The April 19, 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building is one of the events I will never forget. Although I was really young and wouldn't understand the full horror of the event until later in life, I remember the impact the event had on my parents and other adults in my life.
Visiting the memorial was something I've always wanted to do and something I wasn't going to allow myself to miss. Nothing could have prepared me for the emotional response I was about to have both sadness and grief for the terrible act of horror or for the pride and faith in humanity displayed by the heroism and response in the aftermath.
The Gates of Time on either side of the memorial are engraved with the times 9:01 and 9:03 with a reflecting pool in between them to symbolize 9:02am, when the bombing occurred. They are also inscribed with the quote "We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity."
The path around the reflecting pool was built out of granite pieces that survived the bombing.
168 empty chairs represent the lives lost, including 19 children represented with smaller chairs. They are arranged in nine rows, one for each of the nine floors of the building and are placed according to the floor they are working or visiting when killed. At night, each chair is lit to symbolize hope.
Here is a before and after map of the area. 23 buildings were structurally affected by the bombing and 9 buildings had to be completely torn down.
No photographs were allowed in the museum which chronicled April 19, 1995 including several minutes before the bombing and the aftermath. An audio taken on the day with the deafening explosion two minutes in, introduces you to the images, videos, interviews, articles, and artifacts.
A single American Elm tree survived the bombing and now stands with the message "The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us."
For me, the most amazing aspect about the event was the response of the city; rescue workers, volunteers, and city officials reacted with such selflessness, heroism and intelligence. In such a small amount of time, everything necessary to locate survivors, support victims, gather evidence, support rescue workers and volunteers was executed perfectly. The experience was heart-wrenching but also invoked such a sense of pride.
