Clinton honors USS Cole victims on Veterans Day

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Clinton observes a moment of silence Saturday at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery

 

ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- Marking Veterans Day, U.S. President Bill Clinton praised crew members of the USS Cole for their exhausting efforts keeping the ship afloat after a bombing on October 12 killed 17 of the destroyer's sailors while it was docked in Yemen.

Addressing the families of the sailors who died in the blast, Clinton said, "We mourn your loss and we shall not rest until those who carried out this cruel act are held to account."

Clinton praised the crew's survivors as heroes: Some of them worked 22-hour shifts to restore the ship's electrical power and to ensure it did not sink, others slept on deck to escape the foul air from the decks below.

Clinton quoted an unnamed helicopter pilot from a ship assigned to the Cole who wrote, "I wish I had the power to relay what I have seen, but words just won't do it. I do want to tell you the first thing that jumped out at me: the Stars and Stripes flying. Our flag was more beautiful than words can describe. I have never been so proud of what I do or of the men and women I serve with."

The audience then stood and applauded the two dozen USS Cole crew members who were attending the ceremony.

The president also laid a wreath at the cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns and observed a moment of silence for U.S. soldiers who have died in combat.

Later, Clinton attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed World War II memorial at the National Mall in Washington.

Retired Gen. Colin Powell, former Sen. Bob Dole and actor Tom Hanks also were taking part.

But Judy Feldman, a spokeswoman for the National Coalition to Save our Mall, says the proposed monument would hinder views of both the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

She says her group is seeking an injunction to block the start of construction next spring.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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