Norfolk, Va.
Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, who was skipper of the USS Cole when bombers attacked it in Yemen in 2000, was denied promotion to captain this week. The civilian board that oversees Navy promotions removed Lippold’s name from the list of officers eligible for upgrade, saying he “did not meet the high standards” expected of Navy captains. Many Navy officers, as well as the father of one of 17 sailors killed in the attack, protested the decision. “They’re using the commander as a fall guy, and it’s not fair,” said Lou Gunn, whose 22-year-old son, Cherone, was killed when two al Qaida operatives rammed a bomb-laden speedboat into the destroyer. A Navy report faulted Lippold, 47, for not taking several “force protection” measures prior to the attack. But his defenders say the real fault resides with higher-ups who neglected to make intelligence reports about possible terror attacks available to the ship.
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