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Today a large group of us went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum in downtown OKC. This a very moving and meaningful place for me. I can relate to the rescues, and later the recovery of the victims as well as the arrest and conviction of Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier for the crimes committed.
A diagram of the area.
Photo of the destroyed Federal Building.
The above two displays are artifacts recovered from the rubble with photos in the background.
I'm sorry that the photos are on their side. This is a key piece of evidence that was found in the wreckage, actually on the street. It is the actual rear axle from the Ryder truck that had been loaded with over two tons of explosives and detonated. The VIN of the truck had been inscribed on the axle, which led authorities to locate the truck rental form and obtain McVeigh's name.
These are items used to amputate a woman's leg after she was trapped under a huge pillar. The tools consisted of a handled scalpel, some string or small rope to make a tourniquet and a small pocket knife. The procedure is described below if you can read it.
Newspaper headlines and articles on the attack.
Many rescue and search dogs were used to locate victims in the rubble.
A famous photo of a firefighter cradling a baby. The photo became so popular that someone made a statue of the figure.
This is the shirt that McVeigh was wearing when he was arrested by Oklahoma State Trooper Charles Hanger. Description and information is shown below.
The above is an explanation of the events of McVeigh's arrest.
The yellow Mercury that McVeigh was driving when making his getaway from Oklahoma City.
Weapons being carried by McVeigh when he was arrested. The weapons, a Glock .45 caliber handgun and a large knife were both being carried concealed and recovered by Trooper Hanger.
The three photos above are handwritten notes and a pair of earplugs found in McVeigh's car. They were admitted into evidence in his trial and carry tags from the court.
This faint marking is found on building, left there on 4-19-95 by Search Team 5. Very poignant memories of a horrible time.
The survivor tree remains outside the building. After the bombing attack the tree had most of its leaves blown off and was damaged by the force of the blast, yet it remained alive as an inspiration to others.
A better photo of The Survivor Tree.
This statue is titled "And Jesus Wept. A sorrowful reminder of the 168 people that died including 19 children.
This Museum was very moving to me. I related to the many searchers that found survivors as well as recovered bodies. I really related to the investigators that worked to gather evidence to build an airtight case against the monster Timothy McVeigh which resulted in his execution just four years after his conviction. Good job people!
As you can tell, this museum had a powerful effect on me, bringing back memories of my own cases and arrests and making me proud of my career.
So long.
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