Terrorism
Terrorism can be defined as the systematic use of violence to threaten and create a climate of fear among the public. Terrorism intimidates the public or the government, and in doing so, it affects political, religious, social, and cultural activities. Terrorism acts have been conducted throughout history in various countries across the world. In the United States, terrorism incidents date to November 1605, where an attempted bombing experience was recorded. The Oklahoma City bombing is one of the terrorism incidents recorded in American history. This terrorism incident occurred on April 19th, 1995, resulting in many deaths and massive destruction in Oklahoma City. This essay discusses the Oklahoma City bombing as a terrorist incident. Also, it analyzes the impact of the experience and what the United States has learned from it.
The terrorist attack
April 19th, 1995, at approximately 9:02 am, Oklahoma City was in chaos after a truck filled with explosives detonated outside Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The explosion was proved to have been set off by an American anti-government militant named Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice Terry Nichols. The truck contained a powerful bomb of agricultural fertilizers, diesel fuel, and a mixture of other explosive chemicals. It was believed that Timothy McVeigh alighted from the truck at 9:00 am, went to his gateway car, and ignited the timed fuse, one after the other. After 2 minutes, the bomb exploded, wiping the entire front half of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The blast was vital that it destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-degree radius. This caused a total estimate of 652 million dollars worth of destruction and damages. Also, 258 other buildings had their windows and glasses shattered by the explosion, and 86 cars were damaged.
After a two-week search-and-rescue mission, a total of 168 people were confirmed dead. The deceased included 19 young children who were in a daycare center within the building. Also, over 650 people were injured and hospitalized. Therefore, until the 2001 attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing was the first deadliest terrorist attack in the United States of America history. A search immediately began for the arrest of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. It happened that McVeigh had been arrested 90 minutes after the bomb on the Oklahoma highway for traffic violations, illegal weapon possession, and driving without a license. On August 8th, 1995, Michael Frontier was willing to testify against Timothy McVeigh for a reduced sentence. Michael Frontier knew about the bombing plans of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Forensic evidence quickly linked McVeigh to Nichols, and they were both arrested for terrorism. Nichols was arrested for bomb preparation. In 2001, Timothy McVeigh was executed for terrorism, while Terry Nichols was sentenced to life imprisonment for being an accomplice to Timothy McVeigh.
The impact of the Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing had a significant effect on the victims, the people of the United States, and the government. The explosion caused many deaths inside and outside the building. Men and women who happened to be within the region were either injured or killed. Among the dead were 19 children who are enrolled in a daycare program within the building. This resulted in sadness, fear, and chaos among the United States and the deceased. Many people ran into hiding, and those who lost their loved ones in the incident lost trust in the government’s ability to protect its people. Among the residents of Oklahoma City, 61% of the population reported having experienced at least one direct effect of the explosion. Over 443,000 residents of Oklahoma City said having had one or more aftermath of the blast. Only those who lost their loved ones experienced trauma and sadness as a result of the incident.
Depression, stress, anxiety, and psychological torture were additional effects of the Oklahoma City bombing. Over 65% of the residents (with 95% confidence) reported experiencing one or more of these mental health issues after the bombing. By the end of September 1995, Oklahoma City reported an increase in alcoholism and smoking. The reports were of people who were either smoking more or started smoking or drinking more or started drinking. There was also an increase in psychological distress and post-traumatic stress among the residents of Oklahoma City. Many people were seeking help for stress problems. The psychological and mental health issues persisted until 1997.
Terrorism compromised the health and the political state of the United States. When the terror attack occurred, many health professionals abandoned their duties to attend to the injured and psychologically tortured individuals in Oklahoma City. Health professionals who occupied with surgery of broken bones, organ damages, minor injuries, and head damages. Psychological experts were teamed with religious leaders to calm the distressed, restore confidence to the fearful, comfort victims and the deceased, and aid those with mental health problems regarding the explosion. The political leadership of Oklahoma City and the United States was challenged by their allies, the media, and the United States’ people on their ability to protect people from terrorism and terrorist attacks. The entire world was glued to the events that were occurring in Oklahoma City. Even though America had a robust defense system, terrorism could still happen. Political leaders who are unable to defend the defense system of the United States after the bombing. This made the government find ways to quickly improve the state of Oklahoma City and compensate the people for their losses.
There were financial constraints after the bombing. The governor of Oklahoma City had to compensate the people for their loss and the businesses for damages. However, since the leadership of Oklahoma City was not prepared for a terrorist attack, compensation was conducted slowly due to a lack of finances. Insurance companies were slow in compensating families of the deceased and businesses. There was a civil disturbance, and the state’s workers’ compensation laws did not cover mental health issues without injuries. The state’s workers compensation law only covered survivors of work-related injuries or accidents with mental health diagnoses. Therefore, Oklahoma City had to change its local laws to protect victims of terrorist attacks, which was not easy to achieve.
Lessons learned from the Oklahoma City bombing.
Better preparedness is a primary lesson learned from the Oklahoma City bombing. Political and health sectors were unprepared to deal with victims of terrorism. The political and economic leadership had no laws that covered victims of terrorist attacks. They only had laws that protect victims of accidents at the workplace with mental health diagnoses. Finances were also not set aside for emergency purposes, such as a terrorist attack. The political leadership of Oklahoma City and the United States has learned the importance of preparedness. This is in terms of finances and appropriate laws to deal with terrorism situations and other emergencies. Also, search, rescue, and treatment of victims were ineffectively executed. The nurses and medical experts did not conduct their roles effectively due to a lack of preparedness. The lesson learned from the bombing is the anticipation of injury complications, better identification of victims, better communication strategies to reduce confusion, and effectively treating the injured. The health sector has learned the importance of responding to terror attacks and victims of accidents or violence.
Better bomb detection systems is another lesson learned from the Oklahoma City bombing. Due to a lack of bomb detection mechanism, a well-prepared bomb was sneaked into a large building’s premises. Also, chaos and confusion that resulted from the explosion caused a diversion the provided the terrorist room to escape. This is a result of a lack of preparedness. The Oklahoma City bombing taught the military and police force to be always prepared for any accident, attack, or explosion. This will prevent significant suspects from escaping. It also taught them how to respond to an emergency, such as a terror attack.
In conclusion, the Oklahoma City bombing occurred on April 19th, 1995, in Oklahoma City. A truck full of well-prepared explosives exploded in front of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building. The explosion wiped the entire front half of the building, causing a distraction the provided room for the terrorist to escape. The terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, and his accomplice, Terry Nichols, were responsible for bombing the nine-story building in Oklahoma City. Both were arrested; Timothy was sentenced to death in 2001, while Terry Nichols was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Oklahoma City bombing resulted in a death toll of 168 and damages to over 500 buildings. Lessons learned from the Oklahoma City bombing include better preparedness, adequate preparation, better training of health personnel, and teamwork. This will reduce the number of deaths, improve the public’s emotional state, and reduce further damages.