How Did Oklahoma City Affect You 10 Years Ago?

[NATO AIR]

Just wondering, because it is the 10th anniversary and all. It stays with me because I remember being in 6th grade, watching the stories of children whose mothers never came home, mothers whose children never came home and people who witnessed horrifying tragedy they should not have, all because of a dangerous political and racial hatred masked as idealogy that was tolerated for far too long in this nation.

(My parents were home from a deployment that week, and I remember asking my Mom to always wake me up in the morning and say good-bye before work... even if I was half asleep, I could remember telling my Mom I loved her every day of my childhood, never missing out on the opportunity to thank her for being a great mom, my mom.)

 

[Gem]

My friends and I asked our principal, we were in 10th grade, for permission to hold a bake sale to raise money for the children who had been left without a parent(s). We raised over $2000, just from a bake sale.

I remember it was the first time I really realized that average people, even young people, could make some sort of difference in the world.

As far as understanding anything about terrorism or attacks based on larger motives or ideologies, I do not remember it entering my mind. I was still in the "crazy men did bad things," stage of understanding.

 

[Annie]

Just wondering, because it is the 10th anniversary and all. It stays with me because I remember being in 6th grade, watching the stories of children whose mothers never came home, mothers whose children never came home and people who witnessed horrifying tragedy they should not have, all because of a dangerous political and racial hatred masked as idealogy that was tolerated for far too long in this nation.

(My parents were home from a deployment that week, and I remember asking my Mom to always wake me up in the morning and say good-bye before work... even if I was half asleep, I could remember telling my Mom I loved her every day of my childhood, never missing out on the opportunity to thank her for being a great mom, my mom.)

Funny you brought your mom into it Nato. You are all going to find this hard to believe, but I didn't KNOW that OKC had happened. The week before the soon to be ex had caused extreme problems. Easter Sunday my mom had a stroke, my dad brought her to the hospital in the middle of the evening. She was not doing great for a couple of days. The morning of OKC I had come to see her, she seemed much better. She had the tv on and at first was talking to me like 'my mom.' Then she looked at the television and said, "That son of a bitch did that!" I knew she meant my ex, so I looked up to see what she was talking about. I couldn't fathom what I was seeing. I turned the volume up and watched.

It must have just occured because they had up pics of John Does 1, 2, and I believe 3. They also were looking for a white van, which I never did hear more about. Wonder if eventually some of those tapes the FBI will not release will show it?

 

[5stringJeff]

I was at West Point. At the time, anything outside the gates was not very important. But I quickly realized what a tragedy had occured.

 

[BR-549]

(Norman is just south of OKC) After an early morning assignment, I was working as a land surveyor at the time and had just finished one of those; get there before the construction crews and straighten out our engineering screwup. I turned on TV-9, a local cbs affiliate, to watch some quick news before heading out again and saw the first footage. You see I'd been in and out of the Murrow Building dozens of times over the years as that was the location of the FEMA (Federal Emergency Mangement Admi) and that was where the local 100 years flood maps and other info for surveyors was kept.. In addition I had just completed spending several days in the Murrow building a couple weeks before taking days of test trying to land a federal job. Being personally familiar with the buildiing when I saw the first overhead shots from the TV-9 helicopter I instantly knew a lot of people were dead. I never knew before that day of the day care center there. What can a local say but..shock.. denial, shock, bewilderment, bereavement, anger at the bombers, disbelief.. horror, absolute horror.. We lost children, babies, adults, all innocent of anything other than living their lives, doing their work. And then when 9/11 occured it was like the whole horrible thing over again writ larger. We MUST stop this kind of hate. This sort of complete misunderstanding of what being human is..As an Oklahoman we lost our innocence that day.. We lost family, friends, futures that would never be. There really is no punishment equal to the damage done.. Hopefully, one day, we as humanity will not know of such hate anymore.. "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2:1-4) Maybe Isaiah saw no more horrors of terror as well..

