04 Jun 10th Anniversary of Bombing of USS Cole
Determined Warrior is a visual homage to the heroic saving, deliberate restoration and proud return to the fleet of the USS Cole, badly damaged in the terrorist bombing of October 12, 2000 in Aden, Yemen. Robert Berning Productions was commissioned by Northrop Grumman to document the return of the Cole to the Pascagoula, MS shipyard where it was originally constructed.
The terrorist attack tore a 40 by 40-foot hole in the side of the destroyer, killing 17 young sailors and wounding an additional 39. Investigators have since closely linked the bombing to terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.
Over the three days following the attack, Cole’s young, mostly inexperienced sailors fought desperately to save trapped crewmates and prevent their ship from sinking. Collapsed bulkheads, flooded compartments, spilled fuel oil, dangerous electrical conditions and soaring temperatures combined to create an inconceivably harrowing environment.
For their actions, 149 Cole sailors received 154 awards as recognition for heroism above and beyond the call of duty.
Commissioned in 1996, the USS Cole is named after Sgt. Darrell S. Cole of Flat River, Mo., a U.S. Marine hero killed on the day 30,000 marines landed at Iwo Jima, Feb. 19, 1945. The ship’s official motto is “Determined Warrior.”
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