Jeremy Seeley
Timothy
McVeigh and Terry Nichols – How Could They?
As
American’s watched newscasts about the bombing in
As a child, McVeigh collected comic books, played various sports, and did many things typical of a young boy. His grandfather introduced him to firearms, beginning of a life-long fascination for McVeigh. From his grandfather, he also learned to stockpile food and other life necessities, leading him to survivalist tendencies.
At
age nine, McVeigh's parents separated, and he lived with his father. The trauma of separation from his mother has
been identified as one of the main causes of his seclusion from women. As a teen, he became fascinated with heavy-metal
music and survivalist writings. McVeigh
was well liked in high school, but had few friends. He was almost an outsider, not belonging
anywhere. When McVeigh graduated, his
parents were just finalizing the divorce.
McVeigh
tried one semester of college, but had lost interest and dropped out. He took a job as a security guard, where he
got his concealed weapon's permit. His
job furthered his passion for firearms.
After leaving his job as a security guard, McVeigh continued to carry
concealed weapons. He and a friend later
bought a farm and set up a target practicing range.
Eventually
he went on to join the army, where he found a temporary niche. While in the military,
McVeigh found a book called, The Turner Diaries. This book seems to be one of the most
significant influences in his life. It
fueled his passion for survivalism and his hatred for the Federal
Government.
He
advanced in the military, and eventually went to fight in the Gulf War. He killed for the first time before
witnessing the slaughter of Iraqi soldiers on the
McVeigh
was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, "postwar
hangover", and possibly Persian Gulf War Syndrome. These inhibited him mentally and physically,
and he was unable to complete the three-week selection process. He returned to his former station having
failed to accomplish his dream, then left the military. He worked some odd jobs before joining the
gun show circuit. He now made his living
selling and buying guns, explosives, and survivalist literature.
Here
he met and befriended Paul Fatta, a fundraiser for David Koresh, and a member
of his movement. McVeigh became closing
tied with the movement. In 1993 when the
FBI raided the Branch Davidian compound in
Eventually,
McVeigh became addicted to meth-amphetamines, which began to wear down his
mind, and further separate him from reality.
One of the greater influences in his later life was a quote by Thomas
Jefferson: "The tree of liberty
must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of tyrants and patriots."
Terry
Nichols grew up as a poor farm boy. His
father was a strict disciplinarian, who taught Terry that his actions would
always draw consequences. On the farm,
Nichols learned to handle explosives. As
a high-school student, he was, but participated in various sports and
extracurricular activities.
He
dreamed of going on to college and becoming a doctor. He went to0
The
family farm hit hard times, which led Terry and many others in his area, to
hate the U.S. Government. His brother
James was particularly influencial in leading James
to a hatred of the government.
Terry
married twice, had several children, but each marriage ended in divorce. A large factor in the failed marriages was
his inability to hold a steady job. One
of Nichols' wives was a mail order bride from the
Nichols'
first ex-wife convinced him to join the military, where he first met Timothy
McVeigh. The two shared many beliefs and
opinions and became friends. Nichols
eventually left the army to support his children.After
failing many times to establish himself in a career, he returned to the family
farm and made a full time job out of harassing the local court systems.
Underlying
the lives of both of these men are several commonalities. Most noticeably, for me, were the broken
homes. Humans have a need to
belong. This need is met in a positive
way through families, friends, religious groups, and work. Unfortunately, this can also be
negative. Gangs and sub-culture
movements are some of the negative expressions of this need. For Nichols and McVeigh it was survivalist,
militant, and anti-government movements.
Their
need for inclusion was not met in their families. Although divorce alone does not lead a person
to commit terrorist acts, both McVeigh and Nichols were missing the love and
support that should have come from their families. This caused loneliness and separation from
the world around them. They searched for
a group that would include them, and eventually found the inclusion with
militants and survivalists.
The
divorces of both men's parents seemed to be the major breaking point in their
lives. They began their downward
spirals. For McVeigh it was just after
graduation. A short time later, he left
college and returned to his gun obsession.
Because of divorce, Nichols came home from college to provide for his
mother. He missed his chance to
accomplish his dream.
Both
men lost their dreams. Without dreams,
they lost hope. After Nichols lost hope
of becoming a doctor, he became withdrawn from work. He didn't put forth the effort any more. McVeigh failed to become a Special Forces
soldier and returned to obsessing about weapons.
Source:
Hamm, Mark S. Apocalypse in