Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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Harvey’s Story, part 1

April 11, 2014

 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.

Harvey Wreath 1995
Harvey Wreath 1995

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

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24 Comments
Filed Under: family, Oklahoma City Memorial, running

Comments

  1. Bw says

    April 11, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    Thank you for caring enough to tell their story. I love you always now and forever.

    Reply
    • thelazyw says

      April 14, 2014 at 12:09 am

      I’m honored to get to hear it in such warm detail and honored to be sharing it. Love you ANF, sir.

      Reply
  2. Heather Rich says

    April 11, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • thelazyw says

      April 14, 2014 at 12:10 am

      Thank you Heather! These words are so precious for us to hear, for Harvey to hear.

      Reply
  3. Heather Rich says

    April 11, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    Judy is a hero! She made Harvey a better person that day and together they made a huge difference!

    Reply
  4. Margi says

    April 11, 2014 at 3:43 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • thelazyw says

      April 14, 2014 at 12:11 am

      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

      Reply
  5. Brittany says

    April 11, 2014 at 4:58 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • thelazyw says

      April 14, 2014 at 12:13 am

      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

      Reply
  6. Rose Marie B says

    April 11, 2014 at 10:05 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • thelazyw says

      April 14, 2014 at 12:16 am

      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

      Reply
  7. Marcella says

    April 12, 2014 at 12:01 am

    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.

    Reply
    • thelazyw says

      April 14, 2014 at 12:20 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Marcella says

        April 15, 2014 at 2:33 am

        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.

        Reply
  8. Paula Stewart says

    April 12, 2014 at 2:58 am

    They are true heros! The way they lived their life exemplifies love, compassion & pure grace! I look forward to part II!

    Reply
    • thelazyw says

      April 14, 2014 at 12:22 am

      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!

      Reply
  9. Stephanie says

    April 13, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • thelazyw says

      April 14, 2014 at 12:28 am

      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. : )

      Reply
  10. thelazyw says

    April 14, 2014 at 12:21 am

    Complete and perfect respect, yes. Thank you.

    Reply
  11. cat says

    April 16, 2020 at 10:11 pm

    Now I see where Handsome got his Handsome.
    Thankyou for recording this interview. It is so important we have these hero’s eye witness accounts for the future.

    Reply
  12. Christina Stahler says

    August 22, 2022 at 7:11 pm

    My name is Christina & I’m trying to find Mr. Wreath in regards to his church building here in SW OKC. If someone can put him in touch with me that would be a huge answer to prayer.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. » Oklahoma Memorial Marathon says:
    April 11, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    […] Oklahoma City. She’s running the OKC Memorial Marathon in 16 days and has just posted the first part of her father-in-law’s story as a first responder to that horrific day almost 19 years […]

    Reply
  2. » Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon says:
    April 11, 2014 at 8:03 pm

    […] Oklahoma City. She’s running the OKC Memorial Marathon in 16 days and has just posted the first part of her father-in-law’s story as a first responder to that horrific day almost 19 years […]

    Reply
  3. Marathon Monday: Harvey’s Story, part 2 | The (Not Always) Lazy W says:
    April 15, 2014 at 12:03 am

    […] days ago I posted the first in a series of three posts honoring my father in law and his work as a first responder to the OKC Murrah Building Bombing in April, 1995. I want to […]

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Marie. Welcome to the Lazy W. xoxo

Hi! I’m Marie. This is the Lazy W.

A hobby farming, book reading, coffee drinking, romance having, miles running girl in Oklahoma. Soaking up the particular beauty of every day. Blogging on the side. Welcome to the Lazy W!

I Believe Strongly in the Power of Gratitude & Joy Seeking

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