Front Burner: Al Qaeda's Attack on the USS Cole

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On October 12, 2000, eleven months before the 9/11 attacks, al Qaeda detonated a bomb alongside the USS Cole in the port of Aden in Yemen. The ship’s commander, Kirk Lippold, knew in a matter of moments that the Cole had been attacked. What he didn’t know was how much the world was changing around him.In this gripping first-person narrative, Lippold reveals the details of his harrowing experience leading a crew of valiant sailors through the deadliest terrorist attack on an American warship in history. He’ll also explain how bureaucrats and politicians reacted to the attack, ignored the dangerous warning signs it foretold, and avoided responsibility before the event was overshadowed by 9/11. An essential recounting of a critical moment in America’s battle against al Qaeda, Front Burner details a crucial story that has until now been lost in the fog of the war on terror. 

Front Burner is published and printed in the United States of America by PublicAffairs, a Member of the Preseus Book Group.

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"Suddenly, at 1118, there was a thunderous explosion.  Eight thousand four hundred tons of guided missile destroyer thrust quickly and violently upward and to the right.  Tiles from the false ceiling in my cabin popped out and landed on the floor.  The coffee and water on my small round table tipped over, spilling onto the dark blue carpet.  Everything that was not bolted down lifted off my desk and seemed to float twelve inches in the air for a split second before slamming back down with a dull thud." - Chapter 4: Attacked
"I took the pistol in my right hand, grabbed a magazine full of ammunition and shoved it into the butt, chambered a round and decocked the gun before heading out of my cabin... I swore an oath to my country, to support and defend our Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  I was now committed to giving my life to defend my country." - Chapter 4: Attacked
"I was staggered by the sight.  Why my ship?  Why me?  What had I done wrong?  Why had God allowed this to happen to us?  What about my crew?  How are we going to get through this?  What would happen next?"  - Chapter 6: Saving the Wounded