USS Cole anniversary

The short memories of many have led them to believe "The War on Terror" began with the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. This idea ignores the 1998 Al Qaeda bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the bombing of the destroyer USS Cole in Yemen in 2000.

At the time of the attack, on Oct. 12, 2000, the Cole had stopped in Yemen to refuel before proceeding to join the ships enforcing sanctions against Iraq. The stop was to last only a few hours. Small boats sailed close to the Cole while the refueling was going on until two terrorists brought their explosive-laden boat near. The explosion they caused blew a 40-foot hole in the side of Cole, killing 17 members of the crew, and wounding 39.

The Cole was transported back to the U.S. for repairs. The Cole returned to service in August 2003 and then deployed for overseas service in November 2003.

The public seems to have forgotten the bombing of the USS Cole as well as other terrorist incidents. Perhaps we have lived under the threat of terrorist violence for so long that it no longer shocks us, or perhaps it is because the news media lose interest in covering an "old" story.

By now we should have realized that the military can address terrorism overseas, but when those threats operate from this country, the lone wolf or small-cell terrorists are really a law enforcement issue. An M-1 Abrams tank and a company of Marines are not the weapons needed to capture or kill individual terrorists living in our communities. Terrorism must be addressed at many levels, and the public should be made aware of what to watch for to help identify dangerous individuals.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He resides in Chaffee, Missouri.