By Congressman Markwayne Mullin
This week, we remember the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and the loved ones left behind on that horrible day 23 years ago. As we mourn the worst act of homegrown terrorism in our country’s history, we also reflect on a term coined on April 19, 1995: the Oklahoma Standard. It is fitting that April is also National Volunteer Month, where volunteers are commended and Americans are encouraged to lend a helping hand. The Oklahoma Standard we all know is a norm that continues to spread not only throughout Oklahoma, but across the entire country.
In times of difficulty, the spirit of Oklahomans remains as resilient as ever. Ongoing wildfires in western Oklahoma have forced hundreds of homes to be evacuated and hundreds of Oklahomans displaced. The National Weather Service has called western Oklahoma’s ongoing fire conditions its worst in the last 10 years. While the wildfires continue to burn, firefighters from other parts of the country have joined the relief efforts. Nearby community members are volunteering their time and efforts to take care of those impacted by the fires—personifying the true meaning of the Oklahoma Standard.
When Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas and Louisiana last year, surrounding states displayed the Oklahoma Standard in their outpouring of support and actions to aid in relief efforts. Teams from Oklahoma’s Department of Emergency Management, groups from Oklahoma’s tribes, and private citizens deployed in their trucks and boats to help in any way that they could.
Take some time this month to extend the Oklahoma Standard to someone that might need a little extra help in your community. The Oklahoma Standard has long echoed the goodwill and compassion of Oklahomans and I am confident it will continue to do so for many, many years to come. I am prouder yet that the Oklahoma Standard and its volunteerism have spread much further than our state lines.
