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Significant dates are reason to raise situational awareness

  • Published
  • By Donna M. Smith
  • 87th Air Base Wing Antiterrorism Office
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Terrorists do not wear identification badges or uniforms and you cannot pick them out by appearance. By paying attention to your surroundings and taking note of unusual or out-of-place behavior and reporting it, you may help frustrate an attack.

Terrorists often pick meaningful dates to schedule their attacks. The biggest terrorist anniversaries of the year, however, are April 19 and 20. These dates are extremely significant, especially to domestic terrorists.

April 19 is a significant date to domestic extremists. Some people who don't like America may remember April 19 as the date that the battles of Lexington and Concord started the American Revolution.

A fire broke out at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, ending a 51-day siege in 1993.

A truck full of explosives destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., in 1995 resulting in the deaths of 168 people. Timothy McVeigh was found guilty and later executed on June 11, 2001.

April 20 is also a significant day to domestic extremists and Neo-Nazis. Adolph Hitler was born on this day in 1889. It was also, in 1999, when Erik Harris and Dylan Klebold - members of the Trench Coat Mafia -- killed twelve students and one teacher and injured 23 other students at Columbine High School, in Littleton, Colo.

In 1985, The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord compound were raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The CSA had connections to the Aryan Nations and the Ku Klux Klan. While unrelated to Neo-Nazis, April 20 could be a significant date to Islamic extremists, as it is a possible date for Muhammad's birth.

Since terrorists historically to attack on dates which are significant to them, it is important to be especially vigilant on these dates. Terrorists, as well as school shooters, usually plan their attacks. They may conduct practice runs, or test the security systems. They may be particularly interested in the location of security cameras, delivery times and the times law enforcement officers make their rounds. Shooters often tell others of their plans prior to school attacks. It is important to remain vigilant, especially around terrorist anniversaries. It is equally important to report something suspicious or if something does not look right.