US President George W. Bush opened a museum commemorating the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing on Monday, imploring Americans to "confront evil, wherever and whenever" it exists in a nation vulnerable to senseless violence and terrorism.
"The presence of evil always reminds us of the need for vigilance," Bush said in a solemn address.
PHOTO: AP
The emotional ceremony began with 168 seconds of silence -- one second for each life lost in the rubble of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Only the whistling, wintry wind and the rippling of a US flag could be heard outside the Oklahoma City National Memorial Center, where nearly 1,500 people gathered less than 100m from the site of the worst act of terrorism on US soil.
A grim-faced Bush toured the museum, stopping to hear a recording of the explosion from a nearby building and the yelps of panic that followed. "Very touching," he said of the tour.
He signed his name to a registry, with the words: "God Bless." First lady Laura Bush wrote, "With love," and signed her name, too.
Jeannine Gist, mother of one of the victims, took Bush into a room covered with photos of those who died, each picture accompanied by a memento from their lives. "This is my daughter here," Gist told the Bushes, pointing to a picture of Karen Karr, who worked at a fitness center in the federal building.
A business card was placed next to Karr's photo. "That was a really hard job -- picking out something that represents somebody's life," she said. The Bushes shook their heads sympathetically.
The president started to walk away, but did a double take at the wedding photo of Cindy Brown. She had been married five weeks to a fellow Secret Service agent when the explosion killed her and three other Secret Service agents.
"We knew some of the agents here," Bush said to no one in particular while gazing at faces of the dead. His voice was hoarse, choked with emotion.
Brown's husband is on Bush's protective detail. Another agent killed in the blast, Alan G. Whicher, protected Bush's father.
The tragedy can never be forgotten, the president said at the ceremony. "The time for mourning may have passed, but the time for remembering never does," he said.
Bush praised rescue workers and civic leaders who helped the state and the nation recover from the bombing. "Together you endured," he said. "You chose to live out the words of St Paul: Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good."
"Here we remember one act of malice," the president said. "Yet we also remember many acts of kindness and love."
Several men and women dabbed at their cheeks. A children's choir sang God Bless America and America the Beautiful, drawing a hush over the crowd when "Let there be peace on earth" rang out in their high-pitched voices.
Bush did not mention Timothy McVeigh or Terry Nichols, the two men convicted in the bombing. McVeigh is scheduled to die in May.
"The presence of evil always reminds us of the need for vigilance," Bush said. He said Americans must "confront evil, wherever it manifests itself," reject bigotry and hatred that can inspire violence and teach children right from wrong.
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