On this day in Labor History the year was 1995.
This marks the day one of the most horrendous acts of domestic terrorism in U.S. History occurred in Oklahoma City.
A truck bomb exploded at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building killing 168 people.
99 of those killed worked for the federal government.
Eight were federal law enforcement agents.
Those who lost their lives worked for governmental agencies including the Secret Service, US Customs, the Department of Agriculture, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Transportation, Army and Marine Corps Recruiting, US Customs, the Social Security Administration, Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Employees Credit Union.
On that horrific day 19 children were killed, including 15 who were at a daycare in the building.
The blast left 680 people injured and maimed.
More than 300 neighboring buildings were damaged or destroyed, totaling more than $600 million in damages.
In the rescue efforts more than 12,000 people participated to aid those injured in the blast and to recover those who died.
One of the men responsible for the bombing was executed for the crime. The other received a sentence of life in prison.
Today, a national monument and museum honors those who died.
More than 4.4 million visitors have paid their respects at the memorial.
One of the prominent features of the memorial is the “Survivor Tree.”
A more than 100-year-old American Elm stood in the parking lot across from the building. It survived the blast and although it lost most of its branches the tree thrives to this day.
An inscription on a wall around the tree reads, “The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us.”
Labor History in 2:00 brought to you by the Illinois Labor History Society and The Rick Smith Show