John and Yvonne Wagner's

Author: judymelendez

Date: 10-17-2000 07:18 AM

Message: I pray that the God of Heaven and Earth be with you during your time of sorrow. May God embrace you and comfort you. God will see you through this storm no matter how hard it may seem right now. He will lift you up and carry you through.

Author: DJ Byars

Date: 10-17-2000 05:51 AM

Message: As the spouse of an Army Officer, I know of the duty and responsibility each soldier and sailor must bear. I cannot say that I understand why sacrifices must be made, but I do know that God must have a higher purpose. And it is with my prayers that your grief be eased, if only a little, with the knowing that your loved ones now serve in God's Navy. God Bless.

Author: Irene

Date: 10-17-2000 01:59 AM

Message: My heart and prayers go out to all the families of those who were on the U.S.S. Cole. My husband is active-duty Navy and I can only imagine what you are going through. To those who died, thank you for giving the ultimate in service to our country and its ideals. Your death is not in vain - and America grieves with your families. God bless you.

Author: Pastorweim

Date: 10-16-2000 09:54 AM

Message: "God is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble and He knoweth them who trust in Him" Nahum 1:7 As an ex Naval Officer, I understand a bit about loss and I offer my love and condolences to the families and shipmates of those who gave their lives bravely for the U.S.A.

Author: srscherr

Date: 10-16-2000 08:17 PM

Message: Thank you for being there for us. We all need to remeber "Freedom is not Free"

Author: new

Date: 10-16-2000 09:00 AM

Message: May God Comfort you in your time of sorrow.

Author: Jim True

Date: 10-15-2000 10:40 PM

Message: To all the Navy families that lost a loved one on the USS Cole, you are in our prayers, God Bless you. Love the True's

Author: Yvonne Wagner

Date: 10-15-2000 06:05 AM

Message: I know that this is not an easy time for any of you who have lost a loved one or your loved one is missing. Please know that I am praying for you that the Lord will comfort you in this time of sorrow. He loves every one of you and will help you through this-just reach out to him. A verse that has helped me in the past is found in Psalm 147:3."He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds".

Author: John Wagner

Date: 10-15-2000 05:44 AM

Message: To all the families of the young sailors who lost their lives on the USS COLE, you are in our prayers. God will draw near to you during this time of grief. As you turn to Him for strength He will help you through this time.

Author: PR2 (AW/PJ) Karla Baray

Date: 10-17-2000 09:08 PM

Message: I'm sure we all can agree that life takes many turns...this tragedy has hit all of us a great deal...we the (men and women that comprise the US Navy) share your sorrow and are with you in this moment of pain. We have lost as well...

Author: kp

Date: 10-18-2000 12:12 PM

Message: You all have my deepest sympathy. It may seem like you cannot go on, but have faith in the Lord and he will see you through. He doesn't give us anything we cannot handle. There are times when he (God) tests our strength and unfortunately this is one of those times. Be strong!!!

Author: Starr Haas

Date: 10-18-2000 07:29 AM

Message: Psalm 139 13-16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Author: Dave R.

Date: 10-17-2000 5:52 PM

Message: Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea!

God bless you all!

Author: nikki

Date: 10-17-2000 5:44 PM

Message: MY THOUGHTS ARE WITH ALL THE FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND. KNOW THEY DIED IN HONOR OF THEIR COUNTRY AND WE FEEL YOUR PAIN!

Author: april-ann.love@avnet.com

Date: 10-17-2000 5:29 PM

Message: I send all my prayer to the brave young men, young women and their families. I'm proud to be an American, and because of the young men and women I'm save here in the United States. No matter what I say to you Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, or Lovers your pain can only be comforted by the wonderful memories of the person you lost. God Bless you all, I will keep you all in my prayers.

Author: JPruet

Date: 10-19-2000 06:59 PM

Message: My love and prayers go to the families of each of these brave young people. My father was a member of the United States Navy in WWI as was my uncle. My youngest brother served after the Korean War. All loved the Navy as I am sure your loved ones did to. Rejoice that they were doing what they chose to do. Accept my prayers and gracious love in this time of deepest sorrow.

