Former President Bill Clinton returned to Oklahoma City on Saturday to mark the 30th anniversary of the bombing.
Clinton, 78, was president, including 168 people at the time, including 19 children, were murdered in the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in U.S. history.
During the memorial service, he paid tribute to the victims and survivors, while also commenting on the current political situation.
He said:I still remember it seemed like it was 30 minutes ago, bringing Hillary to the memorial service and saying, “You lost too much, but you didn’t lose everything.
He added: “You certainly won’t lose America, we’ll be with you because it’s as much tomorrow as possible, and I do think we’ve always maintained that commitment.”
He cautioned polarization The nature of modern politics and how this division leads to violence, just like it was 30 years ago.
Clinton said the state can learn a term from the “Oklahoma Standard” that refers to the response to bombing through solidarity service, honor and kindness.
“Today, Oklahoma City, America needs you,” he said. “I hope every American can see life unfolding here and hear these stories.”
At the memorial service, he paid tribute to the victims and survivors, while also commenting on the political situation.
Clinton was president, when 168 people were murdered in including 19 children, remained the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in U.S. history. After praying for service, I saw him here in 1995
Clinton said the state could learn a term from the “Oklahoma Standard” to cite responses to bombing through solidarity services, honors and kindness.
Other spokespersons include former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick, who were in office at the time of the bombing.
The families of some of the people killed in the bombing read 168 names of the people killed in the attack.
Saturday’s ceremony was scheduled to be held on the grounds of the memorial, but was moved into the adjacent church due to heavy rain.
After the ceremony, a team of bagpipe athletes from the Oklahoma City Fire Department will attend those outdoor memorials across the street, built on the ground where the Federal Building once stood.
The memorial includes a museum, a reflective swimming pool and 168 empty glass chairs, bronze and stone engraved with the names of the killed people.
Nineteen chairs are smaller than the others to represent the killed children.
Authorities initially suspected that the attack was carefully planned by extremists outside the United States, and the perpetrators turned out to be two former U.S. soldiers.
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols met while serving in the army and developed a deep hatred for the government that intensified siege of Waco in 1993.
Authorities initially suspected that the attack was carefully planned by extremists outside the United States, and that the perpetrator turned out to be two former U.S. soldiers
Timothy McVeigh was taken here to the Noble County Courthouse in Perry, Oklahoma after the attack.
Another impasse on Ruby Ridge Hill in Idaho caused a 14-year-old boy whose mother and a federal agent to die, also angered the couple.
The Oklahoma City bombing took place on the second anniversary of the fiery end of the 51-day Waco siege.
McVeigh drove the truck to the scene and set up a fuse to blow it up. He was convicted of 11 counts of murder and was executed by a fatal injection in 2001.
Nichols sees it in a cup lens in January 2000
Nichols helped McVay plan and build the bomb. He was convicted of conspiracy and involuntary homicide and is serving his sentence in prison.
The bombing has put Americans in the face of violent extremism and anti-government sentiment on the native soil.
McVeigh and Nichols sympathized with the right-wing militia movements that emerged in the early 1990s and continue to this day.
In 1996, Clinton signed a “Anti-terrorism” law that strengthened penalties for various crimes and aimed at federal workers performing their duties as crimes.
It also spent about $1 billion (mostly to the FBI) to expand its counter-terrorism efforts.
The memorial site is one of Oklahoma’s most popular destinations, usually attracting more than 500,000 visitors each year.
Elementary school students arrive by bus to understand the dangers of political violence.
