The Oklahoma City Bombing 20th-Anniversary Memorial

With a background spanning the US military and law enforcement, William B. Travis is the former sheriff of Denton County, TX. In 2015 Sheriff William B. Travis was present at memorial ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. 

A Drug Enforcement Administration agent at the time, Travis was among those who assisted in recovery efforts following a terrorist attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The bombing, initiated by Timothy McVeigh, an anti-government militant, killed 168 people and injured hundreds more. 

As Sheriff Travis described it, witnessing so much loss of innocent life, including children, was deeply impactful. Encountering a building that had been cratered, he and fellow rescue workers dug for nearly two days straight. They spent a week recovering every survivor and body possible, as they had promised victims’ families. After that, the planning for funerals commenced, itself a gut-wrenching ordeal.

The 20th-anniversary memorial included a reunion hosted by the Oklahoma Memorial and Museum, bringing together rescue workers, survivors, law enforcement, and the families of victims. At the 20th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony, attendees held 168 seconds of silence in honor of each of the victims.