Former Gov. Frank Keating reflects on tragedy and resilience 30 years after Oklahoma City Bombing

Remembering April 19, 1995

This month marks 30 years since the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history—the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

The attack, carried out by Timothy McVeigh, killed 168 people and injured hundreds more. It left a deep scar on Oklahoma and the nation, and forever changed the way Americans viewed security and terrorism.

Former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, who had been in office only four months at the time, joined News On 6 to reflect on the bombing and how the state responded in the aftermath.

“Something Hugely Significant, Very Bad Had Happened”

Keating recalled being at a prayer breakfast when the bombing occurred.

“Well, I was at the mayor's prayer breakfast that morning, and I went back to the office, and I felt a thump. There are bulletproof windows in that office, but something was really a percussion item out there,” he said. “I thought maybe it was an aircraft that crashed at Tinker Air Force Base, or an ammunition explosion.”

He said it wasn’t until a news helicopter from News 9 flew over the site that the scale of the damage became clear.

“I can see half the building was blasted in half. It was the federal office building. It was filled with people. So I mean, I knew something hugely significant, very bad had happened.”

Soon after, he received a call from President Bill Clinton.

“President Bill Clinton, he and I were schoolmates in college, he called me and he said, ‘What in the world is going on?’ And I said, ‘I have no idea. I haven't been down to the site yet—it just happened.’ And he said, ‘Well, whatever you need, we’ll provide.’ And they did.”

Keating credited federal resources, especially urban search and rescue teams, with playing a vital role in the early hours and days of the response.

“But going down to that site, you could tell that something malicious and malevolent occurred,” Keating said. “And of course, it was a bomb that was orchestrated by McVeigh and a confederate, and it certainly wiped out a lot of wonderful families.”

Leading Through Tragedy

Keating said the response effort highlighted the capability and leadership within Oklahoma.

“What’s interesting to me—and I’m very proud of it—as a national or man-made disaster, we were the first jurisdiction that the feds didn’t try to turn it over to somebody else. They left us in charge.”

He praised Oklahoma City’s police and fire departments, as well as the National Guard.

“I thought Oklahoma City’s police chief, fire chief, I had appointed a new National Guard commander who already was a two-star general. Those guys were just first-rate, and people knew exactly what to do because they knew each other.”

Keating, new to the office at the time, said he leaned on experienced local leadership and federal support.

“For me, I was introducing myself because I’d been in office for maybe four months, and we had a great team. And then, of course, Bill Clinton sending the urban search and rescue teams to help us—that was enormously important.”

He noted that Oklahoma City had around 1,000 firefighters and 1,000 police officers, many of whom were pushed to their limits within a day of the attack.

“Within 24 hours, those people were exhausted. So to have outside help—and of course, the Oklahoma Standard began then, where people thought, ‘Boy, these Oklahomans are really competent.’ And I was floored by how generous and decent and wonderful the Oklahoma family was during that period of time.”

Honoring the 30th Anniversary

A remembrance ceremony will take place Saturday morning at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Former President Bill Clinton, who visited the city just days after the bombing in 1995 and spoke at a national healing service, will deliver the keynote address.

News On 6 will have extended live coverage beginning at 8 a.m., both on-air and on our website.