Judge Sets New Deadline for Nashiri Defense Team

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – A military judge has given defense lawyers an extension to May 1 to provide a theory of the case in the United States vs. Abd al-Rahim Hussein Mohammed Abdu al-Nashiri.

Army Col. James Pohl, the trial judge in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, originally set a deadline of April 17.

Nashiri is the alleged mastermind of the terror attack on the USS Cole in October 2000 in the Aden, Yemen, harbor that killed 17 sailors and wounded 39 others.

Defense attorneys asked for a 90-day extension, saying they didn’t have time to properly read and evaluate more than 70,000 pages of data by April 17. The government provided the data – both classified and unclassified – to the defense under the rules of the Military Commissions Act.

Defense attorney Navy Cmdr. Stephen Reyes said the effort was delayed for two weeks when classified information was found in the unclassified data.

Pohl gave the defense two extra weeks to submit their theory of the case to him. Submitting the theory of the case is not a required step, but it would be in the interest of the defendant to do so, officials explained. If the defense fails to present the theory by the deadline, the case can still continue.

The judge granted a defense motion to get information from the Yemeni government and denied another that would have required the government to include irrelevant information in discovery documents.

Finally, the judge ordered the defense team to submit a written response on allowing defense counsel Michel Paradis to remain on the case. He set a deadline of May 14 for that response.

Judge Hears Arguments on Cole Defendant’s Motions

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

FORT MEADE, Md.  – A military judge ruled today that a defendant in the USS Cole bombing may meet with his defense attorneys unfettered.

Army Col. James L. Pohl deferred several other defense motions in the case of Abd al-Rahim Hussein Mohammed Abdu al-Nashiri at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Today’s ruling made moot testimony from Nashiri on the effects he felt from his imprisonment prior to arriving at the detention facility in Cuba. That testimony could have contained classified information.

Lawyers also argued on constitutional motions, with the defense arguing that neither terrorism nor conspiracy is a crime under accepted international law. They said Nashiri – who is alleged to have masterminded the plot that killed 17 sailors aboard the USS Cole during an act of terror in Aden, Yemen, in 2000 – cannot be charged with those crimes because they don’t exist.

Pohl indicated he would rule on these motions later. More arguments on other motions will take place tomorrow.

Nashiri is charged with perfidy, murder in violation of the law of war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, terrorism, conspiracy, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects and hazarding a vessel.

This is a capital case.

The charges arise out of an attempted attack on the USS The Sullivans in January 2000, the actual attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, and an attack on the motor vessel Limburg in October 2002.

Nashiri is a Saudi-born member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials allege he was under the personal supervision of Osama bin Laden, and that bin Laden personally approved the attacks on the U.S. Navy ships.

New York lawyer David Schultz also spoke to the court today, arguing that the peoples’ right to know trumped security concerns in this trial. Schultz, who represented 10 media organizations including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Fox News, NPR and the Miami Herald, based his argument on the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.

He noted that lead prosecutor Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins has been explaining to audiences around the United States how the reformed military commissions system is the best way to advance the rule of law in these cases. Under U.S. law, public attendance of criminal prosecutions is imperative to fairness, he said.

He reached back to the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators in 1865 and the Nuremberg trials after World War II to show that military commissions also honored this idea.

He admitted the government had a right to not reveal classified data during a trial, but argued that there are ways to ensure openness while still protecting the information.

Schultz’ testimony was the first time outside lawyers have argued in front of the panel at Guantanamo.

Pohl did not disagree with Schultz. He maintained that the default setting in his court is a public hearing. He said proceedings should be closed only when the least restrictive measures cannot be imposed.

Surviving Families, Victims of Cole Attack Seek Justice

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – Family members who lost loved ones during the USS Cole attack and two survivors urged yesterday that justice be served in the quest to ensure a fair trial for the accused mastermind of the attack.

The family members and survivors appeared grim-faced, and some choked with emotion as they spoke to reporters at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, following the second day of a pretrial hearing for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.

Nashiri is charged with several crimes, including a role in the Oct. 12, 2000, attack on the Cole as it was refueling in Aden Harbor, Yemen. Suicide bombers detonated an explosives-laden boat directly against the ship’s port side, killing 17 sailors and wounding 37 others.

Among the survivors was James Parlier, the ship’s command master chief petty officer, who worked directly for the Cole’s captain and traveled to Guantanamo Bay to watch the pretrial proceedings.

