On a cold blustery April day 23 years ago, much like today, Rockie Yardley and other members of Team 5 painted this powerful message on the side of the former Journal Record Building, now  the Memorial Museum.

We Search for the Truth.
We Seek Justice.
The Courts Require It.
The Victims Cry for It.
And God Demands It!

Rockie Yardley, who originally painted the Team 5 sign, kneels to give his son Max, a kiss. Much like other first responders, Yardley, a bomb disposal technician at the bomb site, had not seen his little boy for two weeks.

Several members of that same team came back with then Governor Frank and Cathy Keating to repaint the message. Team 5 was made up first responders from metro, state and federal law enforcement and fire departments as well representatives from federal agencies housed in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. This is the fourth painting of the message on the side of the wall, it was repainted by the Keatings and family members the night Timothy McVeigh was sentenced. Team 5 repainted it in 2000 just days before the Oklahoma City National Memorial opened and then again today. For some of these first responders it was their first time to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.

“It is important for us to preserve history and to keep memory alive especially as we get further from the event. The message had begun to fade due to the sun, so we asked them to come back and repaint it. We will now seal it again so that it will hopefully last another two decades,” said Kari Watkins, Executive Director of the OKC National Memorial & Museum. “The stories this team shared with us today are very powerful as we start this week of remembrance.”

We are proud that since our opening, millions have learned this and other stories of heroism by visiting the 50,000 square Memorial Museum that will forever preserve their story and share it with generations to come.