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The City of Bartlesville recognizes the 27th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

Mayor Dale Copeland gave his remarks during a ceremony at the Bartlesville Public Safety Complex on Tuesday morning. Copeland says we remember that fateful day when 168 lives were lost in the blast at the Alfred P. Murrah Building on April 19, 1995. He says the bombing was the worst act of domestic terrorism our nation had ever known until the 9/11 attacks six years later.

15 children were included in the death toll. 680 others were injured in the blast. Mayor Copeland added that the blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius. He said there was approximately $652 million in damage following the attack.

Extensive rescue efforts were made by local, State, Federal and worldwide agencies. Within 90-minutes of the explosion, Timothy McVeigh was pulled over by Oklahoma Highway Patrolman Charles Hanger for driving without a license plate. McVeigh was arrested for illegal weapons possession. Forensic evidence quickly linked Terry Nichols and McVeigh to the attack. The two created an ANNM explosive device and mounted it in a rented Ryder truck. That ruck was then parked in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and the explosion soon followed. The bombers were charged and convicted in 1997.

Copeland also recognized the work of those with the Bartlesville Fire Department (BFD) that made their way to OKC to assist those in need. Those firefighters are listed below:

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• Captain Steve Robinson
• Capt. Larry Conditt
• Capt. John McMillian
• Equipment Operator Billy Phillips
• Equipment Operator Danny Peters
• Firefighter Bobby Tallchief
• Firefighter James Majors
• Firefighter Bret Chew (now BFD Battalion Chief)
• Firefighter Doug Lay
• Firefighter Tony McCammon (now BFD Captain)
• Firefighter David Topping (now BFD Fire Chief)

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An elm tree that is growing in front of the Bartlesville Central Fire Station acts as a reminder to the growth Oklahoma has made since the tragedy long ago. The tree came as a sapling from an 80-year-old American elm tree that was the lone survivor of the bombing site. Seeds are collected every year and driven 90-miles west to a nursery in Clinton, Oklahoma.

Mayor Copeland says the seeds are germinated and nursed into small, healthy saplings that are then donated to communities around America. As the tree at the Central Fire Station continues to grow strong in Bartlesville, Copeland says it will be a symbol of strength, perseverance and the overcoming of adversity to all.

The Bartlesville Fire Department Honor Guard would lower an older American flag and replace it with a new one at half-staff. BFD Chaplain Brian Fuller gave the invocation and emceed the event. Trumpeters from Bartlesville High School performed taps.