Posted on 09/17/2001 2:17:30 PM PDT by green team 1999
USS COLE afloat again
The USS Cole (DDG-67) was named for Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, USMC. Sergeant Cole was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his conspicuous gallantry in the campaign at Iwo Jima during WWII.
USS COLE (DDG 67) is the first warship named for Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, USMC (1920-1945). Sergeant Cole was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his conspicuous gallantry in the campaign at Iwo Jima.
On August 25, 1941, Cole enlisted in the Marine Corps for the duration of the National Emergency. Following boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, he was appointed to the Field Music School for training as a Marine Corps Field Musician (a bugler). He was unhappy in his role of Field Musician, because he had joined a fighting outfit to fight. He had applied for a change in rating, but was refused due to the shortage of buglers. He completed instruction and was transferred to the First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division. On August 7, 1942, he reached the shores of Guadalcanal for the first American offensive of World War II, where he had an opportunity to fill in as a Machine Gunner in the absence of the regular gunner.
Cole completed his first overseas tour of duty and returned to the United States in February 1943 where he joined the First Batallion, Twenty-Third Marines, a part of the Fourth Marine Division at Camp Lejune, North Carolina. When the unit moved to California he again asked for relief as a Field Musician and for permission to perform line duties. Due to the shortage of buglers in the Marine Corps, his request was disapproved.
During the first engagement of the Fourth Division at Roi-Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll, Cole, again forsaking his bugle, went in to action as a Machine Gunner. Later, during the battle for Saipan, Cole was actually assigned to a machine gun unit and was even designated as a machine gun section leader. During the battle his squad leader was killed and Cole, although wounded, assumed command of the entire squad. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for "…his resolute leadership, indomitable fighting spirit and tenacious determination in the face of terrific opposition." He was also awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in action.
A few days after the battle of Saipan, Cole again led his squad ashore in the invasion of the neighboring islands of Tinian. He continued to build his reputation as "The Fighting Field Musician."
After the Marianas campaigns, he resubmitted his request for a change of rating. This time his request was approved. He was redesignated Corporal "line" and was subsequently promoted to Sergeant in November 1944.
On February 19, 1945, Sergeant Cole led his machine gun section ashore in the D-Day assault of Iwo Jima. Moving forward with the initial assault wave, a hail of fire from two enemy emplacements halted his section's advance. Sergeant Cole personally destroyed them with hand grenades. His unit continued to advance until pinned down for a second time by enemy fire from three Japanese gun emplacements. One of these emplacements was silenced by Cole's machine guns. When his machine guns jammed, armed only with a pistol and one hand grenade, Sergeant Cole made a one-man attack against the two remaining gun emplacements. Twice he returned to his own lines for additional grenades and continued the attack under fierce enemy fire until he had succeeded in destroying the enemy strong points.
Upon returning to his own squad, he was instantly killed by an enemy grenade. By his one-man attack and heroic self-sacrifice, Sergeant Cole enabled his company to move forward against the fortifications and attain their ultimate objective.
FBI denies reported arrests
09/17/01
Mobile Register (Alabama)
Staff Report
FBI agents gathered at a Daphne (East side of Mobile Bay)service station Friday morning but did not arrest or see anyone who appeared to be of Arabic descent, a bureau spokesman said Sunday afternoon.
Charles Middleton, special agent in charge of the FBI's Mobile office, made the statement in response to an article in Sunday's Register that quoted a clerk at the station as saying FBI agents and police had taken four men into custody.
Middleton said, "Our violent crime task force was out in Daphne Friday morning looking for a fugitive. The team arrived at the Shell station at about 5 a.m. as a staging area.
"Someone came out of the Shell station and told us their were four Arabic males in the station an hour before. We didn't fully explain to the person why we were there."
According to Middleton, the agents left their cars at the station on U.S. 98. He said they were looking for two men, one in Daphne and one in Bay Minette, but did not find either. He said the team continued its search for the men Sunday.
Middleton said the story about the four men being taken into custody was "amazing," especially since the man at the service station "came out and told us they were there an hour before we were."
The Sunday article quoted John Mornan, a cashier at the Shell station in Daphne, as saying that four men who appeared to be of Arabic descent came to the station about 5:20 a.m. Friday. One man remained outside to pump gasoline into the white van the men were traveling in and the others came inside.
He said one of the men, who bought caffeinated soft drinks and ice, told him they had been driving for days from California and were tired. He said the men did not appear tired and the van had a Florida license plate.
Mornan said the men appeared to be nervous and would not make eye contact.
After a few minutes, the man who had been pumping gasoline came to the door and spoke to the others in a language that was not English, Mornan said.
The men quickly went outside where FBI agents and police surrounded them. They were searched, handcuffed and put into two cars and driven away, said Mornan.
He said two FBI agents got into the van the men had been using and drove it away.
Mornan said several FBI agents remained behind and one told him that they had been following the men from Tampa since Thursday night.
He said the agent told him the men were expected to rendezvous with three other men but had not done so and the agents were concerned that, with dawn approaching, the men would realize they were being followed.
Mornan said he did not ask whether the men were under arrest or were just being detained for questioning.
He said he did not ask for the names of the FBI agents.
"They were wearing vests with 'FBI' written across them," Mornan said.
Contacted Sunday by the Register and told of Middleton's statement, Mornan, a 65-year-old retired aerospace engineer, said that the FBI must have been working on something that it did not want to reveal and that he did not want to argue with the FBI or do anything to harm national security.
"Why would I want to make up something like that," he said. "If I'd been looking for press (coverage), it would have been different. I didn't call you, you called me."
Is there more going on out there than we know?
Probably a whole lot. The President has already said that this isn't going to be a made for TV war. I'm glad for that.
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