 

[Annie]

(Norman is just south of OKC) After an early morning assignment, I was working as a land surveyor at the time and had just finished one of those; get there before the construction crews and straighten out our engineering screwup. I turned on TV-9, a local cbs affiliate, to watch some quick news before heading out again and saw the first footage. You see I'd been in and out of the Murrow Building dozens of times over the years as that was the location of the FEMA (Federal Emergency Mangement Admi) and that was where the local 100 years flood maps and other info for surveyors was kept.. In addition I had just completed spending several days in the Murrow building a couple weeks before taking days of test trying to land a federal job. Being personally familiar with the buildiing when I saw the first overhead shots from the TV-9 helicopter I instantly knew a lot of people were dead. I never knew before that day of the day care center there. What can a local say but..shock.. denial, shock, bewilderment, bereavement, anger at the bombers, disbelief.. horror, absolute horror.. We lost children, babies, adults, all innocent of anything other than living their lives, doing their work. And then when 9/11 occured it was like the whole horrible thing over again writ larger. We MUST stop this kind of hate. This sort of complete misunderstanding of what being human is..As an Oklahoman we lost our innocence that day.. We lost family, friends, futures that would never be. There really is no punishment equal to the damage done.. Hopefully, one day, we as humanity will not know of such hate anymore.. "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2:1-4) Maybe Isaiah saw no more horrors of terror as well..

I'm so sorry for yours and all the Oklahomans (sic?) that lost friends and loved ones. That was a terrible day. I truly hope if more than those convicted were involved, they too are brought to justice.

 

[BR-549]

I'm so sorry for yours and all the Oklahomans (sic?) that lost friends and loved ones. That was a terrible day. I truly hope if more than those convicted were involved, they too are brought to justice.

will be speaking before the House and will request further investigation into the OKC bombing.. I don't know if anyone other than McVeigh and Nichols were involved. Many here in Oklahoma believe the FBI brushed the whole thing under the rug.. You know finish it up; convict the guilty, give the victims family's closure.... If there were others involved may justice come to them as it came to McVeigh... The way the whole country feels about 9/11 is the way we felt April 19th, 1995, a day I, nor any Oklahoman, will ever forget... May God save us from another...

 

[Annie]

will be speaking before the House and will request further investigation into the OKC bombing.. I don't know if anyone other than McVeigh and Nichols were involved. Many here in Oklahoma believe the FBI brushed the whole thing under the rug.. You know finish it up; convict the guilty, give the victims family's closure.... If there were others involved may justice come to them as it came to McVeigh... The way the whole country feels about 9/11 is the way we felt April 19th, 1995, a day I, nor any Oklahoman, will ever forget... May God save us from another...

I've read many of her articles, but this summer I will read her book:

The Third Terrorist : The Middle East Connection to the Oklahoma City Bombing (Hardcover)
by Jayna Davis

 

[BR-549]

I've read many of her articles, but this summer I will read her book:

The Third Terrorist : The Middle East Connection to the Oklahoma City Bombing (Hardcover)
by Jayna Davis

one of the authorities on the subject. I've kind of pushed the memory away but will make it a point to read her book myself. The understanding all along has been that there was an unnamed third party.. As per the ryder truck rental agent's account... I know for a lot of folks it's dregging up the past but if there are further guilty parties then they must be brought to justice as well. Of course the recent discovery of more explosives under Nichols house has brought the issue up again.

 

[Annie]

one of the authorities on the subject. I've kind of pushed the memory away but will make it a point to read her book myself. The understanding all along has been that there was an unnamed third party.. As per the ryder truck rental agent's account... I know for a lot of folks it's dregging up the past but if there are further guilty parties then they must be brought to justice as well. Of course the recent discovery of more explosives under Nichols house has brought the issue up again.

I agree. Somehow, for some reason(s) the FBI really botched this. I remember her writing about an Iranian connection and FBI muck up before 9/11. After 9/11, it made even more sense, with all the missing info regarding the FBI.

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

(Norman is just south of OKC) After an early morning assignment, I was working as a land surveyor at the time and had just finished one of those; get there before the construction crews and straighten out our engineering screwup. I turned on TV-9, a local cbs affiliate, to watch some quick news before heading out again and saw the first footage. You see I'd been in and out of the Murrow Building dozens of times over the years as that was the location of the FEMA (Federal Emergency Mangement Admi) and that was where the local 100 years flood maps and other info for surveyors was kept.. In addition I had just completed spending several days in the Murrow building a couple weeks before taking days of test trying to land a federal job. Being personally familiar with the buildiing when I saw the first overhead shots from the TV-9 helicopter I instantly knew a lot of people were dead. I never knew before that day of the day care center there. What can a local say but..shock.. denial, shock, bewilderment, bereavement, anger at the bombers, disbelief.. horror, absolute horror.. We lost children, babies, adults, all innocent of anything other than living their lives, doing their work. And then when 9/11 occured it was like the whole horrible thing over again writ larger. We MUST stop this kind of hate. This sort of complete misunderstanding of what being human is..As an Oklahoman we lost our innocence that day.. We lost family, friends, futures that would never be. There really is no punishment equal to the damage done.. Hopefully, one day, we as humanity will not know of such hate anymore.. "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2:1-4) Maybe Isaiah saw no more horrors of terror as well..