Author: Larry_Oliver

Date: 10-19-2000 06:35 AM

Message: Talking to others about your experience with terrorism is something you will need to do in order to help yourself put this in the past. Being able to do it with just anyone is not easy simply because they never experienced it before themselves. For those who would like to let it loose, I'm listening. I'm not just anyone who has never experienced terrorism before, I am a survivor also of the terrorism against Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 1996. We lost 19 in that bombing and I know what your feeling with regard to the memories that won't go away, the feeling of loss for your friends and shipmates, the images you saw and all the others that accompany something as tragic. Please feel free to let it out. I'm listening and will be more than willing to lend a helping hand should you need it or if you just want to talk a few things out. There's nothing wrong in asking for help or just wanting to talk it out. Contact me via e-mail at loliver338@earthlink.net

Author: Luisa & Eric Peterson

Date: 10-19-2000 06:31 AM

Message: As a military family of the DDG-79 we share deeply in your pain and sorrows for the loss of such young beautiful lives. Jesus read this passage of Isaiah 61 and told the people that He had fulfilled it: " The Spirit of the Sovreign Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. HE HAS SENT ME TO BIND UP THE BROKENHEARTED......TO COMFORT ALL WHO MOURN..." Proverb 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding" Their bodies will be put to rest, but their spirits live forever. Focus on their happy smiles, in there you'll see the spark of the face of God! May God bless you all.

Author: Charles

Date: 10-18-2000 01:14 PM

Message: Please accept a sincere sympathy and appreciation of all of you fine Navy Men and Women. I am a Navy veteran, and I can tell you this tragety was taken as bad by myself and many Veterans as if we were on the Ship. I pray your loved ones did not suffer. And I know I Loving God has taken each and everyone of our lost sailors to himself forever. God Bless you all, and know you all are in my prayers.

Author:

Date: 10-18-2000 01:12 PM

Message: What a horrible tragedy to rip so many people apart. Families, extended families, and friends are now without people they dearly love. I have lost, and I understand your pain. May God be with you through all of this and through your countless years of healing. The void is always there but so is God.

Author: Mark

Date: 10-18-2000 01:09 PM

Message: Thank you for posting the memorial page for my shipmates on the USS Cole. I am an active duty US Navy sailor, and I had the privledge of meeting some of the Cole's crew last year when I was onboard for a few days. I don't know any of the men or women that died personally, but I'm sure I passed them in the passageway during those few days. I just wanted to pass along my thanks, and the lyrics to a song that was writeen by a man named Mike Corrado. Mike was in the Marine Corps, and he lost a friend in a live fire exercise a few years back. I took a little bit of comfort in hearing this song, and I thought I would pass it along to you. Please feel free to share this with others, but please just list him as the author. Thank you very much, and God Bless.

"Sacrifice"

by Mike Corrado

Everyone wants to be the hero but no one wants to pay the price you say being me it's so easy you don't know what we sacrifice

on a warm summer's day, well you took our friend away we felt so empty inside and I've never seen so many grown men crying and times we've had won't be forgotten, and times we've had we short but were sweet still we go on missing Eric, and that's not the way it's supposed to be

When we go away, you all say you'll miss us and that's not the way it used to be when we come home everybody thanks us for doing our best to keep you free

and times we've spent they'll try a man's soul and bonds we made we'll never let them go

Everyone wants to be the hero but no one wants to pay the price you say being me it's so easy you don't know what we sacrifice

Hey, hey Eric, don't you know we miss you so you know we are all like brothers and we will never let you go

Author: Clarence

Date: 07-07-2004 06:30 AM

Message: compassion and pain still strikes those aware of your losses. your loved ones will never be forgotten,nor will your sacrifices. in 2000, we dedicated a Christmas tree at our state park to honor those from the Cole and it contained 17 angels. I still have the 17 angels, in my possession and in my memory....if you never say hello, you never have to say goodbye...it's the choice we make, the pain we take. God hold you all in the palm of His hand. Any loss of our service people, is a loss and pain to us all. A glance at our flag only serves to remind us of what it takes to keep it flying daily.

Author: Lawrence

Date: 05-12-2004 12:24 AM

Message: I offer my sincerest condolences to the families of the sailors killed on the USS Cole in 2001. My thoughts and prayers are and will be with you...May blessed Angels bring them to their eternal sleep. May they rest in heavenly peace...

