Current:Home > StocksOklahoma City bombing still ‘heavy in our hearts’ on 29th anniversary, federal official says -Mastery Money Tools
Oklahoma City bombing still ‘heavy in our hearts’ on 29th anniversary, federal official says
View
Date:2025-04-18 05:17:04
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Federal officials are resolved never to allow a terrorist attack like the Oklahoma City bombing happen again, Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Caitlin Durkovich told survivors and loved ones of the 168 people killed in the April 19, 1995, bombing Friday.
“What happened here in Oklahoma still rests heavy in our hearts; ... what transpired here 29 years years ago remains the deadliest act of homegrown terrorism in U.S. history,” Durkovich said in front of a field of 168 bronze chairs, each engraved with the name of a bombing victim, at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
“Our collective resolve to never let this happen is how we bear witness to the memory and the legacy of those who were killed and those who survived” the bombing, Durkovich told the crowd of more than 100 people as a woman in the crowd wiped tears from her face.
The nearly hour-and-half long ceremony began with 168 seconds of silence for each of those killed and ended with the reading of the names of each of the victims.
Durkovich was joined by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt for the ceremony on a partly sunny, cool and windy morning for the 29th anniversary of the attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building downtown.
“This is a place where Americans killed Americans,” and the lessons learned after the bombing should be used to address the “political vitriol” of today, Holt said.
“We don’t want more places, and more days of remembrance. This should be enough,” Holt said.
The motives of the bombers included hate, intolerance, ignorance, bigotry, conspiracy theories, misinformation and “extreme political views,” Holt said.
Hatred of the federal government motivated former Army soldier Timothy McVeigh and co-conspirator, Terry Nichols, to commit the attack.
McVeigh’s hatred was specifically fueled by the government’s raid on the Branch Davidian religious sect near Waco, Texas, that left 76 people dead and a standoff in the mountains of Ruby Ridge, Idaho, that left a 14-year-old boy, his mother and a federal agent dead. He picked April 19 because it was the second anniversary of the Waco siege’s fiery end.
McVeigh was convicted, sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection in 2001. Nichols was sentenced to life in prison.
Stitt ordered American and state flags on state property to be flown at half-staff until 5 p.m. Friday in remembrance of those killed and injured in the bombing.
“As the world watched, Oklahomans banded together in a community-wide display of noble humanity,” Stitt said in a statement announcing the order.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Taylor Swift sings 'I'm falling in love again' for second time to boyfriend Travis Kelce
- Lithium Critical to the Energy Transition is Coming at the Expense of Water
- Long Beach breaks ground on $1.5B railyard expansion at port to fortify US supply chain
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Francis Ford Coppola to receive Kennedy Center Honors
- University of Florida president Ben Sasse is resigning after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy
- Utah State officially fires football coach Blake Anderson
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- For Catholic pilgrims, all roads lead to Indy for an old-style devotion in modern stadium setting
Ranking
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- ACOTAR Book Fans Want This Bridgerton Star to Play Feyre in TV Show Adaptation
- Pregnant Brittany Mahomes Details Postpartum Hair Loss Before Welcoming Baby No. 3 With Patrick Mahomes
- NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson announces his retirement after nearly 15 years in the role
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Federal appeals court blocks remainder of Biden’s student debt relief plan
- Recount will decide if conservative US Rep. Bob Good loses primary to Trump-backed challenger
- Funds to Help Low-Income Families With Summer Electric Bills Are Stretched Thin
Recommendation
Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Francis Ford Coppola to receive Kennedy Center Honors
Alleged Taylor Swift stalker arrested in Germany ahead of Eras show
AP Week in Pictures: Global
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Zach Edey injury update: Grizzlies rookie leaves game with ankle soreness after hot start
Federal appeals court blocks remainder of Biden’s student debt relief plan
Bud Light slips again, falling behind Modelo and Michelob Ultra after boycott