My younger self wouldn't say much when people made ignorant jokes about federal employees or went on an anti-government rant when I told them what I did for a living. I just smiled and moved the discussion along.
That changed on this date in 1995. 1/
It had been a long road. As a kid, you're told the "real world" will be different. As a college student, you got the same speech. As a federal worker, there were countless cracks about not being part of the "real world." My world felt pretty damn real that day. 2/
Afterwards, I was not as accommodating, regardless of my relationship with the other folks in the conversation. The bombing changed how I thought about my career and changed how I thought about myself. It made me think through what it meant to be in public service. It gave me a voice. 3/
It also dramatically changed my life-family-job risk analysis. It was clear that there were others who thought like the bomber and there was no way to predict when or where you might find one. Could be in the office, in a public meeting, or on a fire. 4/
One year, we had an incident where this vague threat became real. I had some tough talks with my wife. Had to chat with the kids & tell them what to do if someone came to the front door trying to make a citizen's arrest and explain why we spent money we didn't have for a security system. 5/
Apr 19, 2025 20:38