Bonnyvile Alberta Canada

Author: Del

Date: 04-29-2004 1:37 PM

Message: I read this on Veteran's Day, 2000, at the dedication of the Ellis County Veteran's Memorial at Waxahachie, Texas where Timothy Guana hailed from. His Mother was present at the Ceremony and Timothy's name was etched in time for the dedication.Thought you might appreciate, too. I also have two pieces inscribed on the Memorial.

Sincerely, Del "Abe" Jones White Bluff, TN

DETERMINED WARRIORS

Seventeen of their shipmates Paid the price, supreme Thirty-some more, a'hurting Like in some nightmarish dream.

But, it wasn't a bad dream Just the reality, of life When you go into harms way In this world of war and strife.

They gave their lives like those before them Who fight for truth and liberty For the safety of our country And countries too, across the sea.

They sail upon the seven seas Months on end out on patrol And sometimes, so sadly Must pay a deadly toll.

"It comes with the territory." Is what some, may say But that doesn't ease the pain Of the price they have to pay.

My condolences to the crew and families of the USS COLE. 10-18-00 Del "Abe" Jones

Author: Laura

Date: 01-26-2004 10:21 AM

Message: I would like to say that I am thankful that there is still an outlet for the COLE sailors to express themselves. I personally have found it hard to talk to anyone about October 12 and to tell the truth, correspond to anyone who would listen. It has been nearly three years since that horrific day, and contrary to when the specialists say "You will eventually get over it"...Easier said than done...No you always remember. It's not that easy.

There are times when just sitting watching television or listening to music, I remember things I had not thought of before that bears heavily with the COLE. I still relive the smell of the interior of the ship. The somber ceremonies we did to honor our shipmates.

To me, it was never enough, we were engaged surviving and still in a state of "why". I distinctly remember assisting with the removal of two deceased shipmate from the decks of the COLE for further transportation to their families and thinking to myself I saw and talked to them before the explosion. Maybe I should not have instructed one to ... I should have shifted the job responsibilities.

I know it wasn't my fault, but I always think "what if" ? I dwell on that a lot. I have and still will never understand the why it happened.

Author: Amy

Date: 01-20-2004 08:07 PM

Message: I had browsed the pages of the USS Cole, and saw the poor souls that had lost their lives upon it! I have always been interested in the US Navy ships, as my brother was stationed 22 years in the US Navy. I have been fortunate to have boarded 2 ships so far.

I copied and pasted the Memorial and the pictures of all the lost souls aboard the USS Cole, and sent them to all my friends.

I have a friend in Canada who is in the Canadian Navy who was interested in the happenings of the USS Cole. We are all praying for their families. I love the internet so much, would never have got to see all this if I didn't have it. God Bless!

Author: David

Date: 09-16-2002 11:01 PM

Message: Most Sacred Greetings Shipmates and Family, My favorite hymn is "O Sacred Head". One of the verses in the hymn starts " What language shall I borrow, to thank thee dearest friend, for thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end...."

That hymn is obviously a hymn of praise and gratitude to the Lord Jesus for his agony on the cross for our sins. I do not think it would be at all inappropriate to make application to the sacrifice the Sailors of the USS Cole made to insure our freedom.

So Thank you dearest friends and fellow mates, But what language can possibly be sufficient for to express this gratitude and sympathy?

Author: brentmar18@aol.com

Date: 11-30-2000 06:09 PM

Message: Although no war was declared, you are war heroes in my book,brave men and women who saved your ship My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the brave men and women who gave their lives for their country.To the survivors, hold your heads up high.You aquited yourselves in a manner that rates a "well done" I am a Master Chief USN,(Ret)and a WW11 Veteran and served in the Atlantic and the Pacific. May God bless you all and keep you in his care. Brent M. Ramsey

Author: Kelli

Date: 10-26-2000 07:51 AM

Message: Being in the Navy it really hurt my when I heard the news, though I did not know the shipmates who were killed I still lost members of my family. Daily I think of the families who are suffering the loss of a loved one and it always brings me to tears.Tonight I wrote a poem for them.I think itmay be something youd like to add to your collection for the families. Our fellow sailors were out at sea out protecting you and me, Showing their Honor, Courage and Commitment to all. On October 12th 17 sailors unexpectedly took a fall. I prayed to God "please dont let this be true",it could have been our friend or me and you. Some sailors young and some sailors old ,most of them coming home with stories to be told. I keep asking why these innocent people had to die, with hopes and dreams they'll never see all because they were out there for you and me.

