NORFOLK, Va. — With the presentation of colors, the singing of the national anthem and a prayer, the solemn remembrance of the lives lost during the USS Cole attack on Oct. 12, 2000 began at Naval Station Norfolk.
The remembrance ceremony was held Thursday, the 23rd anniversary of the attack.
“You remember every detail of that day," said Mona Dunn.
Dunn’s 22-year-old son, Cherone, was one of the sailors killed.
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The ship, which was based in Norfolk, was attacked during a refueling stop in Yemen.
Terrorists detonated explosives on a small boat next to the ship.
"It was around eight o’clock that I saw the news story on CNN that said four killed," said Dunn. "So, it’s still emotional because a piece of my heart left when my child was killed.”
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The ceremony also included a bell ringing, a double-ring for each of the seventeen sailors as their names were read aloud and a wreath carried around and placed the base’s USS Cole Memorial.
Paul Abney also attended the ceremony.
He was a master chief sonarman on board the USS Cole when it was attacked.
“Each day every year, it poses an opportunity to grieve those that we lost. It’s a high and a low," said Abney. "The high comes from seeing crew members, some, it’s been years since we’ve seen.”
“As a gold star family, as a gold star mom, we don’t want others to forget that we have our freedoms in this country today because of our servicemen and women," said Dunn.
