OKLAHOMA CITY, April 19 (UPI) -- National leaders Tuesday recalled the truck bomb attack that killed 168 people in Oklahoma City a decade ago and how it changed America.
Former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Dick Cheney addressed a memorial marking the anniversary of the blast that tore through the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
At a church near the Oklahoma City National Memorial, Clinton, who was president at the time of the attack, said the tragedy left an impression on the entire nation.
"Oklahoma City changed us all," he said. "It broke our hearts and lifted our spirits and brought us together and reminded us of what is truly important in life. Because of how you responded and what you did, it changed us all and gave us a great and enduring gift."
Cheney, who helped organize the campaign to build the memorial before he became vice president, said the tragic loss of life and more than 800 injuries were only one side of the story that came out of Oklahoma City.
"We want to remember April 19, 1995, not merely because great evil appeared that day, but because goodness overcame evil that day," he said. "We want to remember not only a single act of malice, but also 10,000 acts of kindness, and mercy, and bravery."
Those attending the memorial observed 168 seconds of silence and then listened to a reading of all the names of the men, women and 19 children killed in the attack.
