"There Were Pieces of Bodies All Around" -Rabbi Arnie Resnicoff

The Jack Carr Channel

Jack Carr

Society & Culture

4.9 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2024

⏱️ 81 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Rabbi Arnie Resnicoff’s life took a fateful turn on October 23, 1983, when he found himself amidst the chaos and devastation of the Beirut barracks bombing, a bombing that took the lives of 241 U.S. servicemembers in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. Rabbi Resnicoff was in Beirut to conduct a memorial service for Staff Sgt. Allen Soifert, a Jewish Marine killed by a sniper. Due to his observance of the Jewish Sabbath, he remained in Beirut following the service. When the bomb exploded, he was in a nearby building and immediately rushed to the site, becoming one of the first rescuers on the scene. Rabbi Resnicoff spent the entire day pulling survivors from the rubble and providing comfort to the dying. During the rescue, he lost his yarmulke, and Father George Pucciarelli crafted him a new one from the camouflage cover of a helmet. His actions that day were later chronicled in a letter to his wife and mother and in a report used by President Reagan. Today, Rabbi Resnicoff shares powerful memories of October 23, 1983, in the last episode of our limited series: Beirut Survivors. Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff began his naval career as an enlisted man in the reserves during high school and served as a Navy line officer in Vietnam, where his ship was the first to enter Cambodia in 1970. After Vietnam and a stint with Naval Intelligence in Europe, he left the Navy to study at rabbinical school. Returning to the Navy Chaplain Corps, he served on active duty for nearly 25 years, earning the Defense Superior Service Medal for his work with military and civilian leaders throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Rabbi Resnicoff also served as the National Director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee and continues to be a consultant on interfaith values and interreligious affairs. His life of service, both in and out of uniform, reflects a deep commitment to faith, humanity, and the enduring bonds forged in moments of profound challenge. SPONSORS TARGETED: BEIRUT – The first in Jack’s new non-fiction series https://www.officialjackcarr.com/books/targeted-beirut/ Bravo Company Manufacturing: Visit us on the web at http://jackcarr.co/bcm and on Instagram @BravoCompanyUSA.com SIG: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the legendary SIG SAUER P226. Learn more here - Jack Carr Gear: Explore the gear here - https://jackcarr.co/gear

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Danger Close Podcast.
0:03.0	Thank you for tuning. Welcome to the Danger Close Podcast.
0:13.0	Thank you for tuning in to this special series on the 1983 Beirut Marine Barracks
0:18.6	bombing to compliment my first work of non-fiction, titled Targeted Beroot, the 1983 Marine Barracks bombing,
0:26.1	and the untold origin story of the War on Terror, written with Military Historian and Pulitzer
0:31.1	Prize finalist James Scott.
0:33.0	It hits shells on September 24th and is available for pre-order now in hardcover, e-book and audiobook,
0:40.0	narrated by Ray Porter.
0:42.0	James Scott joins me to co-host this podcast series.
0:45.0	Our guest today is Rabbi Arnie Resnikov.
0:48.0	Rabbi Resnikov joined the Naval Reserves during high school,
0:50.0	and after NROTC in college,
0:52.0	he served as an officer in the Mekong Delta of
0:54.7	Vietnam. Following Vietnam he attended Rubinical School and then returned to the Navy.
0:59.6	On October 21st, 1983, two days before the bombing, he was in Beirut, Lebanon, conducting a memorial
1:05.0	service for a slain Marine, Alan Seyfrid.
1:08.4	He was offered transportation out of Beirut on October 22nd, but declined travel on the Jewish Sabbath, which put him in
1:15.8	Beirut for the attack, where he was one of the first people on site of one of the largest
1:20.8	non-nuclear explosions in history that resulted in the greatest single day loss of life
1:25.3	for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of the Uyjima in World War II.
1:29.4	The attack claimed the lives of 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers.
1:35.6	This is his story.
	...

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