This year marks the 30th anniversary of the infamous bombing that took place in took place Oklahoma City. Concerning the incident, Netflix is bringing a documentary that is highlighting the heroes of April 19, 1995—also including a fearless firefighter named Chris Fields, whose image came forward cradling a dying baby became one of the most iconic visuals from the attack.
The name of the baby was Baylee Almon, who had just one day of age. On that day only, the blast took place, eventually killing 168 people, including 19 children, and injuring hundreds more. Chris Fields only had a decade of experience coming to the Oklahoma City Fire Department and didn’t have any idea that this single moment would make a legacy of his career.
After a police officer handed him a bloodied infant from the wreckage, Fields rushed to find help.
“I’m an EMT so I just checked for signs of life, I didn’t find any,” he told TODAY in 2017. “But I wanted to get her to the ambulance and let the paramedics see if there was anything they could do.”
At the time, the firefighter was carrying her in the fields. A photojournalist captured the moment, and eventually, the person went on to win the Pulitzer Prize and also made it to the headlines and front pages of newspapers around the globe. However, Fields didn’t want to be in the limelight, and he even got worried about the pain that would strike Baylee’s mother.
“I struggled a long time feeling responsible for that,” he said. “I was the last one to hold a parent’s baby when that should be a parent’s deal.”
However, Fields stated that Baylee’s mother, Aren Almon-Kok, saw it differently. “She said, I could tell by looking at the photo that you were a dad by the way you were holding Baylee,” Fields shared.
#WeRemember Oklahoma City firefighter Chris Fields held the limp, bloodied & soot covered Baylee Almon a 1-year-old who had her birthday just the day before. She was one of 19 victims in a daycare center in the Murrah Building. #OKCBombing pic.twitter.com/XiFtF0jk7d
— U.S. Attorney Shores (@USAttyShores) April 19, 2020
Since then, several years went through, and Chris and Aren eventually became friends, and he even found peace after years of battling PTSD, finally seeking counseling.
“PTSD is a real thing,” Fields said. “Twenty or 30 years ago, you just didn’t show emotion, you went on about your day…we’ve come so far since then.”
As per reports, the legendary fighter retired in 2017 after providing service to the United States and he continues to honor the memory of Baylee and others lost.
Now, talking about the documentary, brought in by Netflix, is named as – Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror seeing back one of the deadliest domestic terror attack in the country’s history, and is composed of several several interviews of the survivors of the event, along with law enforcement and also features an audio from bomber Timothy McVeigh. Director Greg Tillman hopes it serves as a cautionary tale.
“This is an incredible example of the devastation that can happen when hatred and divisiveness goes unchecked,” Tillman said. “It is also a great example of the power of a community coming together in the face of this kind of hatred.”
