Here’s a sad story out of Florida, a USS Cole survivor was found dead in his home at the age of 31. Petty Officer 3rd Class Johann Gokool died of an apparent panic attack of some kind, his family says he began to suffer violent seizures related to the attacks shortly after the USS Cole bombing that left 17 sailors dead in 2000.
Although the panic attacks have not been ruled the cause of death, Gokool’s family fears that the seizures had finally taken their toll on his body. Johann Gokool had his foot blown off during the October 12, 2000 attack that left a gaping hole in the side of the USS Cole in Yemen.
The Cole bombing was attributed to Al Qaeda and was most likely the beginning of the terrorist groups attacks on America, coming just a couple of years after the embassy bombings in Africa and one year prior to the September 11th attacks.
Johann Gokool’s sister says that he suffered severe traumatic stress disorder due to the attack on the Cole; she said the panic attacks grew worse near the anniversary of the bombing every October. Gokool was in the mess hall when terrorists piloted a boat filled with explosives into the side of the USS Cole docked in Yemen.
Although, Johann Gokool survived the initial attack and had to have his foot amputated, his sister says it wasn’t the physical injuries that left him shaking; it was his mental state after the attack. The panic attacks grew so serious that Gokool would have violent seizures, keeping him from functioning at work or even leaving the house when they set in.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Johann Gokool’s family says they will take his ashes to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.