Robert Stethem was a United States Navy diver and steelworker second class. He was on board TWA Flight 847 when it was hijacked by members of the Lebanese terrorist organization Hizbullah demanding the release of 435 Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Stethem was single out by the hijackers due to his being a member of the US military. After being beaten and torture by them, he was shot and his body dumped on the tarmac at the Beirut airport after the hijackers demands were not met.
Stethem was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1994 the US Navy launched USS Stethem DDG 63 in his honor.
Three members of Hizbullah, Imad Mugniyah, Hassan Izz-Al-Din and Ali Atwa were eventually indicted for their involvement in the incident. In 2002 They were added to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list.