USS Cole
President Bill Clinton declared, "If, as it now appears, this was an act of terrorism, it was a despicable and cowardly act. We will find out who was responsible and hold them accountable". Some critics have pointed out that, under U.S. law, an attack against a military target does not meet the legal definition of terrorism...( read more on Wiki here.)
There is no doubt in my mind that this WAS an act of terrorism. It WAS a despicable and cowardly act.
USS Cole (DDG 67): A guest post from CDR Kirk S. Lippold, USN (Ret.)
October 2010Below is a guest post from CDR Lippold. He will be following along in the comments. If you have questions for him, please pose them.
The attack on USS Cole (DDG 67) ten years ago this October 12, was a watershed moment for the Navy and the nation. It signified that al Qaeda was now willing to attack our military capability to defend our interests worldwide. It was also a subtle shift in tactics lost on both the military and political leadership of the country. Tragically, the American people paid a heavy price eleven months later with the attacks of September 11.
Today, the military is fully engaged in a war effort to stem the tide of al Qaeda and its radical brand of Islam. As we were warned, this will be long-term fight with a determined enemy willing to die for their cause. While fortunate to date that no large-scale attacks have been successfully carried out within our borders, it is up to everyone to keep up their guard and not allow complacency to overtake the daily grind of our jobs, school and kid’s soccer games.
The crew of USS Cole rebounded from that attack and all have gone on to achieve remarkable lives for themselves – business owners, college educations, and careers within the Navy. Each possesses a unique insight into the horrors of combat the Navy has rarely seen since World War II. For the seventeen sailors that were killed that day, as well as the three shipmates we have lost since then, not a day goes by that I don’t think of them. I miss my shipmates.
This October 12, at 11:18 am the crew and families will gather in Norfolk, Virginia, to pay tribute and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. While the 10th anniversary may be significant, for those us who saved a ship from sinking and worked tirelessly to prevent our shipmates from dying, every anniversary is just as important as the last. To those who continue to serve our nation today, thank you for your service. God Bless each of our servicemen and women and the United States of America!
All the best,
Kirk
(USNI here)
Susan Katz Keating also has a post up:
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
USS Cole Bombing Anniversary: Our Spirits Are Sober This Twelfth of October
Twelve years ago today, while crewmembers on board the USS Cole were lining up for chow, a small boat carrying some 1,000 pounds of explosives rammed the massive destroyer directly outside the galley. Seventeen sailors were killed and 39 others injured in the blast that left a 40 x 40 ft hole in the hull. The crew worked valiantly to save the ship. It first limped into Guantanamo Bay - where I later stood on the dock it pulled into -and then on to its shipyard for full repairs. President Bill Clinton vowed to hold the perps accountable. Of course, it was Al Qaeda. The ship's commander at the time of the attack, CDR Kirk S.Lippold, has written a thoughtful reflection for the U.S. Naval Institute blog. He writes, in part, While the 10th anniversary may be significant, for those us who saved a ship from sinking and worked tirelessly to prevent our shipmates from dying, every anniversary is just as important as the last.
I think I can speak for all who remember when I say, our spirits are sober this 12th of October.
The Navy has compiled a beautiful tribute video...
To see the video, go over to SKK's site here.
It would be very easy for me to do a political rant here, and for me to dwell on the unwillingness of the current 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue's resident to call any attack on the US what it is: terrorism. Instead, I choose to remember those loved ones who lost their lives that day.
There are many sites remembering these fallen heroes. Start here, or here, or here. Arlington Cemetery also has a site dedicated to them, here.
Cherone Gunn
Signalman SR
Rex, Ga.
James McDaniels
Seaman
Norfolk, Va.
Timothy Saunders
OS 2
Ringgold, Va.
Lakiba Palmer
Seaman Recruit
San Diego, Ca.
Richard Costelow
ET Chief
Morrisville, Pa.
Andrew Triplett
Ensign
Macon, Miss.
Craig Wibberley
Seaman Apprentice
Williamsport, Md.
Gary Swenchonis Jr.
Fireman
Rockport, Texas
Kenneth Clodfelter
HT3
Mechanicsville, Va.
Lakeina Francis
MSSN
Woodleaf, N.C.
Timothy Gauna
ISSN
Rice, Texas
Marc Nieto
EN2
Fond du Lac, Wis.
Ronald Owens
EWT3
Vero Beach, Fla.
Joshua Parlett
ENFN
Churchville, Md.
Patrick Roy
Fireman Apprentice
Keedysville, Md.
Kevin Rux
EWT1
Portland, N.D.
Ronchester Santiago
MS3
Kingsville, Texas
At the dedication of the USS Cole Memorial, then President Bill Clinton said (in part):
...In the names and faces of those we lost and mourn, the world sees our nation's greatest strength: people in uniform rooted in every race, creed and region on the face of the Earth, yet bound together by a common commitment to freedom and a common pride in being Americans.
That same spirit is living today as the crew of the USS Cole pulls together in a determined struggle to keep the determined warrior afloat....
[...]
America will not stop standing guard for peace or freedom or stability in the Middle East and around the world. But some way, some day, people must learn the lesson of the lives of those we mourn today, of how they worked together, of how they lived together, of how they reached across all the lines that divided them and embraced their common humanity and the common values of freedom and service.
Not far from here, there is a quiet place that honors those who gave their lives in service to our country. Adorning its entrance are words from a poem by Archibald MacLeish, not only a tribute to the young we lost, but a summons to those of us left behind. Listen to them.
"The young no longer speak, but they have a silence that speaks for them at night. They say, we were young, remember us. They say, we have done what we could, but until it is finished, it is not done. They say, our deaths are not ours, they are yours. They will mean what you make them. They say, whether our lives and our deaths were for peace and a new hope, we cannot say. It is you who must say this. They say, we leave you our deaths; give them their meaning."
The lives of the men and women we lost on the USS Cole meant so much to those who loved them, to all Americans, to the cause of freedom...
Read the rest of Clinton's speech here.
ALWAYS remembered and honoured.
