Oklahoma City bombing

The Oklahoma City bombing was a 1995 terrorist attack in which the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, a U.S. government office complex in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was destroyed, killing 168 people. It is the largest domestic terrorist attack in the history of the United States, and - until the September 11, 2001 attacks - largest terrorist attack of any kind in the nation's history.

Tenth anniversary

During the week of April 17 to 24, 2005, the Oklahoma City National Memorial held a series of events to mark the tenth anniversary of the bombing in Oklahoma City. The week was known as the "National Week of Hope."

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April 17 - 24 - 2005

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On April 19, the tenth anniversary observances took place. As in the years past, the service began at 09:02 CT, marking the moment the bomb went off, beginning with the traditional 168 seconds of silence--one second for each person who was killed in the blast. The service also included the traditional reading of the names. As on the 9th anniversary, the children read the names of those killed because they symbolized the future of Oklahoma City.

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Vice-President Richard Cheney, former president Bill Clinton, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating, and other political dignitaries attended the service and gave speeches, in which they emphasized that "goodness overcame evil" on April 19, 1995, and has done so since. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/04/20050419.html The relatives of the victims and the survivors of the blast also made note of it during the service at First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0504/19/lt.01.html Clinton and Keating both had been invited to the service, because they both were in office at the time of the bombing.

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Richard Cheney - Bill Clinton - Brad Henry - Frank Keating

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President George W. Bush made note of the anniversary in a written statement. Part of his statement was what he said in his remarks on the execution of Timothy McVeigh in 2001: "For the survivors of the crime and for the families of the dead, the pain goes on." http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/04/20050419-2.html He didn't attend the service, even though he was invited, because he was en route in Springfield, Ill., to dedicate the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. In his place, Cheney presided over the service.

Related Topics:
George W. Bush - 2001 - Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

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