I'm from Norman too. My dad worked for ONG at the time and he was at
a conference a few blocks away when the bomb went off.
My mom freaked out because they were going to hold the conference
in the building directly in front of the federal building, but they changed their
minds and did it at the hotel. We never knew that until several hours passed.
There wasn’t an open phone line in the city for my dad to call on. It was very
disturbing, hitting so close to home

 

[rtwngAvngr]

I felt a disturbance in the force, as if thousands crying out and then suddenly silenced.

 

[BR-549]

I'm from Norman too. My dad worked for ONG at the time and he was at
a conference a few blocks away when the bomb went off.
My mom freaked out because they were going to hold the conference
in the building directly in front of the federal building, but they changed their
minds and did it at the hotel. We never knew that until several hours passed.
There wasn’t an open phone line in the city for my dad to call on. It was very
disturbing, hitting so close to home

geez hope your not an aggie fan... But hey to ya nonetheless... I am a Norman resident but currently working out of state temporarily but made it back for last weekend's Red White game... Drop me a note.. I'll buy ya a beer next time I'm back in God's country.

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

geez hope your not an aggie fan... But hey to ya nonetheless... I am a Norman resident but currently working out of state temporarily but made it back for last weekend's Red White game... Drop me a note.. I'll buy ya a beer next time I'm back in God's country.

That's a negative on the aggies......
SOONER BORN!!!!
In fact, I think I was conceived on the field.
You might know some of my family, depending on your age.
I have family all over the area. OKC, Noble, Norman, Slaughterville,
Choctaw, Moore, Yukon, and out on Dirty (Thunder) Bird of course.
Drop me a pm sometime. A beer on campus corner sounds good to me.

 

[archangel]

will be speaking before the House and will request further investigation into the OKC bombing.. I don't know if anyone other than McVeigh and Nichols were involved. Many here in Oklahoma believe the FBI brushed the whole thing under the rug.. You know finish it up; convict the guilty, give the victims family's closure.... If there were others involved may justice come to them as it came to McVeigh... The way the whole country feels about 9/11 is the way we felt April 19th, 1995, a day I, nor any Oklahoman, will ever forget... May God save us from another...

I for one was appalled by the OKC abomination,however lets not go the area 51 route..Why would the FBI brush the investigation under "The rug"? What in Gods name would they gain by this? Let's face it two men did and could have pulled this off without outside help...for reasons they felt... in their sick minds were just! Being a former federal law enforcement officer I truly believe justice was served by the conviction of McVeigh and friend!(Terry) :bat:

 

[BR-549]

I for one was appalled by the OKC abomination,however lets not go the area 51 route..Why would the FBI brush the investigation under "The rug"? What in Gods name would they gain by this? Let's face it two men did and could have pulled this off without outside help...for reasons they felt... in their sick minds were just! Being a former federal law enforcement officer I truly believe justice was served by the conviction of McVeigh and friend!(Terry) :bat:

that some in Oklahoma were. It is odd that immediately after the bombing all the lead investigators were replaced. I think McVeigh, may his soul burn in hell for eternity, commited the act. I'm not a conspiracy monger. But several eyewitnesses, as unreliable as that can be, at the scene thought they saw another man accompanying McVeigh. Just don't want a possible additional culpable party to escape justice. So that's my take.

 

[Avatar4321]

I can't say it effected me at all. I was in high school. Probably pretty self centered. Starting to really really notice girls for the first time so i dont think i paid much attention. Come to think of it, i dont pay attention much now when there are girls around to notice.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

i was in either 7th or 8th grade. i know i was in middle school when it happened. the teachers cancelled classes and put us all in the auditorium and put the news up on the monitors. i have no idea why they thought this was the thing to do...it was terrifying to me to see all that. I had nightmares for months afterward. Parents certainly reemed the teachers out with their little dramatic decision to show us how we are at fault for everyone hating us. most of the teachers got a handslap, and that was it, but some actually got suspended.