| By Roger Thompson |  |
| Since that day, a generation has been born, entered preschool and graduated from high school. Their knowledge of this day has been learned from others, many of whom were affected on that fatal day. On Wednesday morning, April 19, 1995, thousands of people across Oklahoma City and the state entered into their regular routine of getting the kids ready for school, making preparations for events after school and work and looking forward to the weekend. After all, it was Wednesday; the weekend was only a couple days off. Children went to school and parents went to work. Some of the parents worked in the nine-story Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and some even placed their children in the daycare located in the building. While most Oklahomans began their morning as they had many times before, there were two men who started the day knowing this would be the day they would make a statement against what they perceived as an "evil federal government". The two men were Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. April 19 was chosen because the federal government ended a standoff with the Branch Davidians at Waco on the same day in 1993. On April 19, 1995, a Ryder truck containing in excess of 4800 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, nitromethane and diesel fuel was denoted in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. There were 168 deaths and over 680 injuries. The blast was so massive that it destroyed or damaged 324 buildings in a 16 block radius, shattering glass in 256 buildings. The damage done in a few seconds added up to over $652 million dollars in physical damage. The loss of life cannot be calculated. (Numbers from Wikipedia) President Clinton stated, "The bombing in Oklahoma City was an attack on innocent children and defenseless citizens. It was an act of cowardice and it was evil. The United States will not tolerate it and I will not allow the people of this country to be intimated by evil cowards." Terrorism had struck America. Until April 19, 1995, this was something that happened to other countries. We read about it in our newspapers and watched it on the nightly news. Now, it had hit home. It was not perpetrated by some third world enemy of the United States. It was perpetrated by United States Citizens, by men who had served in our military. America changed on April 19, 1995. At first our innocence thought of a gas leak or some other reason for the explosion. Our minds did not immediately turn to terrorism. But, we soon learned it could and did happen to us. Children died. Parents died. Lives changed forever. Today the monument stands in silence 24 hours a day for all to see who drive by. Newspapers, radio and television broadcast will recount the day over and over this week as they seek to remember. However, for the families who lost loved ones that day, to the friends who lost friends that day, to every person who was shaken by the explosion, both physically and emotionally, the monument is not silent. It cries out with the loud voices of children and adults who gave their lives on April 19, 1995. It cries out with vivid emotion asking why something so horrendous could happen like this in the heartland of the United States of America. The moment in time is frozen. The pain still aches in our minds, our hearts and our souls. As we pause on this April 19, 2015, twenty years later, let us not just exist and live through another day. Let us pause, remember and vow to never forget the children, men and women who died that day because of evil and hatred. Let us never forget that while Timothy McVeigh was executed for his crime on June 11, 2001, the pain and heartache did not end for the families and friends who lost loved ones on April 19, 1995. Let us never forget while Terry Nichols still sits in a prison cell, many on the outside of the prison walls are still prisoners of that moment. They will never escape the pain, the agony, and the heartache. As Americans, as Oklahomans, we will never forget that terrorism has impacted us. However, we are not cowards. We will stand up to evil. We will band together as brothers and sisters to fight evil. For we are living proof, that America is truly the home of the brave and the free who will die to protect those cherished freedoms. Throughout the legislative session, please feel free to contact my Capitol office regarding legislative issues or other questions about government. You can call 405.521.5588 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thank you. | |
