i forget which installment this is...

[Guest guest]

CNN...had the first coverage...CNN was my lifeline to my kid...there we

got our info...there we saw what hatred was...what terror was...

I did not hear from my daughter for two days...When she finally called,

she could not tell me where she was or what she was doing...they just

wanted to go home...all of them...

The military had a beautiful memorial service I heard the day after the

explosion in Norfolk...I did not watch it...I stayed home that day but

did not watch it..I could not watch it...A teacher friend of mine taped

it for me...but I still to this day, have not watched it. I hear every

TV in the school was tuned in to it...

After a while...my kid was finally home...i was not there when she got

home as i live nineteen hours from her and we did not know exactly what

was going on...my son in law was there...

It took her many, many months to begin to tell the story of what

happened...I did not ask ...I figured she would do so when she wanted

to...to this day she has not said everything...

She was going to the messhall for lunch. They were having Tacos that

day. She was in line in the hall by the messhall...the same messhall I

ate Christmas dinner in...She was at the messhall door when her Chief

called her over...he was about ten feet in back of her and wanted to

relay a message...she stepped back two feet and it blew...she was thrown

back twenty five feet and hit a wall....the people she was orignially

standing up with at the door were gone...she said there was

smoke...blackness and fire...and the sounds of sailors that were hurt

and trapped...She along with other shipmates...crawled thru the wreckage

of the messhall...to reach their injured shipmates...what she said was

very graphic and I will not get into this with yall...just remember the

worse horror movie you every saw and multiply that by 1000....she

reached a 200 pound male sailor that had a head injury...she carried him

out on her back and brought him to triage...others did the

same...risking their own lives to save others...then there was a

muster...and a call to general quarters....she could not reach her

general quarters as there was too much damage...they could not do a

computerized muster as the computer system and electrical system was

down...so they did a paper muster...she was listed as missing for two

hours as she could not get back to her division...when the paper muster

got back and they tried to account for people...they saw her name and

sent armed gunners to get her...she went topside and manned a machine

gun...they stayed there until the marines arrived...they guarded that

ship...the same ship that had a forty by sixty foot hole in its

side...the water was gushing in...and they bailed her out with

buckets...for many hours...they searched for survivors...they treated

the injured and they collected their dead...there was no food...no

water...no electricity....I sent an email out of her asking if she was

okay...I got it back about two months later saying they could not find

this addy...wonder why? They spent the first nite in their racks...in

the hot, hot dark...then the next nites they slept on the deck...there

was dysentary and malaria there...she was being treated for dysentary

and was taking malaria pills...there was one working toilet on the peer

that she used...the flag was scorched but still flew...Finally someone

put a tarp over the hole...as the zoom lens of the cameras peered inside

of the hole...there were sailors trapped in there that did not make it

out...I was very glad they put that tarp.

When the other destroyers got there, the crew was very thankful. The

marines took over the duty of protecting the ship and helping the

crew...one marine was interview by a news station and said he had never

seen so much carnage...but that crew kept their ship afloat...it did not

sink into the Bay of Arden...our US sailors made sure of that...they

also took care of themselves and their fellow shipmates...Seventeen

perished ...

When the Cole was pulled out of the Bay of Arden, they played two

songs.....One was the National Anthem....and then the other one was

American Bad Azz by Kid Rock...as the Cole sailed out...people on the

banks cheered and jeered at her. but she left proud...she may have been

hurt...but she was not out in the long run...

When the Cole crew got back to port, they had a special visitor...Kid

Rock. He had heard that the cole played his song while leaving and he

was proud. He gave a benefit concert for the Cole sailors and for the

children that were left behind by the deaths of those 17....The

surviving Cole sailors gave Kid Rock a Cole Jacket and a hat...Other

musicians also gave benefit concerts for the cole victims...Tim McGraw

and Faith Hill...etc...

Those 17 will not every be forgotten...those 17 gave their lives so that

we could remain free...those other sailors gave of their heart and souls

to keep their ship afloat and help their brethen...that is why freedom

is so important to me...We can never let the freedoms we have, be taken

from us...and I am not talking about freedom of speech here....I am

talking about all of them...we cannot let " creatures " bring us down...

