By Navy Journalist 2nd Class Gabriel Puello
JTF-SWA Public Affairs
DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia (AFNS) -- Alongside Air Force and Army volunteers, the FBI is putting the pieces of the puzzle together to solve the Khobar Towers terrorist bombing.
President Bill Clinton authorized the FBI to initiate an investigation immediately after the terrorist attack June 25. The blast claimed the lives of 19 servicemembers and wounded more than 450 others.
More than 30 FBI agents are conducting the investigation which involves the sifting and removal of thousand of pounds of debris from the bomb site. For this job, the FBI relies on 80 to 100 Air Force and Army volunteers offering their help during off-duty hours.
"The job entails a lot of hard labor and is very physical work. We need a lot of hands to help us sift a mountain of rubble through a screen," said FBI Special Agent Wallace Higgins, on-site evidence recovery coordinator.
Working side by side with federal agents on these recovery teams has provided many of the servicemen a much needed feeling of satisfaction as they sift through glass and rubble trying to find tiny metal and plastic fragments inside the buildings adjacent to the blast site.
"We were on the fifth floor of Building 133, next to the building which sustained the brunt of the blast, 131. There, we found charred automotive parts which evidently came from the truck carrying the bomb," said Senior Master Sgt. Elaine Taylor, 4404th Maintenance Squadron.
Many of the Air Force and Army people helping in the investigation come straight from their regular jobs and work through the 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift, sifting debris.
The FBI prefers working these late hours because the agents can get more accomplished in the cooler evening temperatures, free from the searing Saudi Arabian sunshine.
Airman 1st Class Karen Fanning helps the FBI from 5 to 11 p.m., then reports to work in the 4404th maintenance shop from midnight to 8 a.m.
"Because I'm OK and I can do this kind of work, I like to do it. It may lead us to the bad guys," Fanning said.
Other people close to the end of their tour here also volunteer their final days in the area of responsibility lending the FBI a hand in the investigation.
"I wanted to be involved in helping find out who these guys were who bombed us. While we have been finding truck parts from the blast in the neighboring towers buildings, we have also found people's wallets, IDs and personal effects that were left behind the night of the blast," said Staff Sgt. Roy Mills, 4415th Intelligence Squadron. "Right now I'm off from work because I'm scheduled to rotate home this week. That's why I'm doing this."
Until the FBI completes its investigation of the site, many of the volunteers may lose some of the sleep they're accustomed to. But, they say, it's a small price to pay for the satisfaction of knowing they may help bring to justice those who committed this terrorist act. (Courtesy of USAFE News Service)