REMEMBER THE USS COLE

Memories Strong Five Years After Cole Blast



A lot has happened in five years. Most of it foreshadowed by this cowardly attack that killed 17 of our sailors. The lesson for us? Terrorism must be met with a ferocious response. Half-measures only embolden the evil doers. We must hit the Islamofascists first, hit them hard, and hit to kill.

“That’s the first time in my Navy career that I had to let someone die, so I did,” Parlier said. “I made the call. I said last rites. I said a prayer and then we put him on the side somewhere so he wouldn’t be in a position where he was dying in front of the crew and demoralizing the crew.”

What did demoralize the crew was Yemenis celebrating the attack in view of Cole crewmembers for a couple of nights following the attack, Parlier said. They felt the Cole was their trophy, he said.

“Boy, that sticks [with me], seeing all these guys in white outfits jumping up and down, partying music blaring,” he said.

For the Cole’s sailors, it was tough not to retaliate, he said.

The Cole incident was one of a series of terrorist attacks in the 1990s that were not adequately answered by the United States, said Marc Genest, an associate professor of strategy and policy at the Naval War College.

“Measured responses against terrorist organizations are seen as a sign of weakness, not strength,” he said.

Genest said the overall lesson from the Cole is that not responding to terrorists’ attacks only emboldens them.

“The time to attack terrorists is at the very beginning of their strategy,” he said.

I'm keeping this post bumped to the top today. If you can, mention the Cole on your blog today, and let's remember the brave men and women who gave their lives defending us.