Parlier admitted yesterday that seeing Nashiri during his first visit to Guantanamo Bay since Joint Task Force Guantanamo was stood up “brings up a lot of raw emotion.”

“This is a long process, and it has been tough for all of us,” he said, noting that the attack affected not only the sailors killed and their families, but also their shipmates, who continue to suffer from physical injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Every person on that ship lost something,” agreed Ronald Francis, a retired sailor whose 19-year-old daughter, Seaman Lakeina Francis, died aboard the Cole. “Everyone is now affected by the outcome of the USS Cole bombing.”

Olivia Rux said her life hasn’t been the same since her husband, Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Rux, an electronic warfare specialist, “was murdered” during the attack. She shared with reporters the emptiness she feels and her personal struggle as one of the family members left behind “to figure out where I belong in this society that has been overlooked.”

Rux dismissed defense arguments during the pre-trial hearing that the military commission process is being rushed, denying Nashiri the opportunity to receive a fair trial.

She recalled the painful wait for news after the attack, not yet knowing if loved ones and shipmates were alive or dead, and the agony of having to bury their loved ones. “Where is the justice in that?” she asked.

Francis questioned, after hearing members of the defense team challenge the fairness of the military commission system, who’s thinking about those whose lives were cut short, or were left behind. “When the defense talks about justice, where is the justice [for the] sailors aboard that ship?” he said.

He said he wanted to “see the process and justice done – not only for my daughter, but for all the shipmates that were on that ship.”

Eleven years after the attack, Master Chief Petty Officer Paul Abney, who was sitting in the ship’s mess when the explosion occurred, said he traveled to Guantanamo Bay to seek closure. “I am here to witness justice and to see this process to take place,” he said.

He disputed the defense team’s arguments that military commissions aren’t legitimate court proceedings and insisted that alleged terrorists don’t deserve the right to be tried in the United States.

Abney also scoffed at the notion that Nashiri, as a defendant, is likely to have access to national secrets that even he isn’t entitled to because he has no need to know. “It doesn’t feel fair,” he said, “but that’s the process and the rules.”

He commended the efforts those conducting the commission are making to ensure that Nashiri receives a fair trial. “They are doing their job to be as fair and honest as possible, and we need to let the process go as it was set up at this place, in this time,” he said.

Parlier agreed that the legal process has been “more than fair, I believe, with Nashiri.” But he made no secret of what he hopes the outcome will be.

“I pray to God that we do prove that he worked with [deceased al-Qaida leader Osama] bin Laden and his cell, creating the nightmare for us that he did,” Parlier said. “And I pray that one day, as an older man, that I see him receive the justice that he deserves.”

Jesse Neito, whose son, Petty Officer 2nd Class Mark Neito, was killed in the attack, lamented that justice has been “slow, very slow.” He expressed hope that he “will be able to see and be alive when the outcome resolves itself.”

Rux was more direct. “I have nothing but time to wait until that detainee draws his last breath,” she said.

Pretrial Proceedings Begin for Alleged USS Cole Mastermind

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

FORT MEADE, Md., Jan. 17, 2012 – The commander of the U.S. detention facility at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, defended the new policy that allows government officials to monitor prisoners’ mail during the opening day of pretrial proceedings for the alleged mastermind in the USS Cole bombing.

Navy Rear Adm. David Woods, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay, testified today in response to a motion by the defense at the military commission hearing for Abd al-Rahim Hussein Muhammed al Nashiri. Army Col. James Pohl ruled during proceedings at Guantanamo Bay that Woods should explain the policy he instituted last month.

Woods, one of the highest-level officials to testify in a military tribunal, said the new policy balances his responsibilities to facilitate attorney-client communication while also ensuring security, safety, force protection and good order at the facility.

Woods told Navy Lt. Cmdr. Stephen C. Reyes of the defense team the new policy allows members of a team that reviews detainee privileges to conduct a “plain-view review” of written communications not marked as protected attorney-client information. The review, he said, is designed to ensure this correspondence does not include physical or “information contraband” such as maps of the detention facility.

Woods disputed the defense position that the policy violates client-attorney privilege, or that reviewers must read the material in full to make a determination. He also denied that the policy restricts access between detainees and their lawyers.

One of its benefits, he said, is authorizing guards to search the plastic bins reserved for legal paperwork and correspondence in detainee living spaces. Guards reportedly have found contraband stowed in these “legal bins” in the past.

