Bob Beck will be the next speaker in Jaffrey Civic Center’s “Stories to Share” series, presenting “Was That a Grenade or a Mortar? Stories From a Terrorist Attack” Friday, Jan. 7, at 5 p.m.
One day after the fifth anniversary of 9/11, the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria, was the target of a terrorist attack. Beck was serving in Damascus at the time and lived through the attack from his office on the third floor of the building. He will describe the assault and recount stories from that day, some harrowing and some humorous.
Beck retired to the Monadnock area in August 2020 after a career of more than 30 years overseas serving in American embassies in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He currently teaches foreign policy for Keene State’s CALL program. He lives in Peterborough with his wife of 36 years, Meg.
The talk is the fourth in the center’s monthly speaker series, which is held on the first Friday of each month from October to May. Joe Steinfield, who writes columns for the Keene Sentinel and the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, is the moderator for the series.
The program will be available as an in-person event at the Jaffrey Civic Center, 40 Main St., in the Auditorium Gallery as well as via Zoom. Pre-registration is required, and for this event, the center is requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Masks will also be required. The program is free, but donations are appreciated.
To register for the in-person event, go to eventbrite.com/e/stories-to-share-with-bob-beck-tickets-226018496407. To register for Zoom, send email to jaffreyciviccenterevents@gmail.com.