William Williams

Memorials are some of the “foundation stones” upon which the concept of society is built. Memorial Day in the United States has been officially observed since 1868. With the “COVID years” a receding memory and with an acrimonious election year behind us, many Americans are as eager as ever for the opportunity that national holidays provide—whatever the plans may be. Memorial Day, however, as is often noted, is not just a day for barbecues and beaches.

On August 4, 2020, Lebanon suffered one of the worst man-made disasters in its history when a dockside warehouse containing almost 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire from a nearby welding accident. The resulting explosion, occurring around 6:00 in the afternoon, leveled the port and devastated surrounding structures. It shattered glass and caused destruction, death, and injury within over a kilometer radius. Noise from the blast was heard as far away as Cyprus, with only a smoking, flooded crater remaining in the middle of Beirut’s port district.