Woods acknowledged that the policy depends on the professionalism of the privileged review team, as well as their contractual commitments, to ensure their review is conducted properly and ethically. He noted that reviewers, all civilian contractors, must sign a non-disclosure agreement that bars them from sharing this information, particularly with prosecuting attorneys associated with the case.

The prosecution called the defense’s request for Woods to appear before the court irrelevant to the case because Nashiri hasn’t been subject to mail searches.

However, officials said Pohl’s decision to call him likely was made because what happens in the Nashiri case – the first to go through a revised military commission system -- is likely to set the precedent for trials to follow. Army Col. John Head, deputy chief of staff for the convening authority, told reporters the defense’s request likely is intended to institute an across-the-board process that ensures all detainees receive equal treatment.

Pohl is expected to render a decision tomorrow, the second of two days of a pretrial hearing to consider 10 motions in the case.

Nashiri, 47, is charged with "perfidy," or treachery; murder in violation of the law of war; attempted murder in violation of the law of war; terrorism; conspiracy; intentionally causing serious bodily injury; attacking civilians; attacking civilian objects; and hazarding a vessel.

The charges arise out of an attempted attack on the USS The Sullivans in January 2000 and an attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, during which 17 U.S. sailors were killed and 37 more wounded. Nashiri also is accused of involvement in an attack on the MV Limburg, a French civilian oil tanker, in October 2002 in which one crewmember was killed and about 90,000 barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Aden. If convicted, Nashiri could be sentenced to death.

Nashiri did not enter a plea during his arraignment at Guantanamo Bay in November.

Although the defendant was in the room during today’s proceedings – albeit it out of camera view for remote viewers for most of the hearing – all the activity revolved around the prosecution and defense teams.

Pohl rejected two defense motions: one to allow Nashiri to be unrestrained during his meetings with his legal counsel, and one to establish an enclave – a protected network within the larger Defense Department computer network – in an effort to keep DOD from monitoring the defense counsel’s computers and electronic communications.

Pohl dismissed civilian defense counsel Richard Kammen’s argument that defense counsel should be able to meet with unrestrained detainees in locked-room meetings, as representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross are able to.

The current policy requires detainees to be shackled and in an unlocked room during meetings with their attorneys, enabling guards to enter the room and for attorneys to exit quickly in the event of a disturbance, the prosecution noted.

Anthony W. Mattivi, a member of the prosecution team representing the Justice Department, expressed concern that changing the current policy could put the guards at increased risk and said Woods should be the one to make any changes to the policy, not the court. “That’s not his call,” Mattivi said of Kammen. “It’s the commander’s.”

Pohl agreed, ruling to keep the current policy intact.

The judge, however, left the door open for a possible request by the defense for an enclave or other security remedy for its electronic communications in the future, while acknowledging that even material in enclaves is subject to monitoring.

Kammen compared the encryption system the defense now uses to protect sensitive materials to putting them in a locked drawer in an office, then handing the government the key to the drawer and leaving the office door open. “It’s the appearance of confidentiality without the substance,” he told the court.

Lockhart argued that an enclave isn’t necessary because encryption already ensures the maximum security possible for the documents. Pentagon computer security expert Adam Bennett, whom she called to the stand, said it’s virtually impossible for government officials to access encrypted information or open documents – including those used by the defense team – without the password and encryption software needed to access it.

Both the defense and prosecution, as well as the judge, recognized that all material on DOD networks is subject to routine, noncontent-related screening to prevent viruses and cyber attacks.

In other motions considered today, Pohl granted a motion supporting more public access to court proceedings. Currently the proceedings are broadcast from the court at Guantanamo Bay via closed circuit to just three locations in the United States. Two of those sites are here at Fort Meade in a theater and training-room facility. Another, at Norfolk Naval Base, Va., is reserved for families of USS Cole victims as well as crewmembers aboard the vessel during the attack.

Pohl also moved that unofficial transcripts of the proceedings, posted online while the official transcript remains classified, may be referred to by both legal teams during the trial.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Kammen said the defense considered today “on balance, a very successful day,” while acknowledging that some of the motions made could ultimately delay the trial, possibly as far out as 2015.

Kammen called military commissions “at best, a second-class system of justice” and said they are designed to be secretive and provide expedient justice at the expense of transparency and fairness. He added that the defense team today fought for things it wouldn’t have had to in federal court, and accused the government of blurring the line between classified and embarrassing information.

