Engineman 2nd Class Marc Nieto

On October 12, 2000, while refueling in the Yemeni port of Aden, the USS Cole (DDG 67) was bombed. On the 25th anniversary of the attack on the USS Cole we remember the 17 sailors killed. Among those lost was Wisconsin sailor Engineman 2nd Class Marc Nieto of Fond du Lac. We humbly share a part of his story in this virtual exhibit and video.

Nieto was born in Champaign, Illinois and moved to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin at the age of 14. He enlisted just a few months after graduating high school on December 6, 1994, and went on to work in the engine room aboard the USS Cole. While on his second deployment to the Middle East, with only two weeks left on his six year service obligation, Nieto was killed while the Cole was refueling at Aden, Yemen. A small boat loaded with explosives was brought alongside the Cole by two Al-Qaeda suicide bombers and detonated, killing 17 U.S. sailors and injuring thirty-nine.

Below are a few of the artifacts and images from the Marc I. Nieto Collection at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison. We are grateful to Marc Nieto's family for donating them to the museum to preserve his story. Search the full collection here.