On October 12, 2000, suicide terrorists exploded a small boat alongside the USS Cole (DDG 67) as it was refueling in the Yemeni port of Aden. The blast ripped a 40-foot-wide hole near the waterline of the Cole, killing 17 American sailors and injuring many more.
Below are the names of those who were killed:
HT3Kenneth Clodfelter, 21
ET1 Richard Costelow, 35
MSSR Lakeina Francis, 19
ITSN Tim Gauna, 21
SNSR Cherone Gunn, 22
SN James McDaniels, 19
EN2Marc Nieto, 24
EW3Ronald Owens, 24
SR Lakiba Palmer, 22
ENFN Joshua Parlett, 19
FA Patrick Roy, 19
EW2 Kevin Rux, 30
MS3Ronchester Santiago, 22
OS2 Timothy Saunders, 32
FN Gary Swenchonis Jr., 26
ENS Andrew Triplett, 30
SA Craig Wibberley, 19
The USS Cole is named after Sergeant Darrell Samuel Cole (July 20, 1920 – February 19, 1945), a United States Marine who posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his “conspicuous gallantry” at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
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