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, chief prosecutor for the Office of Military Commissions, disputed Kammen’s charges, noting that the prosecution team in the commissions operates much like prosecutors in federal courts. They play no part in handling defendant’s correspondence or defense attorney’s emails, don’t communicate with facility personnel about contacts with an accused legal materials and aren’t privy to those materials, he said.

Martins said proceedings like today’s are designed to ensure legal issues are resolved in a way “consistent with the fair, transparent and accountable administration of justice under the rule of law.”

Despite the manpower and expense associated with the commission proceedings, Martins said the United States has a responsibility to follow them through. “Not only must we continue to pursue the truth for the surviving family members of victims who have been rendered silent, but we must also pursue it because that is what justice requires,” he said. “A civilized and open society facing very real and modern security threats can demand no less.”

Nashiri Reserves Plea in USS Cole Bombing Case

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

U.S. NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Nov. 9, 2011 – The man accused of planning and preparing the USS Cole bombing and other attacks did not enter a plea during arraignment here today.

Abd al Rahim Hussein Muhammed al Nashiri, 46, is charged with “perfidy,” or treachery; murder in violation of the law of war; attempted murder in violation of the law of war; terrorism; conspiracy; intentionally causing serious bodily injury; attacking civilians; attacking civilian objects; and hazarding a vessel.

The charges arise out of an attempted attack on the USS The Sullivans in January 2000; an attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, during which 17 U.S. sailors were killed and 37 more wounded; and an attack on the MV Limburg, a French civilian oil tanker, in October 2002, during which one crewmember was killed and about 90,000 barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Aden. If convicted, Nashiri could be sentenced to death.

A translator interpreted today’s court proceedings for the Saudi Arabian-born Nashiri. The chief judge, Army Col. James L. Cohl, explained to Nashiri his rights to counsel, including his right under the Military Commissions Act of 2009 to counsel experienced in death penalty cases.

Nashiri chose to appear today in his prison uniform, although Cohl advised him that he has the right to appear in civilian clothing, if he chooses, for future proceedings.

Richard Kammen, lead defense counsel, said Nashiri requested that Cohl summarize for the court what he had read about the case.

The judge said his essential knowledge other than media reports of the Cole bombing came from the charge sheets, and that he presumes Nashiri is innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Nashiri is the first “high-value detainee” formerly held by the CIA to appear in a military commission case, and he is the first accused person to face a possible death penalty in a military commissions case at Guantanamo.

Kammen entered a motion asking that the United States government acknowledge “in the event Mister al Nashiri is acquitted … he will continue to be held here.”

Anthony Mattivi, a member of the prosecution team representing the Justice Department, said discussion of Nashiri’s possible post-acquittal detention is “unripe preliminary argument.”

“There is substantial, meaningful work to be done before this commission,” Mattivi added.

Following today’s arraignment, a trial date will be set. Mattivi said the prosecution team would be ready for trial by Feb. 2; Kammen said the defense team would require at least a year to prepare for trial.

DOD Announces Charges Referred Against Detainee Al Nashiri

The Department of Defense announced today that the Convening Authority, Office of Military Commissions referred charges to a military commission in the case of United States v. Abd Al Rahim Hussayn Muhammad Al Nashiri. The referred charges allege, among other things, that Al Nashiri was in charge of the planning and preparation for the attack on USS Cole (DDG 67) in the Port of Aden, Yemen, on Oct. 12, 2000. That attack killed 17 sailors, wounded 37 sailors, and severely damaged the ship.

The Convening Authority referred the charges to a capital military commission, meaning that, if convicted, Al Nashiri could be sentenced to death. Pursuant to the reforms in the Military Commissions Act of 2009, Al Nashiri has been provided with additional counsel, learned in the applicable law relating to capital cases, to assist in his defense.

The charges also allege that Al Nashiri was in charge of planning and preparation for an attempted attack on USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) as that ship refueled in the Port of Aden on Jan. 3, 2000. The charges further allege that Al Nashiri was in charge of the planning and preparation for attack on the French civilian oil tanker MV Limburg in the Gulf of Aden on Oct. 6, 2002. This attack resulted in the death of one crewmember and the release of approximately 90,000 barrels of oil into the gulf.

