 In 1983 , a bloody civil war was raging in Lebanon . In an effort to stop the violence in the region a Multinational Force of peacekeepers composed largely of U.S. , Italian and French armed service members was created and sent to the region to attempt a restoration of order . As part of the multinational force the United States mobilized an expeditionary force composed of members of the United States Marine Corps and elements of the United States Sixth Fleet which operated out of the Mediterranean Sea . 