Author: littlepossum66@hotmail.co

Date: 10-23-2000 01:12 AM

Message: I am an Australian, but your grief is shared by one and all here. May God bless and comfort you, be proud and strong. Know that the world mourns with you, and are just as proud of these brave American sons & daughters. My prayers are with you all. Lisa Ward.

Author: Marshall@Magruder.org

Date: 10-21-2000 05:20 AM

Message: We all love our lost shipmates, and yours is deepest in our hearts. May God bless all of you and your 'mates. As you will soon hear, as I had to tell my youngest brother's widow in Arlington, who was holding her 3 month old son that never saw his dad, after Taps stops and the escort comes over with the American Flag as says "a token of rememberance from a gratful nation" as I told her. That was the hardest day in my life, bar no others. Afterward, I went straight back to my ship in the Gulf of Tonkin, and remembered and remembered, Oh God, He'll never, never let you forget, there is no way you can. Please don't worry about forgetting, that's the least of the problems you have at this time of sorry. Loyalty runs deep at times like this, the stories will be remembered, each minute is as clear now as it was then. One of my youngest brother's West Point classmates family was coming to the mortuary to the "viewing" but asthey started to leave their home, an Army sedan arrived with the Chaplain and an officer to tell them that their son was killed in Vietnam. Now what did they do, they went right to my brother's viewing, that's what there son would have done. This had such an impact on us, in our sorry, that "feeling the same pain for another fallen hero" made our family realize how powerful God is during such difficult times. Now, we had someone else to help. One more story, when the Chaplain and LT were first coming to tell my family, my Mother saw them and yelled throug the door "which one" as all three of her sons were overseas. We had more problems with that LT that any one in our family, he was a basket case. Hope my rampling brings some truth that others have experienced just a small part of what you are going through. Yes, you will remember, remember all the good, all the fun, all the little and big things from your shipmates, they deserve it. But, you must know that your life will continue, one second at a time. Use that clock to remember by making a significant change in your life. Did he like Boy Scouts, become a Scoutmaster, did she love cooking, become a cooking instructor, look for other ways to use this negative incident to become a positive influence in your life. I chose to improve "training" for the rest of my Navy career and then for the next decade afterwards. Yes, I remembered him by taking him into and devoting my life in his memory by working as hard as I could to prevent another family from seeing a Chaplain and LT coming down the walk. Gold Star Mother clubs are not fun organizations you want your Mom to join. Only by increased training, readiness at the individual level, it first increases you and then your ship, aircraft, or tank will be better than the other side. With enternal viligance, you can make this into a positive, life long experience that will benefit you and society. Yes, it will take time to stop greiving. You have a 60 year old man who has been crying the entire he's typed this message. Yes, cry, cry, cry, it's the most manly thing you can do, but still look out for one way you can change your life in rememberance of your loved one. I remembered, and I'm proud of what's happened since. I have two Master's degress (first in the Navy, second via GI bill), a wife of 33 years (she told me that my brother had been killed while I was on my ship inport in Yokosuka, where we were homeported), two great sons who are both computer wizzes, two dogs, a nice home but I remembered and won't ever forget, God Bless America, her sons and daughers, and the entire crew of USS COLE, Marshall Magruder. LCDR USN (Ret.)

Author: The Nash Family

Date: 10-20-2000 05:27 PM

Message: We extend to the USS Cole family our deepest sympathies in these darkest of days. To those of you who have lost loved ones, our hearts are breaking for you and we continually pray for you. We would not pretend to know or understand your pain and the depth of your loss, but we are part of the Navy family, and we stand with you. Your loved ones have now joined the ranks of those who have given their lives in the defense of our freedom and way of life. We owe them, and you, a debt that cannot be paid. We will continue to pray for you. God bless you all.

Author: pn1navyret@aol.com

Date: 10-19-2000 09:31 PM

Message: I have a hole in my heart like the rest of my shipmates. To the families of the passed...and the ones injured. Our shipmates will never be forgotten..I am a former destroyer sailor..and have walked inside that ship. I know your pain...God Bless each of you. Gary Gaberdiel..Former Marine/retired navy.