Where were you when you heard about the OKC bombing?

[Rocknrule]

and how did you feel, especially when you found out it was a RW terrorist attack?

I was too young to remember, but I'm curious about other people

[marmar]

1. On one of those touristy Strip trolleys in Las Vegas...

trying to explain to people that not everyone from Michigan is :crazy:, ala Timothy McVeigh.

[demnan]

2. I was working for U.S. Customs as a contractor

it was a huge shock at Customs Headquarters where I was. Everybody became sort of paranoid and they upped security there.

[electron_blue]

3. I honestly don't remember

And I didn't see it as a "RW terrorist" attack, but as being from some crazy people, like the Unabomber. It was much later that I learned what McVeigh's agenda really was. I still think the crazy theory explains it best - are some now saying it was part of a large RW terroristic campaign? I'm not aware of that.

[ceile]

4. In my dorm room....

studying for my next class. I didn't normally watch tv then, but I had it on that day and I remember the channel cutting from regular programming....it was powerful. And I remember Clinton's speech not long after it happened....wow.

Never did, and still don't, think of it as an RW terror attack. I think McVeigh is just sick.

[Kazak]

5. In Norman (about 20 miles to the south)..

I was off school that day and sleeping in that morning. My friend called me and woke me up to tell me that a bomb had been detonated in the city. In my mind's eye I pictured a little stick of dynomite or something, shrugged it off and went back to sleep. It wasn't until I woke up and turned on the news that I really realized the significance.

Strangely, I had a similar reaction when I first heard about 911. When a co-worker told me two planes had crashed into the WTC, I, for some wierd reason, pictured two byplanes. :shrug: It wasn't until I watched the news later that I really realized the full extent.

[rainbow4321]

6. On my way to my daughter's doctor appt...heard it on the radio

Initial reports were a bomb had gone off in the federal building..not having access to TV, I had images of a small, packaged bomb. Then the doc's office had the TV on and I realized it was much more than that.

Looking back, it was the same way that I heard about the first reports of "a plane hitting the WTC"...on the car radio and then getting home and seeing actual pictures/video.

[Inland]

7. Don't remember. And not because I was too young.

I just don't. I do remember hearing the speculation about who dunnit, but I didn't form any opinions and was only mildly surprised to hear it was an american.

[XNASA]

8. In a cafeteria at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

It was my second day on the job.

[undergroundpanther]

9. Asleep.

I had vivid dreams about explosions.I woke up all paranoid,and sweaty , So I Turned on the TV and it had just happened.

[Warpy]

10. I heard about it in a bookstore from one of the cashiers

and my first thought was "OKC? Doesn't sound like Middle Eastern terrorists. Sounds like RW crazies." The cashier mentioned it was the anniversary of the Waco debacle and I just knew.

That I was vindicated should come as no surprise. I'm the one who puts 2 + 2 together and ends up with the cube root of 64 most of the time.

The only tinfoil hat stuff I'm partially buying into is the uncanny resemblance Padilla has to John Doe #2. It's obvious he didn't have the means or the knowledge to do the dirty bomb stuff Stupid's gang accused him of. The only thing serious enough to keep him under wraps would be a connection between Al Qaeda and domestic, ultra right religious crazies, a connection the present gang of criminals would do anything to keep from public knowledge. Consider how it would discredit their lunatic base!

In any case, OKC was small stuff and not the Middle East's style. Some people might have been shocked that it was a home grown mass murderer, but I wasn't one of them.

[Skarbrowe]

11. I was sitting in a doctor's office (my Mother had an appt.) and it was all

over the TV. I had to sit there and watch the coverage for a long time because her doc like to tell my Mom his life story over and over again every time she went in.

I remember thinking it was so shocking and I don't remember having any idea at that exact time of who the bomber/bombers might be. I do remember hearing someone on TV talking about possible Middle Eastern terrorists, but I also remember them saying that we should wait before we jump to that conclusion. Looking back now, it almost appears like they knew immediately that this was home grown.

