On October 12, 2000, the USS Cole was attacked by suicide bombers in the port of Aden, Yemen, while refueling. Al Qaeda later claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 17 sailors and injured another 39. Chief Petit Officer Sean Taitt remembers being injured in the bombing: “It took me … Continue reading
Kirk Lippold was commander of the USS Cole when it was attacked on October 12, 2000, while refueling in the port of Aden, Yemen. Lippold was in his office when the attack happened, and recalls rushing to open the door of his office: “This huge cloud of grey smoke just … Continue reading
Survivors of the Washington Navy Yard shooting on September 16, 2012 recall their experiences: “First it sounded like a grenade. Then we hear the ‘pow pow pow pow!’” Lone gunman, Aaron Alexis, fatally shot twelve and wounded another three before being killed by police. One survivor, John Weaver, describes witnessing … Continue reading
“No one saw it coming.” On September 16, 2013, Aaron Alexis opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard. Before being killed by police, Alexis fatally shot twelve and wounded three others. In this video, those who knew Aaron Alexis react with disbelief to learning that he was the shooter: “He was … Continue reading
Frank Chebetar was a 20-year old cook on a ship at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II on the morning of December 7, 1941. On the 70th anniversary of the attack, Chebetar describes what he saw on that day as the memories move him … Continue reading
Immaculée Ilibagiza recalls the start of the Rwandan Genocide on April 7, 1994 by the Hutu majority in Rwanda and going into hiding in a small bathroom because she was a Tutsi. She describes praying to not be caught when Hutus were looking for more victims and not being found: … Continue reading
On August 25, 1944, French General Charles de Gaulle entered Paris, which had been liberated the day before. From the Hôtel de Ville, he made a spirited speech to a large crowd with these famous lines, “Paris outraged! Paris broken! Paris martyred! But Paris liberated!” An audio recording of Gaulle’s speech is available below. The … Continue reading
In this interview, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, John Teetz, discusses the impact that his military service had on his relationships and his personality. Teetz describes that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks occurred while he was still in training yet this event made him more driven in his … Continue reading
Captain Ed “RIV” Hrivnak of the U.S. Air Force Reserve describes his experience of Operation Iraqi Freedom: “What my crew saw was a very up-close, personal human experience.” Hrivnak and his team took care of wounded soldiers on their plane–culminating in his unit evacuating 7,000 people within five months. U.S. … Continue reading
Four people tell of their experiences on the day of the 8888 Uprising, the pro-democracy demonstrations across Rangoon and Burma that were crushed by the Burmese Junta. Although thousands of university students, monks, housewives and children were killed by the military during the uprising, government records account for only 350 … Continue reading
