waco — The standoff between Federal Agents and members of the Branch Davidian religious sect at Mount Carmel lasted 51 days but ended 25 years on Thursday.
When it was all said and done -- 76 people including the compound leader David Koresh died after the FBI launched an assault and a massive fire broke out.
Twenty-five years later and the pain still runs deeps for many of the Branch Davidians survivors.
Many of them told their stories at anniversary memorial at the Helen Marie Taylor Museum in Waco, including Sheila Martin. Her husband and four of her seven children were killed.
"If I really think about it about it, how they were in a building and fire came in and they had no way out, it's a horrible thing," Martin said.
Clive Doyle wrote a book about the siege and says after all these years he still believes in their leader David Koresh, who also died at the compound.
"We were friends with the Sheriff's Office here in Waco and sheriff Harwell could have called David and said come to the sheriff's office and he would have went," Doyle said. "This all could have been handled in a peaceful way, But they didn't want to do that."
Survivor David Thibodeau also wrote a book about the Branch Davidians. He wants the government to acknowledge what he describes as their wrongdoing.
"I'd like an apology from the government it's been 25 years. It's about time," Thibodeau said. "These people have been covering their butts, covering history. Everyone else needs an apology from these people."
The survivors also talked about the recent documentaries and television series that have been done about the Branch Davidians. They say the Paramount six-part series that aired earlier this year was the most accurate.
The names of all the people killed, including the four ATF agents, were read during at the memorial. Since 1995 the memorial to honor those who lost their lives have been held in Waco.