In accordance with Military Commissions rules and procedures, the Chief Trial Judge of the Military Commissions Trial Judiciary will assign a military judge to the case, and Al Nashiri will be arraigned at Guantanamo within 30 days of service of the referred charges upon him.

More information, including the relevant charge sheets, is available at the Office of Military Commissions website at http://www.mc.mil .

DOD Prosecutor Charges Cole Bombing Suspect

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2011 – The chief prosecutor of the Defense Department’s Office of Military Commissions has recommended that capital charges be brought against the alleged mastermind behind the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, a Pentagon spokesman said today.

The charges assert that Abd al Rahim Hussayn Muhammad al Nashiri was responsible for planning and preparing terrorists to attack the U.S. Navy warship in the Yemini port of Aden, Navy Capt. Darryn James said. The Cole was in the harbor for a routine fuel stop when a small watercraft approached the ship’s port side and exploded. The bombing killed 17 sailors and wounded 40 others.

The charges also claim that Nashiri planned the attempted Jan. 3, 2000, attack on the USS The Sullivans in the same harbor, as well as the attack on the civilian French oil tanker Limburg in the Gulf of Aden on Oct. 6, 2000, which killed one crew member and caused 90,000 barrels of oil to spill into the gulf, James said.

According to a Pentagon statement released today, the prosecutor contends that Nashiri’s crimes are chargeable under the Military Commissions Act of 2009. Nashiri is at the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Nashiri’s charges include terrorism, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, hazarding a vessel, using treachery or perfidy, murder in violation of the law of war, attempted murder in the violation of the law of war, conspiracy to commit terrorism and murder in violation of the law of war, destruction of property in violation of the law of war and attempted destruction of property in violation of the law of war.

Retired Navy Vice Adm. Bruce MacDonald, the convening authority, is reviewing the evidence to determine the appropriate disposition of the charges and to ensure that referral to a military commission is appropriate. Following MacDonald’s referral, a military judge would be detailed, and Nashiri would be tried before a military commission.

DOD Announces Charges Sworn Against Detainee Nashiri

The Department of Defense announced today that military commissions prosecutors have sworn charges against Abd al Rahim Hussayn Muhammad al Nashiri of Saudi Arabia.

The chief prosecutor has recommended that the charges against Nashiri be referred as capital.  Capital charges may only be pursued with the convening authority’s approval.

The charges allege that Nashiri was in charge of the planning and preparation for the attack on USS Cole (DDG 67) in the Port of Aden, Yemen, on Oct. 12, 2000.  The attack killed 17 sailors, wounded 40 sailors, and severely damaged the ship by blowing a 30-foot by 30-foot hole in her side.  The charges also allege that Nashiri was in charge of planning and preparation for an attempted attack on USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) as that ship refueled in the Port of Aden on Jan. 3, 2000.

It is further alleged that Nashiri was in charge of the planning and preparation for an attack on the French civilian oil tanker MV Limburg in the Gulf of Aden on Oct. 6, 2002.  This attack resulted in the death of one crewmember and the release of approximately 90,000 barrels of oil into the gulf.

The charges allege that Nashiri committed offenses that are chargeable under the Military Commissions Act of 2009, 10 U.S.C. §§ 948a, et seq. Under that act, he may be convicted only if his guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt.   Specifically, Nashiri is charged with the following substantive offenses:  terrorism; attacking civilians; attacking civilian objects; intentionally causing serious bodily injury; hazarding a vessel; using treachery or perfidy; murder in violation of the law of war; attempted murder in violation of the law of war; conspiracy to commit terrorism and murder in violation of the law of war; destruction of property in violation of the law of war; and attempted destruction of property in violation of the law of war.

These charges go beyond what is necessary to establish that Nashiri may be lawfully detained under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, as informed by the laws of war -- an issue that each Guantanamo detainee may challenge in a habeas petition in federal court.

In accordance with the Military Commissions Act of 2009, the sworn charges will be forwarded to the Convening Authority, Bruce MacDonald.  The convening authority will make an independent determination as to whether to refer some, all, or none of the charges for trial by military commission.  If the convening authority decides to refer the case to trial, he will designate commission panel members (jurors).  The chief trial judge of the Military Commissions Trial Judiciary would then assign a military judge to the case.

USS Cole Crewmember Shares Experience with Navy Recruits

By Lt. Cesar Mantilla II, Recruit Training Command Public Affairs

NAVAL STATION GREAT LAKES, Ill. (NNS) -- A Sailor's personal account of the October 12, 2000 attack on USS Cole (DDG 67) while it was harbored and refueling in the Yemeni port of Aden, gave a sense of reality to boot camp training for many recruits at Recruit Training Command (RTC) March 14.

