USS Cole Survivor Visits Another Survivor - the USS Laffey

On Wednesday, October 9, 2002  we were honored by an unexpected visit 
from Lt. Mathew M. Harper - a survivor of the attack on the USS Cole (DDG 67).
With him was his friend Melissa Geoffroy.

At the time of the attack in Aden, he was the CIC Officer.  He is on his way to a new destroyer and 
will serve as its Operations Officer.  His former duty station was BuPers in Washington, D.C. 
as Junior Detailer.  He was given a tour of our engineering spaces by our President, Sonny Walker.

All of us were impressed by his youthful appearance and the excellent state of health in which
he appeared to be.  For a moment, we forgot that we, too, looked the same many years ago.

  We wish him Godspeed and success in his future endeavors.