In October 2000, my family lived through hell. My youngest brother, Carl (standing left in the photo), a mere 21 year-old at the time, was on the USS Cole on a routine trip to the Middle East when it was bombed while on a lay-over in Yemen. Luckily, he was unharmed, but we had no way of knowing at first if he was one of the dead and injured young soldiers being carried off of the ship immediately after the vicious blast. All we could do was stare at our television and wait for news. Luckily, my own Representative Jack Kingston (I was living in Vidalia, Georgia at the time) was quick to respond. Within hours, he had our family linked to officials in Washington, D.C., which brought at least a little comfort to my parents in Florida. I will never forget Representative Kingston’s kindness to people who were not even his constituents.
My poor brother did not leave the ship that day or the next, in fact. Instead, when the bomb hit, the explosion lifted the ship out of the water, awakening him from a nap before lunch. He stumbled out of bed and into a narrow corridor where he helped to treat his injured shipmates. Several of his close friends died, one in his arms. He wrote a journal in the hours afterwards entitled, “The Bloody Aisle”, which he shared with family and friends upon his safe return home.
It needs to be said that Bill Clinton, still in office, did nothing to retaliate for the USS Cole attack.
So, today I was reading an article by the Associate Press which states that the Pentagon is seeking the death penalty for the alleged (I have to say that since I am a defense attorney by profession) master-mind of this plot, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. I hate to even write the bastard’s name. Yes, he is claiming that his confession was coerced and that his rights were violated. I say, bullshit. Send him to see his god (which, incidently, is not mine) as soon as possible.
Here is a story from the Florida Times-Union which features my brother and his best friend.
“The Bloody Aisle” can be found at abcnews.com. Below, is a photo of the damage to the side of the ship caused by this terrorist act.
Wow, I hadn’t heard about this. I’m so proud to be an American, and to be in his family!
Thanks! But I guess I should have specified that he is my step-brother. But he has been my brother since I was five, so I usually just refer to him as brother.
Hey! His story had me in tears. I remember you telling us about this a little in school but I did not remember all the details. It is/was so touching to read about his first hand encounter. He should be so proud of himself, I am!