Editor’s note: Brian Rukes is an El Reno High School AP English teacher and serves as District Historian.

Several weeks ago he asked his students to reflect on what they have learned about the Oklahoma City bombing. None of the teens were alive when the terrorist attack took place April 19, 1995, killing 168 people and injuring many more. 

The El Reno Tribune’s 2025 State of the School section contains the following content:

Working toward the best of the class

Pride of El Reno marching band taking group, individual honors

The El Reno Fire Department was one of the responding emergency units to the Oklahoma City bombing shortly after the blast on April 19, 1995.

Ron Martin was El Reno Fire Chief at the time. Kent Lagaly, who followed Martin as chief, said the department had 18 members at the time.

Lagaly said the El Reno firefighters would leave for Oklahoma City around 10 in the morning and return home the next day around 8 a.m.

This went on for an extended period.

I remember this day like it was yesterday.