USS Cole commemorates attack

MEDITERRANEAN SEA (WAVY) - Norfolk-based guided missile destroyer USS Cole commemorated the 12th anniversary of an al-Qaida suicide mission that killed 17 Sailors and injured 37 others.

The attacked happened while the ship was refueling in Yemen on Oct. 12, 2000. The names of the 17 deceased soldiers were read out loud as current Sailors stood in formation.

“For our Navy, the Cole her Sailors and their families, our war on terror began on October 12, 2000 at 1118 in the morning. The storm that had been gathering broke violently on our nation, our Navy, and on our ship, Cole,” Cole's Commanding Officer Peter K. Nilsen said. “Our ship stands for American resolve. It is part of history, it is a memorial for our fallen shipmates, but it is also a living, breathing ship that meets mission every single day.”

Cole deployed from Norfolk in April.