VIDEO: Two young first responders to the Oklahoma City bombing are now leading their departments.
It is their mission to make sure new OKC fire and police recruits know what happened that day almost 27 years ago.
Both men responded in the hours and days after a bomb went off outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 168 people.
“It wasn't just a rescue and recovery, it was an investigation," Oklahoma City Fire Chief Richard Kelley said.
Oklahoma City police Chief Wade Gourley was 26 years old and Oklahoma City Fire Chief Richard Kelley was 24 years old.
"The whole thing was a crime scene, so everything that came out of there had to be sifted through and looked at for any potential evidence," Gourley said.
Kelley worked to rescue and recover victims and spent days moving debris, bucket by bucket.