Homegrown: OKC Episode 5: The Oklahoma Standard
Mar 19, 2024
A detailed reconstruction of the April 19, 1995 bombing and its immediate human toll. Dramatic rescues, makeshift medical care, and the grief of families who searched for loved ones. The statewide volunteer mobilization and blood drives that followed. The fast-moving criminal investigation that traced a hidden VIN, rental records, and a routine traffic stop leading to an arrest.
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Memorial's Small Chairs Show Daycare Loss
- Jeffrey Toobin describes the Oklahoma City memorial with 19 small chairs representing the children killed, highlighting the scale of the loss.
- The chairs are arranged by floor; most small chairs are second row because the daycare on the second floor lost 15 children, making the memorial hauntingly specific.
Blind Snack Bar Owner Led Multiple Rescues
- Raymond Washburn, a blind snack bar owner, led five people out of the Murrah Building after the blast using his tactile memory of the layout.
- His blindness gave him an advantage guiding others through debris and glass to the southwest stairway.
Surgeon Performed Improvised Amputation Under Rubble
- Dr. Andy Sullivan improvised a field amputation on Dana Bradley to free her trapped leg, using a pocket knife when scalpels dulled.
- He administered Versed as a crude anesthetic and lay on her to access the knee amid foggy concrete dust.
