April 19, 1995 Bombing of Alfred P. Murrah Building

It's difficult to believe seventeen years have come and gone since the Murrah Building was bombed killing 168 people. The morning was clear and crisp with a beautiful blue sky. I was washing dishes and looking out the kitchen window when suddenly I heard an extremely loud boom and then another smaller boom. Then the walls of the house moved in and out. Every window nearly popped out of its frame, and the foundation of the house moved. We lived about 7 miles as the crow flies from the Murrah Building. My first thought was that a gasoline truck exploded or a gas line had ruptured. I wondered if it would be on the news so I turned on the television and I was shocked to see a place I had gone for lunch on many occasions was in shambles. I watched as the police reports of two men were being sought in connection with the bombing. As I watched the television suddenly I remembered the people I knew who worked in the building or worked close by. I knew that Mr. Antonio Reyes worked for HUD and was probably in the Murrah Building. Antonio Reyes was a frequent visitor of the office I worked in which was just West of Saint Joseph's Catholic Church. Saint Joseph's was directly West of the Murrah Building. The Catholic Charities had a program called SLIAG that taught Hispanic people the history of the United States to help them take their citizenship test. Antonio Reyes was one of the teachers for this program. He would come by the Catholic Social Ministries office to pick up items he needed for his classes. He was a very friendly person and very kind. Why would someone kill him? Then I remembered a blind man who worked in the tunnel beside the Murrah Building.