I once said....I am glad my kid joined the Navy...who in their right

mind would attack a destroyer...well those words came back to haunt

me...

I went back to base in November of this year....I was riding on base

with my kid and we passed this ship...I looked at her...I remembered the

number and she said yes...it was the Cole....I just looked at her...the

Cole...and then looked at my kid...I was not sure where we were

going...we finally got to the end of the base..and she stopped....she

told me to follow the path....the first thing on the path was a memorial

plaque that said this was the Cole memorial...it told the Cole story on

October 12, 2000...It told how 17 gave their lives...it told how the

other kept her afloat...and helped their brethen...I kept walking and

found pine trees on each side...one for each child that was left behind

I was told...(I do not know if that is correct of not)...then there was

a single magnolia tree with another plaque...it was dedicated to the

crew of the cole that perished...the path continued and then I saw

it....it was a three piece monolith coming out of the cement...it was

made of red granite..it was engraved with the names of those seventeen

sailors...their rank and their home town...I read every one of them...it

was a cold, blustery day too...as I was shivering with the cold...i also

realized I was shivering for those 17 mamas that lost their kid...that

plaque could have easily had my daughter's name on it...but thank God it

did not. God must have other plans for her...I said a prayer of thanks

to him right then and there....I went back silently to the car....there

was another set of parents at the first plaque...another of the cole

sailors had come with his family to pay their respects...I just hugged

my kid when I got inside of the car...just a matter of two feet and an

Angel from God saved her...and I am forever thankful for that...

My story is done now...I hope I have not bored you to pieces...I am a

proud American...I am a proud mama to two Navy Petty Officers First

Class...

Stress...yes this is stress at its worse for me...my daughter is going

back to sea soon...on another ship...I will again be worried but proud

of the sacrifices my kids make and all the navy and military

personal...so that we can remain free...

[Guest guest]

Chippy,

I wasn't bored at all. Thanks for sharing such an intimate part of

your life with us.

K.

> CNN...had the first coverage...CNN was my lifeline to my

kid...there we

> got our info...there we saw what hatred was...what terror was...

>

> I did not hear from my daughter for two days...When she finally

called,

> she could not tell me where she was or what she was doing...they

just

> wanted to go home...all of them...

>

> The military had a beautiful memorial service I heard the day after

the

> explosion in Norfolk...I did not watch it...I stayed home that day

but

> did not watch it..I could not watch it...A teacher friend of mine

taped

> it for me...but I still to this day, have not watched it. I hear

every

> TV in the school was tuned in to it...

>

> After a while...my kid was finally home...i was not there when she

got

> home as i live nineteen hours from her and we did not know exactly

what

> was going on...my son in law was there...

>

> It took her many, many months to begin to tell the story of what

> happened...I did not ask ...I figured she would do so when she

wanted

> to...to this day she has not said everything...

