Adm. Robert L.J. Long; Led Probe of 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing

Adm. Robert L.J. Long, 82, commander of U.S. military operations in the Pacific from 1979 to 1983 and the leader of the commission that investigated the 1983 Beirut barracks attack that killed 241 Marines, died June 28 at the Bethesda, Md., Naval Medical Center. The cause of death was not announced.

A native of Kansas City, Mo., Long was a 1943 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He served in the Pacific during World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war, he entered the submarine service and commanded the Sea Leopard as well as the nuclear submarines Patrick Henry and Casimir Pulaski.

He served during the Vietnam War and had retired in 1983 after 40 years of service. He was called back to lead the investigation of Islamic militants’ truck bombing of the Beirut barracks.

After a seven-week investigation, Long and his panel concluded that Marine officers were denied adequate intelligence but also said there were serious command failures in Lebanon and on the part of senior officers overseeing them in Europe.

While the panel offered no recommendations on punishment, President Reagan defused the situation by stating that any blame in the matter belonged in the office of the commander in chief.