BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) -Twenty-five years ago on October 12, 2000, the USS Cole became the target of an Al Qaeda attack when the terrorist organization bombed the ship, taking the lives of 17 American sailors.

Robert Overturf, a Bowling Green resident who served as a lieutenant on the USS Cole during the attack, recently traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, on the anniversary to meet with fellow crewmates, tour the ship and memorialize those who lost their lives.

In a 2000 interview with WBKO’s Gene Birk following the attack, Overturf described his experience during the bombing.

“It was approximately 11:15. I had been around the mess stacks trying to scam an early lunch and it didn’t quite work out so I went back to my stateroom, and was in my stateroom when the explosion went off,” Overtu

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