2 weeks Ago By Jacquie Walker
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Saturday marked 30 years since one of the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism in U.
S. history. On April 19, 1995, a truck loaded with explosive material detonated in front of the Alfred P.
Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. The bomber, Timothy McVeigh, grew up here in Western New York.I reported from the site of terror in America's heartland in April 1995, along with photographer Tom Vetter.
It was just days after the truck bomb exploded.This became a local story for us after it was revealed that the chief bombing suspect, Timothy McVeigh, grew up in Pendleton. And that Western New York connection made it all the more poignant for us to report on the suffering.
Gov. Frank Keating was active and accessible as journalists from across the nation -- and even the world -- documented the painstaking process of trying to recover victims from what had been a busy government building with men, women, and little children inside. The work took a toll on the many firefighters and teams who joined in a grim march every day to and from the devastated building and even knelt together in prayer at times.
"Everyone actually on our team has never seen anything like this," said Bob Anderson of the Virginia Rescue Task Force back in 1995. "We work inside and outside, trying to go through the debris and find what we can find."Video from the Virginia Rescue Task Force gave us our first close-up view of the daunting task of recovery inside a craggy, unstable concrete and steel maze, where even a simple phone posed a threat.
As the recovery effort labored on, workers and residents outside the immediate bomb zone tried to get back on their feet. Business owners had to line up, anxiously aiming for a view of the shops and offices they abruptly left behind.I rode on a bus with residents of an apartment building a half block from the Murrah Federal Building, where almost every window was blown out and 500 tenants were given just five minutes to grab what they could from their damaged units.
It's been estimated that more than 300 buildings were damaged by the bombing. More than 12,000 volunteers and rescue workers helped whenever there was a need.It was very common to see people silently weeping or placing flowers around the bombing site and to hear choirs singing on street corners.
And churches, even those that lost their treasured stained-glass windows blocks away from the bombing, opened their doors to all and offered solace.In the 30 years since, we have come to learn more about Tim McVeigh's motivation for masterminding the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S.
history and his many grievances against the U.S. government.
We know he was executed for his crimes in June 2001.But will we ever understand how one young man -- who lived and grew among us in Western New York as a native son -- could unleash such hate to tear a deliberate wound in the heart of America?Latest Local News30 years later: The Oklahoma City bombing.cls-3{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd}Sweet Jenny's sees spike in chocolate sales ahead of Easter.
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cls-3{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd}***Jacquie Walker is an award-winning anchor and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 1983. See more of her work here..
