[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.