The 19th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Murrah Building bombing is fast approaching.
Handsome’s parents Harvey and Judy Wreath were both first responders to this tragedy,
and over these past several days Harvey has been gracious to sit and discuss with me
more of his memories and details from those weeks, many of which I had never heard before.
He also visited the Memorial Museum with Handsome and me,
which was a such a memorable experience.
Internalizing all of this history has made me want to run the marathon even more.
Following is the first in a series of three installments telling his and Judy’s story.
A DAY LIKE ANY OTHER
Early on the morning of April 19, 1995, Harvey was already hard at work at his auto body shop in Moore, about half an hour south of downtown Oklahoma City. The weather was calm and warm, the skies bright. Absorbed in repairing the fender, door, and front bumper of a Chevrolet pick up, Harvey heard an unbelievable boom then felt heavy vibrations. He knew immediately it was a significant explosion and wondered if it could be an oil tank. He stepped outside and saw dark, heavy smoke gulping into the blue Oklahoma sky.
Several minutes later, at 9:15 a.m., Harvey’s police receiver reported a large explosion at the Murrah Building in downtown Oklahoma City. The operator was requesting all officers for help. They were bracing for the possibility of something more. No one seemed to know what was happening.
At this time, in addition to running his auto body shop, Harvey was Police Chief of the town of Hallpark, Oklahoma. His wife Judy was his right arm in every part of life and also served as his police Sergeant. On duty that April morning, Judy heard the same radio calls for help and immediately brought her husband his police uniform. Together they drove in their township’s only patrol car north to Oklahoma City. They prayed together every mile of that drive and in minutes arrived at the gaping, shredded building now veiled in angry black smoke.
CHAOS & FIRST RESPONDERS, DAY ONE
By now Harvey knew it was something far worse than any gas explosion. Upon seeing the enormous wound on the front of the familiar building, he knew without a doubt that it had been a bomb. Harvey and Judy heard layers of horrified screams. They knew people were still trapped. The scene was absolute chaos.
On the north side of the block, Harvey and Judy found a gathering of police cars and, in uniform themselves, rushed to offer their help. Their first task was to keep people away from the building, but crowd control on this morning was far from easy. The people trying to get through the barrier were not yet spectators or tabloid photographers; they were downtown office workers searching for colleagues, friends, and spouses. They were parents and grandparents frantic to lay trembling hands on their babies who had just been dropped off at daycare in the building now laid to waste. Their job of crowd control was made increasingly difficult by the thick, gagging smoke and then by subsequent bomb scares. There was so much screaming.
By evening, the area at Sixth Street was crawling with military personnel, law enforcement, and scores of heavy equipment operators. Martial Law had been enacted but so far was a formality because everyone was already working together. Somewhere deep in the belly of this horrible scene, this fallout of evil not yet understood, a seed of hope was already germinating. Oklahoma was already responding to trauma with intense love and unflinching willingness to reach out, to work together.
True to form for springtime in Oklahoma, heavy thunderstorms rolled in around 8:30 p.m. The weather did not slow the rescue efforts. By 10:40 p.m. every survivor had been brought out of the cruel debris.
Harvey and Judy stayed on site until 9 p.m. that first night then drove home, stunned and exhausted. They had planned to return to the same job the next morning, but at 11 p.m. a phone call came from their friends at the Medical Examiner’s Office. Harvey and Judy were being asked to join a team of people to work in the temporary morgue. Additionally, Harvey was needed as head of Security for the team. They said yes without hesitation, just as they had done fourteen hours earlier.
Neither of them slept well that night. They rose the next morning at 7 a.m. and reported for sixteen hours of unprecedented work and sacrifice, the first of nineteen consecutive days that would change them forever.
Thank you for reading!
Harvey appreciates you reading, too,
and gaining a deeper understanding
of what Oklahoma experienced that April.
Please continue to check in for more installments.
XOXOXO
Thank you for caring enough to tell their story. I love you always now and forever.
I’m honored to get to hear it in such warm detail and honored to be sharing it. Love you ANF, sir.
Harvey is a hero! The first responders that day have a special place in my heart for their dedication and sacrifice. Can’t wait to read more of Harvey’s story.
Thank you Heather! These words are so precious for us to hear, for Harvey to hear.
Judy is a hero! She made Harvey a better person that day and together they made a huge difference!
I’ve read this post at least 5 times now and the punch to my gut never lessens. I am so sorry this happened. I am so sorry any of us have ever known this level of tragedy. I am so thankful for Harvey and Judy and their brethren of first responders. I wish I could think of something more substantial to say.
Much love to all.
Your words are pretty substantial, friend. It’s important for Harvey and everyone else to know that their stories still have such an effect on us. And your love is much appreciated. xo
I still remember that day. I was in 8th grade. My teacher told me what happened as I passes by his office. It took a long time for me, at that age, to understand the depth of the tragedy. Thanks to Judy and Harvey for thei part.
Oh wow… you were in 8th grade? That is a whole new perspective. Thank you for reading, Brittany, and for sending your love. There’s much more to come. xo
19 years later, it’s just like yesterday. Give Harvey a hug from me…what happened in the days following 4/19/95 was pure grace from above.
Thank you, Rose. Hug given and well received. I know you love this city so much and yes… What happened here needs to be remembered.
I bet you have a Bombing Day story of your own people need to hear.
There’s more coming from Harvey. Thank you for your love. xo
I am thankful for people like Harvey and Judy, they are truly heroes, even if they don’t see it that way. Tell them thanks!
I am running the OKC 1/2 again this year. My daughter and I ran it last year and it was very emotional. My friend, Rebecca, lost her life in the bombing. She was the only emergency personnel to lose their life as a result. She was struck on the head by a piece of falling debris.
I run the OKC 1/2 marathon, for her.
Hi lady!! I remember you running the half last year, I remember talking to you about it!! So wonderful that you’re doing it again. I bet the feeling of running for your lost loved one is incomparable. I am so sorry for your loss and send you my love.
I also want to tell you that I bet most Oklahomans remember Rebecca’s story… I sure do. Incredibly sad and noble that she literally gave her life helping others. No greater love.
Thanks! I remember talking with you too 🙂 I am glad we are doing it again, it is truly an experience, from start to finish.
Thanks for your love 🙂 it is much appreciated. Rebecca lives on in the lives of her children and family members, and friends. She will never be forgotten, and yes, no greater love.
They are true heros! The way they lived their life exemplifies love, compassion & pure grace! I look forward to part II!
You’re so right, Paula. Thank you for reading, I know you love them both, and we appreciate your sweet warmth. xo Part 2 soon!
Thank you so much for telling this story. It’s so important to never forget. Part of the healing and forgiving process is to stare hurt and pain right in the eye.
By Hallpark…do you mean the neighborhood in Norman? If so, then we’re neighbors.
So true, Stephanie, thank you for that articulation. Yes.
As for Hallpark you’ve got it! They retired some years ago and have always lived in Moore, but that’;s the same area. Such a small world! xo
Thank you for reading. : )
Complete and perfect respect, yes. Thank you.