Timothy McVeigh and Desert Storm
How the Persian Gulf War shaped an American terrorist.
Before he was known as the mastermind behind the Oklahoma City Bombing on April 19th, 1995, Timothy McVeigh was known for his military career — if he was known for anything at all.
Born and raised in rural New York, McVeigh entered the Army in May 1988. He excelled as a soldier with a personal desire to become a Special Forces operator. However, he brought with him a deep-seated hatred for the federal government and a racist view of the world.
Among his collection of literature was the racist novel The Turner Diaries, which depicted a race war against a Judeo-liberal government. The book became notorious for both its grotesque imagery and the depiction of a truck bomb destroying the FBI Headquarters.
McVeigh got his chance to join the Green Berets in late 1990 when he was cleared for an assessment in Fort Bragg. Upon arrival, however, he received orders to report back to his unit in Fort Riley, Kansas, for immediate departure to Saudi Arabia.
Many factors led to his decision to detonate a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Building on April 19th, 1995, but it was in southern Iraq that Timothy McVeigh first drew blood.