[Sequoia]

12. I was asleep at first

but then I saw it unfold. About two weeks ago I was in the garage and found my Newsweek copy of that incident with the fireman holding the little 2 year old. Those kids getting killed was the worst.

[stillcool]

13. don't remember...

that was during my 'party-girl' phase. I do remember the WTC '93 bombing though...of course, I'd gotten sober by then.

[noonwitch]

14. At work, at the old office

A couple of days later, I had to go to training at the Grand Tower in Lansing, which is one of the main state government buildings there. When we had our morning break, there was a Ryder truck pulled up next to the building-everyone was just a bit nervous about that.

I don't know when I realized it was a right-wing lunatic who was responsible. I assumed, like most people, that it was a terrorist of likely middle eastern backround. The coverage in Michigan was very intense, because the Nichols' brothers are from the thumb area. The looney brother of Terry Nichols (James Nichols, the star of "Bowling For Columbine" imo) was frequently interviewed on the local news, as was his attorney. To this day, I think James was in on it. He's nuts and paranoid, just like the rest of the whole "Michigan Militia" crowd.

[Nicole]

15. I was in my living room

reading the paper with the radio on when they broke in with the story. I live in Oklahoma & immediately turned on the t.v. to our local news station.

I felt terrified because I had family members & friends who worked in downtown OKC.
I didn't care when I found out that it was a RW terrorist attack. I lost a friend & knowing who was responsible didn't do a damn thing to ease the pain.

[cynatnite]

16. I was in my car...

the radio said there was some kind of explosion and were begging for medical help. They thought it was some kind of gas explosion.

When I got to my mother's we turned on the TV. When I saw the building I remember telling her 'that was no gas explosion'.

We lived in NW OK at the time. My grandpa lives in OKC and he said that the explosion rattled his windows. My cousin worked downtown and it took hours to reach him. We didn't know if he was alive and dead.

This day was in some respects worse than 9/11 because we had family and friends there.

[napi21]

17. At work in San Antonio, Tx. My boss called me into his office

to show me the pictures on the net. He was the only one who had internet access at that time.

When I saw the pics, there hadn't been any reports yet about who did it. I do remember speculation that it was that damn Bin Laden again!

I remember when I heard it was a skinhead who did it, I first had an anger rush against those idiots who I thought never ventured out of their holes up in the hills of the NW. I was surprised to hear then went to OK!

But THEN, I remember thinking how stupid Americans are that they always first think an evil perp was some foreigner...and never a fellow American!

[LSparkle]

18. Getting ready to go to work (PST)

I ended up being late because I was glued to the coverage. But the first "John Doe"s who were suspected were Arab men, and it wasn't until several days (weeks?) later that it was revealed as a "RW attack" as opposed to foreign terrorism.

[Rocknrule]

19. Not me

Up until 9/11, I thought terrorism in America began and ended with Timothy McVeigh

Now I'm much more informed

[Marr]

20. I was working in an office job, with an office mate playing Rush Limbaugh.

I didn't even think of Arabs- that's the absolute truth. At the time I was getting 5 hours of Rush Limbaugh's ranting against Clinton and his evil beauracracy every day, and I just assumed some Limbaugh fan had decided to take action.

I'm still surprised that Bill Clinton wasn't assassinated by one of those morons. They were eating and breathing nothing but Clinton hatred for years.

[Misskittycat]

21. In an intensive care ward watching my mother die.

Actually, I first heard it on CNN when my sister and I were leaving my mother's apartment to go to the hospital for another day. When we got to the ICU, we turned on the news again.

I had been there in the ICU about about 10 days by then, and was fairly numb. What struck me was that -- although I knew I was extremely sad about the bombings -- I was watching firefighters carrying dead babies out of the building, and I couldn't cry. Normally, I would have been gushing buckets. I wondered why it was that I couldn't react outwardly and realized that I was just experiencing so much of my own sorrow that I didn't have anything left.

