Recalling Those Lost on USS Cole

Oct. 13 -- Some were still teenagers. Two were young women. Several hadfathers who preceded them in serving their country. Most grew up insmall or midsize towns and joined the Navy with adventure as wellas duty in mind.

On Thursday, 7 sailors died and 10 more were missing and presumed dead when a suspectedterrorist bomb tore through the hull of the destroyer USS Coleduring a refueling stop in Yemen.

One of the victims, Cherone Gunn, aspired to be a policeman andsaw the Navy as a steppingstone. Another sailor, Kevin Rux,actually tried police work after 10 years in the Navy, butreconsidered — and re-enlisted last summer.

Sharon Priepke of Fond du Lac., Wis. — whose son, 24-year-old MarcNieto, was among the dead — probably spoke for all the grievingfamilies.

“He had goals to the sky and he was going to achieve thosegoals,” she said, clutching some of her son’s commendations. “Hewas just starting to live his life.”

A brief look at some of the dead and missing:

Lakeina Monique Francis