Twenty-six years ago today, on October 12, 2000, the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG-67) was refueling in the port of Aden, Yemen, when two al-Qaeda suicide bombers in a small boat pulled alongside and detonated their explosives. The blast tore a roughly 40-by-60-foot hole in the ship’s port side near the waterline, killing 17 Sailors and wounding dozens more. The crew fought fires and flooding for the next 96 hours and saved the ship.
USS Cole (DDG-67). The crew saved the ship.
At Veteran Valor Coffee, we mark this anniversary not only to remember the loss, but to honor the sacrifice that forced the Navy to change how it protects its people. Much like Pearl Harbor, the attack on the Cole exposed a vulnerability and drove lasting improvements in security, force protection, and readiness.
Who the Ship Is Named After
USS Cole is named for Marine Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, a Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Cole enlisted in 1941 and was originally trained as a field musician (bugler). He repeatedly requested a change to machine gunner, earning the nickname “the Fighting Field Music” after stepping into that role during earlier Pacific campaigns. On February 19, 1945—the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima—Cole led his machine-gun section ashore. When his unit was pinned down by enemy pillboxes, he advanced alone with a pistol and grenades, destroying the positions in a series of one-man assaults. He was killed by an enemy grenade as he returned to his men. His actions enabled his company to advance, and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
The modern destroyer carries his name and his example of courage under fire.
The 17 Sailors Lost
We remember their names.
These are the Sailors who gave their lives that day in Aden. All were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart:
- Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Kenneth E. Clodfelter, 21, Mechanicsville, Virginia
- Chief Electronics Technician Richard D. Costelow, 35, Morrisville, Pennsylvania
- Mess Management Specialist Seaman Lakeina M. Francis, 19, Woodleaf, North Carolina
- Information Systems Technician Seaman Timothy L. Gauna, 21, Rice, Texas
- Signalman Seaman Cherone L. Gunn, 22, Rex, Georgia
- Seaman James R. McDaniels, 19, Norfolk, Virginia
- Engineman 2nd Class Marc I. Nieto, 24, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
- Electronics Warfare Technician 2nd Class Ronald S. Owens, 24, Vero Beach, Florida
- Seaman Lakiba N. Palmer, 22, San Diego, California
- Engineman Fireman Joshua L. Parlett, 19, Churchville, Maryland
- Fireman Patrick H. Roy, 19, Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York
- Electronics Warfare Technician 1st Class Kevin S. Rux, 30, Portland, North Dakota
- Mess Management Specialist 3rd Class Ronchester M. Santiago, 22, Kingsville, Texas
- Operations Specialist 2nd Class Timothy L. Saunders, 32, Ringgold, Virginia
- Fireman Gary G. Swenchonis Jr., 26, Rockport, Texas
- Lieutenant (junior grade) Andrew Triplett, 31, Macon, Mississippi
- Seaman Craig B. Wibberley, 19, Williamsport, Maryland
Most were young. Many had only recently begun their service. Their shipmates saved the Cole through determined damage control, and the ship returned to duty after extensive repairs.
How It Changed the Navy
The attack was the deadliest against a U.S. naval vessel since the 1980s and revealed a gap in how the Navy protected ships in transit and in foreign ports. After Khobar Towers in 1996, the military had tightened security at fixed bases. The Cole showed that the same level of protection had not fully extended to ships moving through high-threat areas.
The subsequent Department of Defense USS Cole Commission and Navy reviews led to concrete changes: better force-protection training and full-time force-protection billets, revised rules of engagement and threat-condition systems, increased close-in weapons (machine guns and other systems suited to small-boat threats), improved intelligence support for transiting units, escorts and exclusion zones in ports, and stronger emphasis on damage-control readiness. Ships today are better equipped and crews are trained to treat small-boat threats with far less hesitation than was the case in 2000. Those measures have become standard and have almost certainly prevented other attacks.
In that sense the comparison to Pearl Harbor holds. Both events were shocking demonstrations of vulnerability that forced the Navy to rethink how it defends itself. The difference is that the Cole response was focused on asymmetric and terrorist threats rather than conventional naval battle. The result was a service better prepared for the kind of dangers Sailors still face.
The 17 did not get to come home. Their shipmates kept the ship afloat.
From Our Team
The 17 Sailors of the Cole did not get to come home. Their loss, and the determination of their shipmates who kept the ship afloat, helped make the Navy stronger for those who serve today. On this anniversary we remember their names, their service, and the changes their sacrifice made possible.
Thank you for coming home—and thank you to the families who carry the weight of those who did not. At Veteran Valor Coffee we remain grateful for every Sailor who stands the watch.
Thank you for taking the time to join me for this remembrance.
Kevin Laughrin
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