Today, September 7th, 2007, a US District Court judge in Washington, DC handed down a ruling of a multi-billion dollar judgement against the country of Iran for the Beirut Marine barracks bombing in 1983.

With the approach of the sixth anniversary of the September 11th World Trade Centers destruction, I see the ruling regarding Beirut in 1983. It was as if I was in college again. I remember that morning. I got up early, even though it was a Sunday, as I was the scheduled lector at the Catholic parish in Morgantown. Father Kim was to be the priest for the Mass I was lectoring.

I went down to the kitchen to get a quick breakfast before getting dressed for church and caught the news report in the housemother’s room. The television in the sorority house was a floor below the kitchen. I took a quick bowl of cereal down to catch some of the news report but couldn’t watch much as I needed to get going.

When I arrived at church, the priest pulled me aside. He wanted to be sure I knew as he would be praying for those involved and their families.

While September 11th, 2001 is still clear in most of our memories, the families of those killed in Beirut in 1983 have waited 24 years for justice and may, hopefully, now be able to feel they have come full circle.