TULSA, Okla. — As Oklahomans and people across the world remember the 28th anniversary of the deadly terrorism attack in the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, one retired Tulsa firefighter tries to look ahead.
From his firefighter man cave, retired Tulsa Fire Capt. Danny Caldwell told 2 News he was sleeping when his wife told him to turn on the TV. There was an explosion.
“It all come straight down. The only survivors would have been in the way back," Caldwell said while looking at a photo of the destruction on his computer.
Moments later, he was one of those people inside what he refers to as a 'sandwhiched' building. He didn’t find anyone inside alive.
Capt. Caldwell says he spent 72 hours doing body recovery at the Murrah building that day. He says he doesn’t necessarily like talking about it because the sights and sounds were very disturbing, and they’ll stick with him forever.
“You could smell ammonium nitrate," he remembered. "Walking around you'd hear crunching glass for blocks before you got there. It’s like the grand canyon. You can take pictures and video of it, but unless you’re standing there looking at it, it’s not the same.”
It’s also why he’s never been back.
“Everybody’s supposed to be in bed and all you can hear is saws and jackhammers and hammer drills. Plus firemen were talking to each other," he said.
But he couldn’t be prouder of the response, as people from Oklahoma City and Tulsa and as far as New York City and Norway responded.
“I worked with some guys from Task Force New York and several of the guys that I met were killed on 9/11 because they were in the World Trade Center when it collapsed," Caldwell said.
Caldwell has tangible reminders from the life-changing day in his office, such as ribbons that victims' family members gave him on the job, plus a ticket to the first memorial a year later.
If called, he’d do it again knowing full well Oklahoma couldn’t be better prepared.
“In 2005, we established Oklahoma Task Force One. We have the same capabilities as FEMA with their search and rescue. Training got better. We’re more equipped now than we’ve even been."
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