Honoring those deeply impacted by the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, former President Clinton appeared at the 30th anniversary remembrance event.
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During the event, which took place at the First Church on Saturday, Clinton paid tribute the victims, survivors, first responders, and others impacted by the infamous domestic terrorist tragedy.
“Everybody is arguing about whose resentments matter most,” Clinton stated during his speech. “Whose resentments are most valid. If our lives are gonna be dominated by the effort to dominate people we disagree with, we’re gonna put the 250-year march toward a more perfect union at risk.”
Clinton then advised that America should come together in “service, honor, and kindness,” just like those who witnessed the Oklahoma CIty Bombing.
The infamous bombing occurred on April 19, 1995. A truck filled with explosives was parked outside downtown Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The vehicle exploded just a little after 9 a.m. The explosion killed 168 people, including 19 children who were in the building’s daycare center. More than 600 others were injured in the bombing.
The people responsible for the attack were later identified as former Army Sergeant and Gulf War veteran, Timothy McVeigh, and Terry Nichols.
While Nichols is now serving consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, McVeigh received the death penalty. He was put to death on June 11, 2001, at the age of 33.
Former President Clinton Recalls the Day of the Oklahoma City Bombing
In a video on the Clinton Foundation website, former President Clinton opened up about the Oklahoma City Bombing.
“The nation’s eyes were there,” he recalled. “The nation’s heart was broken there. I was privately praying that I would find the right words, the right tone, the right rhythm to somehow get into the mind and heart of as many Americans as possible.”
Also, during the 30th anniversary remembrance event, Clinton stated, “I still remember as if it were 30 minutes ago. Coming here with Hillary to that memorial service and saying, ‘You have lost too much, but you have not lost everything. You have certainly not lost America, and we will be with you for as many tomorrows as it takes.”
He then added, “I do think we’ve kept that commitment.”