early on a Sunday morning, a yellow Mercedes stake-bed truck crashed into the lobby of the barracks for the 1st Battalion 8th Marines before the driver detonated a suicide bomb. FBI forensics experts later determined the bomb was the equivalent to about 12,000 pounds of T.N.T. and was the largest non-nuclear blast to date. Across town, a second suicide attack killed 56 French soldiers.

The nine from Rhode Island who perished included two brothers-in-law: Cpl. Stephen E. Spencer, 23, of Portsmouth; and Lance Cpl. James F. Silvia, 20, of Middletown. Also killed were PFC Thomas Julian, 21, a 1979 graduate of Portsmouth High School; Cpl. Edward Soares Jr., 21, of Tiverton; and Sgt. Timothy Giblin, Cpl. David C. Massa, Cpl. Thomas A. Shipp, Cpl. Rick R. Crudale and Cpl. Edward S. Iacovino Jr.

To a capacity crowd that jammed the second floor of the Society building — which previously served as a church — Lt. Col. Fallon urged friends and loved ones to celebrate the lives of those who died that day, and to never forget their sacrifice.

“When they were here with us, they were safe. They were happy and smiling. Hopefully we can focus on those times and remember how they lived — not how they died,” he said.

Marines come from all walks of life and the reason they join the Corps vary, he said. “But the common answer is … they want to be something more important than themselves. They didn’t want to take the easy path,” he said.

‘Never forget’

Also speaking Sunday was Kasim Yarn, director of R.I. Office of Veteran Affairs, who read a proclamation honoring the fallen Marines from the governor.

Mr. Yarn made note of the deceased’s ages: Most were in their early 20s. One was only 17.

“These ages provide a vivid depiction about how precious life truly is, and how service before self is defined by these nine Marines,” said Mr. Yarn. “The Beirut bombing illustrates how our freedom is a highly valued target commodity. Never forget. Never let our children forget.”

No other state suffered more casualties in the 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombings than Rhode Island.

“Historians have told me that to find a deadlier day for Rhode Islanders in the Armed Services, you have to back to the Civil War — to the Battle of Bull Run,” U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said before turning to family members of the deceased. “Your loss is, in some significant way, all of our loss.”

Congressman David Cicilline also addressed the crowd. “We enjoy the blessings of freedom every single day in this great country because of the sacrifice of men and women in uniform,” he said.

In memorializing those killed in the Beirut bombing, Dr. Susan MacKenzie, director of the Providence VA Medical Center, said it’s important to continue to provide reinforcement to those veterans who survived the battlefield but paid a heavy price.

“One of the best ways to pay tribute to them is to care for those who are still living,” she said.

Nine carnations

Family members were invited to come to the front of the room and pick a carnation — symbolizing each of the Rhode Island Nine who died in 1983 — and place it in a memorial wreath. The wreath was then laid at a memorial to the Beirut bombing victims outside the building while “Taps” was played by the U.S. Navy Band.

Several speakers thanked Charlie Masterson for his work in organizing the annual event.