    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [April 23, 1995]
    [Pages 573-574]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Memorial Service for the Bombing Victims in Oklahoma City,
    Oklahoma
    April 23, 1995

        Thank you very much. Governor Keating and Mrs. Keating, Reverend
    Graham, to the families of those who have been lost and wounded, to the
    people of Oklahoma City who have endured so much, and the people of this
    wonderful State, to all of you who are here as our fellow Americans: I
    am honored to be here today to represent the American people. But I have
    to tell you that Hillary and I also come as parents, as husband and
    wife, as people who were your neighbors for some of the best years of
    our lives.
        Today our Nation joins with you in grief. We mourn with you. We
    share your hope against hope that some may still survive. We thank all
    those who have worked so heroically to save lives and to solve this
    crime, those here in Oklahoma and those who are all across this great
    land and many who left their own lives to come here to work hand in hand
    with you.
        We pledge to do all we can to help you heal the injured, to rebuild
    this city, and to bring to justice those who did this evil.
        This terrible sin took the lives of our American family: innocent
    children, in that building only because their parents were trying to be
    good parents as well as good workers; citizens in the building going
    about their daily business; and many there who served the rest of us,
    who worked to help the elderly and the disabled, who worked to support
    our farmers and our veterans, who worked to enforce our laws and to
    protect us. Let us say clearly, they served us well, and we are
    grateful. But for so many of you they were also neighbors and friends.
    You saw them at church or the PTA meetings, at the civic clubs, at the
    ball park. You know them in ways that all the rest of America could not.
        And to all the members of the families here present who have
    suffered loss, though we share your grief, your pain is unimaginable,
    and we know that. We cannot undo it. That is God's work.
        Our words seem small beside the loss you have endured. But I found a
    few I wanted to share today. I've received a lot of letters in these
    last terrible days. One stood out because it came from a young widow and
    a mother of three whose own husband was murdered with over 200 other
    Americans when Pan Am 103 was shot down. Here is what that woman said I
    should say to you today: ``The anger you feel is valid, but you must not
    allow yourselves to be consumed by it. The hurt you feel must not be
    allowed to turn into hate but instead into the search for justice. The
    loss you feel must not paralyze your own lives. Instead, you must try to
    pay tribute to your loved ones by continuing to do all the things they
    left undone, thus ensuring they did not die in vain.'' Wise words from
    one who also knows.
        You have lost too much, but you have not lost everything. And you
    have certainly not lost America, for we will stand with you for as many
    tomorrows as it takes.
        If ever we needed evidence of that, I could only recall the words of
    Governor and Mrs. Keating. If anybody thinks that Americans are mostly
    mean and selfish, they ought to come to Oklahoma. If anybody thinks
    Americans have lost the capacity for love and caring and courage, they
    ought to come to Oklahoma.
        To all my fellow Americans beyond this hall, I say, one thing we owe
    those who have sacrificed is the duty to purge ourselves of the dark
    forces which gave rise to this evil. They are forces that threaten our
    common peace, our freedom, our way of life.
        Let us teach our children that the God of comfort is also the God of
    righteousness. Those who trouble their own house will inherit the wind.
    Justice will prevail.
        Let us let our own children know that we will stand against the
    forces of fear. When there is talk of hatred, let us stand up and talk
    against it. When there is talk of violence, let us stand up and talk
    against it. In the face of death, let us honor life. As St. Paul
    admonished us, let us not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with
    good.
        Yesterday Hillary and I had the privilege of speaking with some
    children of other Federal employees, children like those who were lost
    here. And one little girl said something we will never forget. She said
    we should all plant a

    [[Page 574]]

    tree in memory of the children. So this morning before we got on the
    plane to come here, at the White House, we planted that tree in honor of
    the children of Oklahoma. It was a dogwood with its wonderful spring
    flower and its deep, enduring roots. It embodies the lesson of the
    Psalms that the life of a good person is like a tree whose leaf does not
    wither.
        My fellow Americans, a tree takes a long time to grow, and wounds
    take a long time to heal. But we must begin. Those who are lost now
    belong to God. Some day we will be with them. But until that happens,
    their legacy must be our lives.
        Thank you all, and God bless you.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:32 p.m. at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena.
    In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Frank Keating and his wife, Cathy,
    and evangelist Billy Graham.