48th Fighter Wing Captain, family escape bombing in Lebanon

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Jamie Humphries
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
LARNAKA, Cyprus --  What started as a dream vacation for an RAF Lakenheath captain and her family rapidly turned into a nightmare full of explosions and narrow escapes in Beirut, Lebanon.
Capt. Jennifer Tay, 48th Medical Operations Squadron audiologist, her husband and her 3-month-old son, traveled to Lebanon July 8. “We planned to meet and visit with family and friends, since my husband is from Lebanon,” said Captain Tay.
Talal Tay, Captain Tay’s husband, planned to relive some childhood memories and show his wife where he grew up and went to school the first 19 years of his life.
The threesome met up with two of Talal’s brothers, their wives and children. The families were staying in a seven-floor building they owned in the suburbs of Beirut just two miles from the airport.
As the situation between Hisbala and Israel escalated, the Tay family assumed things were still okay.
“We didn’t think it would escalate that much,” said Talal.
Unfortunately for the Tays and their relatives, the situation did escalate and bombs began exploding closer to their location.
“We saw the bombing at the airport which was just two miles away,” said Talal. “The bombing occurred all day in 15 to 20 minute intervals. Unfortunately, I grew up with this (bombing), so I was comforting Jennifer and the baby.”
Just when the situation couldn’t get any worse, a bomb hit the gas plant between where the family was staying and the airport, said Talal. “The whole building shook. It knocked my 5-year-old niece off the ground. The bombs were extremely big.”
The families decided the time had come to evacuate and headed for a shelter behind their building. The men went back to the building to retrieve supplies and the group stayed in the shelter for a couple of hours before they felt safe enough to re-enter the building. There, they slept in the corridors of the residence.
The next morning the Tays loaded up their car and drove for the mountains, but had to take a long detour because roads and bridges had been bombed. Hearing rumors the bridge between the mountains and their house was going to be bombed, they turned around and headed for the United States Embassy.
Captain Tay and her family, along with her brother-in-law, his wife and two children, left for the American departure point at a port in Beirut just west of the Embassy.
The families arrived at the port at 4:30 a.m. and boarded the U.S.S. Trenton at approximately 1 p.m.
“The boat was fantastic,” said Talal. “The military people were great. We want to thank them for all their help.”
After a 10-hour boat ride that included 400 crew and approximately 1,500 displaced Americans, the Tays arrived at the port of Limassol, Cyprus and checked into a hotel before booking a commercial flight to London.
Although in safe territory now, Captain Tay is still feeling the effect of her “vacation” to Lebanon.
“I still hear certain sounds and it still makes me nervous,” she said.
The Tay family arrived safely home to Newmarket, England late Monday night.