Supreme Court Sides Against USS Cole Survivors

USS Cole victims opposed at Supreme Court by unlikely partners: Sudan and US

The Washington Post
By ROBERT BARNES
Published: November 4, 2018

"It is mind-boggling that the government has decided in this case to side with a state sponsor of terrorism and against men and women who are seeking to recover for grievous injuries suffered in the service of our country," Shanmugam wrote in a brief to the court.

Sailors aboard the USS Ross frame President Bill Clinton and others during a USS Cole memorial service in Richmond in October 2000. ROBERT A. REEDER/WASHINGTON POST PHOTO

The road to recovery has been a long one for David Morales, who was injured during the al-Qaida attack on the USS Cole 18 years ago last month. And he knew it would be difficult to collect the nearly $315 million that he and others wounded in the attack were awarded in their suit against the Republic of Sudan.

But he didn't expect the case to go all the way to the Supreme Court, and he certainly didn't think he would see the Trump administration aligned with Sudan on the other side of the legal battle.

"I thought the United States would be on the side of its veterans," Morales said in a recent interview. "It was very surprising, especially with Mr. Trump in office. It seems like he is in support of veterans. It kind of hurts."

Years of litigation and millions of dollars in awards are on the line this week as the Supreme Court addresses a seemingly mundane question: whether notices of the lawsuits against Sudan were sent to the wrong address eight years ago.
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USS Cole's top enlisted sailor relieved of duty

USS Cole's top enlisted sailor relieved of duty
Stars and Stripes
By Audrea Huff
Published: January 16, 2014

The top enlisted crew member of the USS Cole was relieved of his duties Thursday following a command investigation into an inappropriate relationship with a junior sailor, the Navy said.

Command Master Chief Larry H. Dean was found guilty at captain's mast proceedings Thursday by Cmdr. Dennis Farrell, the Cole's commanding officer, the Navy said in a news release. The investigation determined Dean had an "unduly familiar relationship" with a junior enlisted sailor on the ship, it said.

Dean enlisted in the Navy on July 1, 1986. Since then, he has served as senior enlisted adviser to retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal in Ramadi, Iraq, and one of his shore tours included Tactical Cryptologic Support for SEAL Teams Two, Four and Ten, according to his Navy biography.

During his career, Dean has received the Bronze Star, a Defense Meritorious Service Medal, a Joint Commendation Medal with "V," the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon and the Presidential Unit Citation.
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Cole CO during 2000 attack says crew vindicated

Cole CO during 2000 attack says crew vindicated
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 2, 2011 13:25:13 EDT
A former commander of the destroyer Cole cheered the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed during a raid on a secret compound in Pakistan early Monday, but said the news was also a sobering reminder of those who lost their lives or were injured during the Oct. 12, 2000, bin Laden-directed attack in Aden, Yemen.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that we finally reached out and got bin Laden,” said retired Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, who commanded the ship at the time of the attack. “But as you would expect, that’s also tempered with the fact that there are still 17 families out there that are missing their loved ones, along with thousands of other Americans who’ve also paid a price at the hands of that guy.”
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Cole CO during 2000 attack says crew vindicated

Vietnam vet who lost son in USS Cole bombing wins in court

Judge: Lejeune officials violated veteran's rights by demanding removal of anti-Islam decals
By: MIKE BAKER
Associated Press
04/01/10 4:30 PM EDT

RALEIGH, N.C. — Camp Lejeune officials violated the rights of a military veteran who came to his job on base in a vehicle emblazoned with anti-Islamic decals after his son died in a terrorist bombing, a federal judge ruled.

Jesse Nieto's stickers included one that said "ISLAM (equals) TERRORISM" and another with a threat to defecate on the Quran. He also had a decal to commemorate the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, in which 17 shipmates died including Nieto's youngest son.

"His vehicle is a way to express his mourning and anger," said Nieto's attorney, Robert Muise. Nieto has been driving a different vehicle to his on-base job since the summer of 2008, but Muise said he plans to return with his decals next week. He has worked at Lejeune since 1994 and previously served 25 years in the Marine Corps, including two combat tours as an infantryman in Vietnam.



Read more at the Washington Examiner: Lejeune officials violated veteran rights

USS Cole survivor died after years of PTSD

Obituary: Johann Gokool of Homestead, victim of attack on the USS Cole

BY ELINOR J. BRECHER
ebrecher@MiamiHerald.com
The October 2000 terrorist assault on the USS Cole killed 17 sailors and injured 39, among them Petty Officer 3rd Class Johann Gokool of Homestead, an electronic warfare technician who lost his left leg.

Last Wednesday, a week after his 31th birthday, Gokool transitioned from survivor to victim. Relatives say he died in his bed, apparently during one of the violent panic attacks that had plagued him since the incident.

His younger brother found Gokool about 7 p.m. on Dec. 23 in the house they shared. Medical examiners still haven't said what killed him, but relatives believe that a deadly attack stopped his heart.

The U.S. Navy classified Gokool 100 percent disabled due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The attacks came without warning, lasting from a few minutes to hours, and because of them, Gokool couldn't work, drive or even bowl -- his favorite pastime.

``He was afraid of having an attack with a ball in his hand,'' said his sister, Natala, 29. ``I'll pick him up to go somewhere and he'll sit in the back seat so if he has an attack, he won't distract or hurt me.''

Gokool, say relatives, frequently stayed up all night chatting online with military buddies around the world, During the day, ``he couldn't make plans,'' his sister said. ``He didn't like to be in public in strange places . . . He'd be stuck in his room for days. He lived like an owl.''

He talked about the explosion ``all the time,'' she said. ``Anybody who would listen, he would talk.''
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Johann Gokool of Homestead, victim of attack on the USS Cole

President Obama meets with families of 9/11, Cole victims

Obama meets with families of 9/11, Cole victims
By Lara Jakes - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Feb 6, 2009 15:06:45 EST

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama was spending time with families of 9/11 victims and the 17 sailors killed in the bombing of the Cole after a senior Pentagon judge dropped charges against an al-Qaida suspect in the Cole attack being held at Guantanamo Bay.

The legal move Thursday by Susan J. Crawford, the top legal authority for military trials at Guantanamo, upholds Obama’s Jan. 22 executive order to halt terrorist court proceedings at the Navy base in Cuba. The charges against suspected al-Qaida bomber Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri marked the last active Guantanamo war crimes case.

Groups representing victims’ families were angered by Obama’s order, charging they had waited too long already to see the alleged attackers brought to court.

Retired Navy Cmdr. Kirk S. Lippold, the commanding officer of the Cole when it was bombed in Yemen in 2000, said he would be among family members of Cole and 9/11 victims who are meeting with Obama at the White House on Friday afternoon.
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