>

> She was going to the messhall for lunch. They were having Tacos

that

> day. She was in line in the hall by the messhall...the same

messhall I

> ate Christmas dinner in...She was at the messhall door when her

Chief

> called her over...he was about ten feet in back of her and wanted to

> relay a message...she stepped back two feet and it blew...she was

thrown

> back twenty five feet and hit a wall....the people she was

orignially

> standing up with at the door were gone...she said there was

> smoke...blackness and fire...and the sounds of sailors that were

hurt

> and trapped...She along with other shipmates...crawled thru the

wreckage

> of the messhall...to reach their injured shipmates...what she said

was

> very graphic and I will not get into this with yall...just remember

the

> worse horror movie you every saw and multiply that by 1000....she

> reached a 200 pound male sailor that had a head injury...she

carried him

> out on her back and brought him to triage...others did the

> same...risking their own lives to save others...then there was a

> muster...and a call to general quarters....she could not reach her

> general quarters as there was too much damage...they could not do a

> computerized muster as the computer system and electrical system was

> down...so they did a paper muster...she was listed as missing for

two

> hours as she could not get back to her division...when the paper

muster

> got back and they tried to account for people...they saw her name

and

> sent armed gunners to get her...she went topside and manned a

machine

> gun...they stayed there until the marines arrived...they guarded

that

> ship...the same ship that had a forty by sixty foot hole in its

> side...the water was gushing in...and they bailed her out with

> buckets...for many hours...they searched for survivors...they

treated

> the injured and they collected their dead...there was no food...no

> water...no electricity....I sent an email out of her asking if she

was

> okay...I got it back about two months later saying they could not

find

> this addy...wonder why? They spent the first nite in their

racks...in

> the hot, hot dark...then the next nites they slept on the

deck...there

> was dysentary and malaria there...she was being treated for

dysentary

> and was taking malaria pills...there was one working toilet on the

peer

> that she used...the flag was scorched but still flew...Finally

someone

> put a tarp over the hole...as the zoom lens of the cameras peered

inside

> of the hole...there were sailors trapped in there that did not make

it

> out...I was very glad they put that tarp.

>

> When the other destroyers got there, the crew was very thankful.

The

> marines took over the duty of protecting the ship and helping the

> crew...one marine was interview by a news station and said he had

never

> seen so much carnage...but that crew kept their ship afloat...it

did not

> sink into the Bay of Arden...our US sailors made sure of that...they

> also took care of themselves and their fellow shipmates...Seventeen

> perished ...

>

> When the Cole was pulled out of the Bay of Arden, they played two

> songs.....One was the National Anthem....and then the other one was

> American Bad Azz by Kid Rock...as the Cole sailed out...people on

the

> banks cheered and jeered at her. but she left proud...she may have

been

> hurt...but she was not out in the long run...

>

> When the Cole crew got back to port, they had a special

visitor...Kid

> Rock. He had heard that the cole played his song while leaving and

he

> was proud. He gave a benefit concert for the Cole sailors and for

the

> children that were left behind by the deaths of those 17....The

> surviving Cole sailors gave Kid Rock a Cole Jacket and a hat...Other

> musicians also gave benefit concerts for the cole victims...Tim

McGraw

> and Faith Hill...etc...

>

> Those 17 will not every be forgotten...those 17 gave their lives so

that

> we could remain free...those other sailors gave of their heart and

souls

> to keep their ship afloat and help their brethen...that is why

freedom

> is so important to me...We can never let the freedoms we have, be

taken

> from us...and I am not talking about freedom of speech here....I am

> talking about all of them...we cannot let " creatures " bring us

down...

>

> I once said....I am glad my kid joined the Navy...who in their right

> mind would attack a destroyer...well those words came back to haunt

> me...

>

> I went back to base in November of this year....I was riding on base

> with my kid and we passed this ship...I looked at her...I

remembered the

> number and she said yes...it was the Cole....I just looked at

her...the

> Cole...and then looked at my kid...I was not sure where we were

> going...we finally got to the end of the base..and she

stopped....she

> told me to follow the path....the first thing on the path was a

memorial

> plaque that said this was the Cole memorial...it told the Cole

story on

> October 12, 2000...It told how 17 gave their lives...it told how the

> other kept her afloat...and helped their brethen...I kept walking

and

> found pine trees on each side...one for each child that was left

behind

> I was told...(I do not know if that is correct of not)...then there

was

> a single magnolia tree with another plaque...it was dedicated to the

> crew of the cole that perished...the path continued and then I saw

> it....it was a three piece monolith coming out of the cement...it

was

> made of red granite..it was engraved with the names of those

seventeen

> sailors...their rank and their home town...I read every one of

them...it

> was a cold, blustery day too...as I was shivering with the cold...i

also

> realized I was shivering for those 17 mamas that lost their

kid...that

> plaque could have easily had my daughter's name on it...but thank

God it

> did not. God must have other plans for her...I said a prayer of

thanks

> to him right then and there....I went back silently to the

car....there

> was another set of parents at the first plaque...another of the cole

> sailors had come with his family to pay their respects...I just

hugged

> my kid when I got inside of the car...just a matter of two feet and

an

> Angel from God saved her...and I am forever thankful for that...

>

> My story is done now...I hope I have not bored you to pieces...I am

a

> proud American...I am a proud mama to two Navy Petty Officers First

> Class...

>

> Stress...yes this is stress at its worse for me...my daughter is

going

> back to sea soon...on another ship...I will again be worried but

proud

> of the sacrifices my kids make and all the navy and military

> personal...so that we can remain free...