Lt. Elroy Newton, a crewmember stationed aboard Cole during the October 2000 attack, addressed the recruits during a presentation in the USS Arleigh Burke recruit barracks. Senior Chief Information Systems Technician (SW/AW) Steve Crisp, RTC's special programs leading chief petty officer, arranged the presentation to underscore the basic principles recruits learn at boot camp.

"I heard a presentation about the USS Cole that Lt. Newton gave in class," Crisp said. "I wanted to find a way to make boot camp lessons real for recruits and, when I heard Lt. Newton's presentation, I asked him if he would speak to them."

Newton agreed to be the guest speaker and discussed his experience, complete with pictures from the terrorist attack.

"I was standing watch on the forward, starboard refueling station when the explosion happened," Newton said. "After that, stuff just started raining out of the sky. I remember seeing a life raft floating down and I didn't know what it was at the time. I was crouched against the bulkhead trying not to get hit by anything."

As he recounted the beginning of the attack, he displayed a picture of an orange life raft hanging from the bridge.

"Right after the attack, it was chaos," Newton said. "No one knew exactly what happened. I ordered the people on the pier to stop refueling and disconnect the hose. The captain was also yelling at the same people from higher up on the bridge."

Shortly after the explosion, Newton proceeded to Central Control Station (CCS). He entered the ship, went down a ladderwell, and headed aft where CCS was located. The inside of the ship was dark since the explosion knocked all generators offline. As he approached the galley area, which was amidships, he noticed daylight.

"As I approached the galley line, I noticed daylight coming through," Newton said. "When I looked down that passageway, that's when I saw the hole in the side of the ship. I started to get a sense of what had happened."

Newton diverted from his plan to go to CCS when he noticed one of his injured shipmates in the galley.

"I tried to put him in a stretcher," Newton said. "But his legs were broken in five places and he wouldn't stay in the molded stretcher. I was getting extremely frustrated."

While Newton conveyed his emotional condition, he displayed a picture of the mangled galley with a yellow stretcher lying on the deck.

As the reality started sinking in, Newton and his shipmates responded and began to prepare the ship for whatever might come next. He talked about how the Sailors from the hull technician (HT) shop stepped up and assisted injured and trapped Sailors all over the ship. He also recalled another of his shipmates who took action.

"I remember there was a boatswain's mate 1st class (BM1) who controlled movement around the ship from the bridge right after the attack," Newton said. "Before that, he was the quiet type. So when we heard his voice, we were like, 'Whoa, is that BM1?' He really stepped up and handled things."

It took Newton approximately four years to be able to tell his story without choking up. When he was able to share it, he jotted down notes and put together a slideshow with firsthand pictures to tell anyone who would listen.

Seaman Recruit Curtissa Holmes, 19, from Orlanda, Fla., was impressed with Newton's poise as he shared the difficult details of the attack.

"I really think that he expressed himself very well," Holmes said. "He kept admirable military bearing while telling that horrible story. I can only imagine the horror and chaos he had to see that day. I don't know if I could have done it without bursting into tears, especially if I knew people that died."

Seaman Recruit Joshua Matthews, 30, from Monroe, La., was especially moved by the pictures that Newton shared.

"I was impressed with the story that he had to tell," Matthews said. "The pictures that he brought that showed the damage really struck home. I remember when the Cole was hit and all you ever see is that picture with the ship in the water and just the top half of the hole showing and you just don't understand the damage that was caused. You could drive a semi-truck through that hole."

Matthews was also struck by the story of the Sailors in the HT shop.

"When the time comes, we all have the opportunity to prove ourselves," Matthews said.

Holmes took a significant lesson from Newton's real-world story.

"It's important to stand a proper watch all the time," Holmes said. "You never know what could happen at any time. I learned to be at my best 24/7 because you never know when you might need to save someone's life."

Matthews was inspired by Newton's story.

"Even though they tried to sink our ship, we put the Cole back together and put it back out to sea," Matthews said. "We're not going to give up. We're not going to let them bring us down. We took the lessons learned and got better."

Ultimately, that's exactly why Newton shares his story.

"I want them to remember the lessons and learn from it," Newton said. "It's easy to forget sometimes."