So, while we resolutely confront this wicked problem, there is meaning in this tragedy.Īs soon as I took command of Cole in 2003, I immediately recognized that the meaning resided not elsewhere, but within the Cole crew itself. While we will never abandon our dogged pursuit of justice for the Cole and will indeed eliminate the last remnants of al Qaeda, definitive outcomes will take time. And, sadly, it took the grievous attack on 9/11 for us to collectively realize that al Qaeda presented a truly consequential threat to America’s security. Our pursuit of justice for the Cole crew continues. So, they endeavored to convince whomever they could to take more substantial action.īut, as our experience with the Cole attack proves, sometimes the circumstances are such that meaningful endings are harder to find. What is more, those most affected were jolted into a recognition that the al Qaeda threat was much more serious than commonly understood at the time. We sought to prevent the perpetrators from doing evil again and to hold all those responsible to account. In the case of the Cole, our first instinct was to seek justice. We strive to pre-vent similar catastrophes from befalling others by stopping the problem at its source. When faced with senseless tragedy, we look to derive some meaning by using the loss to inspire us to make the world a better or safer place. Regardless of the source of our beliefs, we all want to know that our lives matter. On this 20th anniversary, our Navy will pause in places spanning the globe to remember those we lost too soon, pay tribute to the heroic actions of the crew, and reflect on the brave example they set for us all as we face today’s challenges. Moreover, the ship has deployed six times since, including twice to the Middle East. Because it was designed, built, and maintained to be battle-ready, Cole never even missed a beat. I am proud to have led Cole as its commanding officer on its first deployment only three years after the attack. The Cole crew fought valiantly for more than 96 hours to rescue their shipmates and save their ship under extremely dangerous conditions. The blast, which tore a 40-by-60 foot hole in the ship’s hull, killed 17 Sailors and injured 37 more. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer during a routine refueling stop in Yemen’s port city of Aden. 12, 2000, al Qaeda terrorists perpetrated a cowardly attack against the U.S. Navy team who brought Cole back into the fight and now as a fleet commander, I believe the lasting meaning resides in the determined example they set for us all, and the message this sends to any potential adversary. As we mark the solemn milestone of 20 years since the insidious attack on USS Cole, we should continue to reflect on where meaning is found in this tragedy.
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