Hello, all.

Last Thursday, April 19th, marked the 12th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Before 9/11, it was the worst terrorist act the United States had ever seen. The target was the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, located in downtown OKC. The federal building housed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Drug Enforcement Administration, Army and Marine recruiting offices, Department of Veterans Affair, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Customs Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of Transportation. The Federal Employees Credit Union and "America's Kids" Child Care Development Center were also housed in the building. About 600 federal and contract workers and about 250 visitors were in the building at the time of the explosion.

You can actually see the Ryder truck that was used to transport the explosives on the security camera outside. This was the door where parents parked to drop off their children at the day care. The picture is timed at 8:57 am. Timothy McVeigh had set a five minute timer on the bomb and then fled to a nearby get-away car. The explosion occurred at 9:02 am. This is an aerial view of the devastation.

19 children, many in a second floor daycare center, died in the Murrah Building's collapse. 30 children were orphaned. A total of 219 children lost a parent. There were also 3 pregnant women in the building at the time who were killed.. 853 people were injured.

On Saturday June 3, 2005, what remained of the Murrah building was imploded, causing the many survivors and family members of the victims to relive the experience a second time.

In 2000, a Memorial was dedicated to the men, women, and children who lost their lives there. I had the distinct privilege to visit the monument last Friday afternoon. You can't help but feel strong emotions when you enter the site. There was a sense of calm, a serene that is symbolically represented in the reflecting pool that spans the length of the Memorial.

This is the view just inside the east entrance of the Memorial. There are two large monoliths, gates, if you will, at the east and west ends of the Memorial. The East Gate has 9:01 engraved on it, one minute before the blast, On the West Gate is 9:03, signifying one minute after the blast. Unfortunately, the way the sun was shining, I was unable to get a decent picture of the 9:03 gate. Here is one I acquired from the internet.

In the center of the Memorial, the reflecting pool symbolizes the reflection of someone changed forever by their visit to the Memorial. Very effective. A little friend joined us as we were reflecting on the moment.

On the south side of the site, there is a field filled with 168 chairs, representing the empty chairs at the dinner tables of the victims families. There are 19 smaller chairs, representing the children. The bases of the chairs illuminate in the dark.

On the north side of the Memorial is an elm tree, dubbed the "Survivor Tree", one of the only pieces of landscape that survived the blast and subsequent fires. It has become the official emblem of the memorial. Behind the tree is a building that sustained some damage, but not enough to have to be demolished. It now houses the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. On the outside of the building is a message scrawled by a rescue worker, during the rescue efforts immediately following the explosion.

At the West edge of the site there is a chain link fence that holds many tributes people have left over the years. Some are worn and faded, but have never lost their sentiment.

Behind the chairs in a fenced in area marked "The Playground" of the day care center, which was located on the second floor of the building. Along the fence, there are 19 crosses with bells hanging from them. They signify the children who were lost. I rang each and every one of those bells, for myself and for all of you.

You can also see part of the original foundation of the building, which remains as a reminder of just how devastating the blast was.

I feel a very strong connection to this Memorial. While I didn't have any family members there, or know any of the victims, it is very special to me. You see, at that time, my father was fighting his own battle in the hospital. He'd had surgery to repair an aneurysm a week prior to that, and during his recovery, threw a blood clot to the brain and suffered a stroke. My mother and I sat in the ICU waiting room, watching the drama unfold on TV. We were witnessing the most horrific event to date. It was definitely a life-altering experience. Many medical personnel from the hospital I work at, as well as many firefighters and EMT's from all over the United States were sent to help with the rescue. Sadly, two of the firefighters who came from New York City to help out were killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

My father passed away five days after the Oklahoma City Bombing. In a way, I feel like the Memorial in Oklahoma City was erected for him also. I have no doubt that if it was possible, my father would have been one of the first ones to the scene to help. He was a very loving and selfless man, giving with no thought of compensation. He was a man among men. And I miss him terribly. Twelve years ago today, April 24, 1995, my life as I knew it was changed forever.

As I have mentioned in previous entries, I live within a few miles of an army post. My father worked closely in what was called the Co-Op, connecting the city I live in with the military base, making it feel as if we were one community. He was also the manager of a major retail store in my town. One year, I remember, he went out on Christmas morning and opened up his store so the new army recruits could come in and use the telephone to call home. He would attend every single ceremony when the troops arrived home from the Gulf War in the early 1990's. THAT is what kind of man my father was. Proud of his country and every one who fought for it. He, himself, was a Veteran, having fought in the Korean War, and was awarded the Purple Heart.

His favorite song was "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. It was played at his funeral. His funeral procession was nearly a half mile long, as many in the community, including Ft. Sill, came to pay their respects. We drove past his store one last time before proceeding to the cemetery. It was a moment I will never forget, looking back as we turned the corner to see all the cars that were following us.


I love you, Papa, and miss you very much!!



The man who was responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing, Timothy McVeigh, was convicted and executed for his crimes against Oklahoma, the United States, and humanity. He was heard saying he didn't know there was a day care in the building. Would that have made any difference to him? We will never know.


MTFBWY

GB