by Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice, Arkansas Advocate
April 20, 2025

OKLAHOMA CITY — On the 30th anniversary of the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, former President Bill Clinton said Americans must unite despite their differences, and that Oklahomans can help lead the way by serving as that role model for the rest of the nation.

Clinton, who was president at the time of the attack, returned to the site of the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing Saturday to deliver the keynote address to a crowd of over 1,600 that attended to remember and honor those who died and were injured in the attack.

While the event is typically held outdoors at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, the site of the bombing, it was moved indoors due to inclement weather. The crowd that arrived to commemorate the anniversary was so large that once the pews were packed, people stood along the walls and filled an overflow room.

“The domestic terrorists who did this awful thing believed that it would spark a nationwide upheaval against the American government, and would eventually destroy our government, our democracy and our life,” Clinton said. “Instead, you gave them, as the mayor said so eloquently, the Oklahoma Standard. You gave them service, honor and kindness.”

Clinton, a Democrat, came to Oklahoma City days after the 1995 attack to address a devastated crowd assembled at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena. He said he’s returned to Oklahoma City in subsequent years to commemorate the event.

Three decades later, Clinton said that the country has again grown more polarized. When Oklahoma City was the “center of polarization” 30 years ago, it chose to move forward together, he said.

“America needs you, and America needs the Oklahoma Standard,” Clinton said. “And if we all live by it, we would get a fairer economy, a more stable society. We would understand one another, and we wouldn’t feel weak if we admitted we were wrong about something.”

Thirty years ago, a fertilizer and fuel oil bomb placed inside a Ryder truck outside the Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City exploded at 9:02 a.m., killing 168 people, including 19 children, and injuring around 850.

Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were arrested for their roles. Both were found guilty. McVeigh was executed June 11, 2001, by lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Nichols was sentenced to life in prison.

Michael Fortier was sentenced to 12 years in prison for failing to report his knowledge of the bombing plot.

Investigators said McVeigh held extremist views and planned the bombing on the anniversary of the end of the Waco siege between law enforcement and the Branch Davidians.

Other speakers at Saturday’s remembrance event included prominent Republican officials such as Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, former Gov. Frank Keating, and U.S. Sen. James Lankford. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt also spoke. Most of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation was present, as were a few other former governors, current state lawmakers and other officials.

There have been nearly “11,000 tomorrows” since the bombing and in Oklahoma City, Holt said, and the city has grown in that time. He said 30 years since the bombing signifies a “generation.”

While younger Oklahomans may not remember the bombing, Stitt said, they live in a state shaped by it and the “commitment to service, honor and kindness” that followed.

Lankford said Oklahomans need to ensure the lessons learned from the bombing and its aftermath are passed to future generations to ensure there is “no generation that rises up that does not remember.”

The federal building housed agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,  Firearms and Explosives, the agency that initially launched the Waco raid. But the building also held a day care, military recruitment offices and other various federal agencies.

Family members of victims read the 168 names to the crowd Saturday in an effort to “humanize” the people, said Kari Watkins, president and CEO of the memorial museum.

The building was imploded after the rescue operations and evidence collections were completed. A new federal building was built nearby.

The memorial was built where the old federal building once stood. The 168 chairs erected at the site each represent an empty seat at the dinner table. The smaller chairs represent the children who died. A reflecting pool represents the time between 9:01 a.m. and 9:03 a.m. April 19, 1995. Officials were able to preserve an American elm tree that survived the blast. It is known as the “Survivor Tree.”

In the aftermath of the attack, the state became known for the “Oklahoma Standard,” a term used to describe the “selfless actions” of thousands who offered help.

Reporter Barbara Hoberock contributed to this story. 

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com.

Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.

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