Aiken bank president reminisces about 1996 Atlanta Olympics

Samantha Winn, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·3 min read

Jul. 26—Twenty-five years ago, the world welcomed Atlanta as the host for the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Amid the celebrations, the world also witnessed the bombing of Atlanta's Centennial Park.

The heartfelt moments of that Olympics are unforgettable for Augusta resident Phil Wahl.

Wahl, the president of Security Federal Bank in Aiken, was one of the many volunteers who was in Centennial Olympic Park on the night of July 27.

Working for Wachovia Bank at the time, Wahl was sent to Atlanta as a volunteer security coordinator. Stationed in Centennial Olympic Park, he was responsible for helping guests and conducted nightly sweeps to close the park.

Around 1 a.m. a pipe bomb exploded in the park while Wahl's team was preparing to close the venue. Eric Rudolph was eventually arrested and convicted of the Olympic bombing and other crimes and is currently serving multiple life sentences.

"I received a radio call from one of the gates that said that they did not have these large zipties. You would (need) it to secure the gates, and there was one gate that did not have those, so I had to go," Wahl explained. "Just as I was crossing (International Boulevard), (there was) this huge explosion, something that I will never forget. I've never forgotten the feeling."

Wahl was in close proximity to the blast.

"If you've seen the movie 'Saving Private Ryan' and he sees the explosion and his ears started ringing and was in a state of everything ... slowing down. That's exactly how you feel when you have that type of impact from a bomb," he said. "At that moment, you are kind of numb and wonder what has just happened and then you come back to reality."

Wahl immediately started to help those around him. He located a law enforcement officer and helped a couple injured by shrapnel to safety.

"I immediately got on my radio and asked what had just happened and there was a huge amount of radio chatter and chaos and people running around and yelling," Wahl said.

The next couple of days after the event followed with news coverage, police investigations and a new sense of purpose for Wahl. After initially being a volunteer for two weeks, he extended his time to help with Olympic efforts.

"For myself, it just kind of built up something within me like I'm not going to let this keep me away from the Olympics," Wahl said. "I felt it was kind of a rallying point for people and wanting to support. Did it have an impact? I'm sure it did. I'm sure there were people who were concerned and certainly you have to be concerned about that, but for me and most of my volunteer group, we came back."

The FBI awarded Wahl and other volunteers the St. Michael's pendant, named after the patron saint of law enforcement, for their service. The Olympic Committee also held an appreciation event for the volunteers.

The 25-year anniversary happens to fall during this year's Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic postponing last year's Games.

"It's amazing that 25 years have passed," Wahl said. "I look at pictures of me, my wife and my friends and I'm much younger and a little bigger today and that shows me that I have aged, but it seems like it was yesterday. When you reminisce, it seems like it was just yesterday, and as a country we have gone through a lot in the past 25 years.

"I have great memories of the Olympics and the excitement. It did not dampen my level of patriotism or the support for the United States and our state as the host, and I was excited to be there as a volunteer," Wahl said. "My memories were all very good even though that was a very troublesome event in the middle of it."