[WarNoMore]

22. I was working outside in my garden

when my neighbor came over and told me. She had previously lived in Tulsa and I had lived in Midwest City. I didn't turn on the news right away, I had no idea of the magnitude.

The early reports were of suspected Middle East origin.

I was pretty devastated; I loved living there, the people are the salt of the earth.

[tandot]

23. At the Oklahoma City University, I heard and felt it in class

we all ran outside to see where it was coming from. Classes were canceled. Some students decided to go there and take pictures. I hated that.

Then our instructor warned all students who look "Middle Eastern" not to go outside and to avoid being seen in public. It was first reported that Middle Eastern looking people did it and people were chasing anyone who fit that criteria.

[Coyote_Bandit]

24. In Tulsa

I was working weird hours at the time and had slept in that morning. Shortly after awakening I went to the neighborhood convenience store for something (can't remember what). During the short drive it struck me that there was simply no activity and no one out and about. Even before I knew what had happened I had figured there was something bad going down somewhere. I learned what had happened from the TV in the convenience store.

[Beaverhausen]

25. I remember hearing that they first thought it was Islamic terrorists

I was just dressing for work when I heard the news on the radio. For the first few hours (at least) it was thought to be international terrorism.

International or domestic, the thought that someone would blow up a building filled with innocent people hurt me to the core. Especially all those babies! :cry:

[AnneD]

26. I was on my way to pick up my daughter...

you see, today is her birthday. On the drive over, I was reflecting on the year before when the government stormed the Branch Davidian compound. I remember I was at lunch at the time and watched it catch on fire and burn down. I was horrified that it was happening and worrying about the children that might still be there.

I was happy thinking that nothing bad had happened this year. When I went to pick her up, I noticed everyone watching the TV. When I asked, they told me what had happened. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I immediatly knew there was a connection, it was just TOO coincedental.

For years it was hard to get folks to come out for any parties on that day. I am glad it has receeded a bit for her sake, but it is still a sad day for many...like 12/7 and 9/11.

[RedEarth]

27. In my office.... 10 miles from the Murrah building

Our building shook and minutes later everyone was out in the hallway wondering what had happened. Some people thought it was an earthquake, others thought our building had been hit by a car or a truck. In a few minutes, the local news was reporting there had been an explosion at the Murrah building and it was thought to be a gas leak. Not long after that, was when they speculated it could have been a bomb.

One of the saddest and most difficult things my wife and I had to deal with was talking with our elementary-aged school children the evening of the bombing. I still remember the look of innocence on their face when we were talking and I felt sick thinking this was something they were having to deal with at such a young age. I also remember letting our kids know their piano teacher was one of those killed. They let me know the three red-headed boys at their school just lost their dad in the bombing. When they asked why someone would do this, I didn't have an answer....and quite honestly, I still don't. It's hard to understand how people could be so cruel and filled with hate.

[Nickster]

28. I was working triage at the hospital's emergency room. I remember just

staring at the news in the lobby on the tv and thinking how the heck can I get there to help? Didn't even cross my mind whether it was right-wing, arab, etc. Just thought, man what an evil person to have done this.

[jsamuel]

29. 7th Grade Geography class

My teacher (who was a great geography teacher by the way) was all like, "whoever did this will see the US's revenge and they won't like it," suggesting that some islamic extreamist did it as was being suggested on the news stations.

Oh boy. Should have seen 9/11 coming by a mile.

[shanti]

30. i don't remember

the day or what i was doing, but remember the event. :shrug:

[elehhhhna]

31. In the Sears Tower, at a restaurant, waiting for a client --

(AMEX -- I got their business, too.) The TV in the bar was on , which was unusual for daytime. My boss (hi cheryl!~) and I saw the aftermath.

Much later, I was in her office listening to the sentencing of McVeigh. I thought I'd feel relieved, elated, vengeful--something...but when they announced his death sentence she & I just looked at each other and started to cry. It was just pain on top of pain on top of ugly, ugly pain.

[donco6]

32. In Colorado Springs, giving an accounting seminar.

And the radio was full of antiMuslim terrorist talk.