Cole sailor describes bombing, but was he even on the ship?

The Virginian-Pilot ^ | 4 Dec 09 | Kate Wiltrout

[GATOR NAVY]

In early November, retired Senior Chief Jeffrey Sparenberg was the guest of honor at military heritage day in Delaware.

Sparenberg spent 23 years in the Navy, including time on the destroyer Cole, and he was at Fort DuPont State Park that day to donate a flag that he said flew over the Cole shortly after it was attacked nine years ago.

The flag, he hoped, would be put on view at the planned Delaware Military Museum.

A photograph from the ceremony shows Sparenberg on the steps of a shuttered brick building. The left side of his chest is covered with military medals - including a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, purportedly from the actions he took and the injuries he suffered in that lunchtime attack.

Seventeen sailors died in the suicide bombing on Oct. 12, 2000, during a refueling stop in Aden, Yemen.

Sparenberg's detailed account of that fateful day was published on Nov. 16 in a front-page story in The News Journal of Wilmington, Del.

Now Sparenberg is back in the spotlight: The Navy and the ship's former commander say he was not on the Norfolk-based ship at all on the day it was struck.

They don't know whether the flag he donated actually flew aboard the Cole. And the two most significant medals he wore to the Delaware ceremony are also in doubt.

Lt. John Daniels, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon, said Sparenberg's orders for the Cole show him joining the ship on Oct. 16, 2000 - four days after the bombing.

[GATOR NAVY]

On a gator, especially a fairly big one like an LPD, hating riders is a pretty pointless exercise. You would only end up exhausted from the effort.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Go Army/Beat Navy"

December 12th, it's on!! Go Navy and may a Marine score the winning touchdown!!

[Grampa Dave]

“Nobody....and I mean absolutely nobody....wears medals like this on a dress jacket. The guy is some nutcase.”

I felt the same way. A few years ago, a guy over 6’ joined our church and at a formal party wore his Navy Air Dale wings and a couple of Navy medals. I asked him what he flew, and it was a jet that flew on and off carriers (not a combat jet). He said that he served off Nam for a couple of tours.

Last year, he said that he was an Annapolis grad and he really disliked McCain and hated GW.

All types of flags went up. However, when I checked him out, he was legit with an honorable record of service and had been a graduate of the Naval Academy. He had obtained the rank of Captain and held some key at sea positions.

However, he is probably a real minority re the wearing of medals while not in uniform.

[BlueLancer]

I did my Youngster Cruise from the Naval Academy aboard the LPD-11, Coronado. Worked the whole cruise in the engine room, scraping boilers and fixing pumps. On the last night of the cruise, returning to Norfolk, one of the crew brought out his stereo and played Moody Blues albums on the helo deck under a perfectly black sky full of stars ...

Probably the best night of my life ...

[BIGLOOK]

I wear a small pin from NAVFAC, VQ-1 DaNang on my informal jacket or shirt when attending GOE rallies. Other vets just wear caps, unit pins and patches but none flaunt salad. Just isn’t done.

[BIGLOOK]

secret squirrels?

That's a new one....

I found my three TDYs to the fleet at CTF77 short and boring. My worst memory was the time in a Quick Van on the USS King when a typhoon entered the area. But that's another sea story.

On the other two, Jouette and Bainbridge, our spaces were next to CIC, where we were on a 12 on, 8 off watch schedule while on station.

Not everyone hated us, just the RMs and the MAA. We got along fine with GMs and GMMs (something about early warning and itchy trigger fingers), the Black Gang (since my father was a retired MMC), the Nucs on Bainbridge and since we had Marines in our detachment, the Fleet Marines were friendly too.

Once during an unreps, a few of us got in line to pass supplies for the galley....until the CMAA found us and sent us packing. It wasn't us or the crew, it was the rules.

Merry Christmas, Senior Chief! (Just tone down the racket...)

[CTOCS]

Bite your tongue, sailor!

Merry Christmas to you too...

[BIGLOOK]

[GATOR NAVY]

You don't remember Secret Squirrel? It may have had something to do with our CMC at the time, who was a CT.