Oral+History+Q&A

Interviewee- Innocent Ndubuisi Interviewer-Nicholas Takton = Topic: OKC Bombing on 19 April 1995 =

= = 1. Tell us about what you were doing in Oklahoma City in April 1995? (School, OK state, in health sciences building a short distance from the Murrah center) = =

= = April 19, 1995 is a day that is forever etched in my mind. I attended Ultrasound school at The University of Oklahoma health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. The School is approximately 2 miles east of downtown Oklahoma City, where the Alfred Murray Federal building was. On April 19, 1995, I was at my clinical site, Hill Crest Medical center, 15 minutes south of Oklahoma City. I was less than one month from graduation. = =

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= = 2. When did you first become aware that something was wrong? = =

= = Sometime around mid morning I didn't remember exactly what time we heard a loud boom and a lot of people ran outside including myself to see what was going on. We saw a cloud of dust rising in the downtown area. Everyone was wondering what happened and within a few minutes we got information there was an explosion and that people were hurt. = =

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= = 3. What did you see, hear, do after the explosion? = =

= = The ambulances stationed at the hospital took off and headed towards downtown with their sirens blasting. Some of us jumped into our various cars and headed downtown also. The only thing I knew at the time was that was that there has been an explosion and no one knew exactly what happened. My schoolmates who were in school on that day described it as an earthquake because the shock of the explosion was that strong. = =

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= = 4. What did you and others do? Describe the scene. = =

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= = Getting there was quite difficult because of the chaos, the dust and the fact that a lot of people who worked around that area all ran out on the street and were running away since no one had exact information about what caused the explosion. We parked a block away and walked down to the site. When we got there some firefighters and paramedics were already there helping people out of the building. It was total chaos and you would think the world had come to an end. I did what I could helping people how were limping out of the building to safety and some who would step out and the collapse we would drag them further away from the building and then arriving paramedics would take over. I felt very helpless because there was not much I could do for those trapped in the building. We later learnt there was a day care center on the ground floor of that building and of course the famous picture of the firefighter with the toddler in his arms. = =

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= = 5. Did the media accurately cover what had happened that day and thereafter? = =

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= = Yes the media accurately covered the events of the bombing on that day to the extent of the credible information they had. It was first reported as a terrorist act by foreigners and that elicited = = A lot of anger and resentment towards Muslims of Arab descent and as the investigation began to point to a home grown terrorist timothy McVeigh and his accomplices it was more of frustration and disbelief that an American could be so cruel to fellow Americans. People wanted him caught, tried and given a death sentence which came to pass. = =

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= = 6. How did the feelings and climate of Oklahoma City change after this day? = =

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= = You know I really never discussed this experience for a long time because I was still trying to process the whole event in my head. It did not seem real and it took a while for me to come to terms with what I had witnessed. Very very sad indeed. = =

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= = 7. What impact did this event have on your life? = =

= = I don't know if I can describe the impact of this event on my life in one or two sentences, or if I can accurately describe suffice it to say it is a life impacting and life altering event for the victims and for people who responded. The events 911 have since dwarfed the OKC bombing, we must never forget. = =

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= = 8. Also, I am attaching two photos that the world has seen on numerous occasions, can you tell me what these photos mean to you, having been there that day? = =

= = Image of destruction, chaos, anarchy (the building) and resilience, defiance and humanity (the firefighter with the toddler) = =

(Images of photos are attached as this PDF)