USS Cole (DDG 67) Remembrance Ceremony

Friends and family along with service members both past and present will gather at the USS Cole Memorial at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Oct. 12, in remembrance of the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) attack. USS Cole was attacked by members of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization Oct. 12, 2000. The terrorists used a small vessel posing as a trash barge to close in on the ship before detonating an improvised explosive device. The blast tore a massive hole in the side of the ship. 17 Sailors gave their lives as heroes in the attack, and 37 were injured. The crew fought bravely for 96 consecutive hours and to save their ship. Cole recently returned from a highly successful deployment to the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of operation. This was the second time Cole operated in the area since the 2000 terrorist attack.