NPR's Wade Goodwyn explores how Timothy McVeigh, a middle-class decorated war veteran, turned into the Oklahoma City bomber. A psychiatrist who interviewed McVeigh extensively believes McVeigh immersed himself in hero fantasies to escape from a troubled home life. McVeigh started reading right-wing tracts, which fueled his distrust of the federal government. He succeeded as a soldier in Desert Storm but came home to a recession and couldn't find a good job. He began to drift. His anger with the federal government grew. McVeigh eventually came to see himself as Luke Skywalker, on a mission to save the people from the evil empire.
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