On our trip to Oklahoma City last week there was one “must see” destination for us – the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum which serves as a reminder of April 19, 1995 when the Murrah Federal Building was bombed. We toured the museum on Thursday and returned again on Friday to visit the grounds and outside memorials.
Words penned by rescue workers on the side of the Journal Record Building - directly across from the Murrah Building
These were some of the first words we saw as we approached the museum – they were penned by a team of rescue workers who were among the first on the scene:
Team 5 4-19-95
We search for the truth
We seek justice
The courts require it
The victims cry for it
And God demands it!
We opted to tour the museum first in order to get the full story before we walked around the plaza. The museum is housed in a building across from where the Murrah Building stood and the exhibits are phenomenal as well as the docents who were quite knowledgeable about the entire story. The museum follows a timeline starting with a background on terrorism and the history of the site. We then get to listen to a hearing that was taking place across the street on that beautiful spring morning.
The 9:01 gates capture the last moment of innocence for this city
The hearing started at 9:00 a.m. and the gates to the right memorialize 9:01 a.m. which is seen as the last moment of innocence for Oklahoma City. On the tape we heard the bomb detonating at 9:02 a.m. – we know what happened but could only imagine how those in the room reacted. They had no idea where the noise originated or what caused it – nor how close it was to them.
The 9:03 west gate - the moment of forever change
Terry Nichols drove his rental truck to the front of the Murrah Building, detonated the bomb, jumped out and ran to a car about a block away and was already driving off by 9:03 a.m. when the lives of so many Americans were changed forever.
A total of 168 people lost their lives including 19 children, most of whom were in a daycare center on the second floor of the Murrah Building.
We saw helicopter footage and a newscast from 9:13 a.m. – the first images of the destruction that were broadcast. No one still knew exactly what had happened but rescue workers and medical personnel were quickly on the scene. Through artifact cases, murals and computer kiosks we saw the chaos and the initial rescue response during the first few hours following the bombing.
The rest of the world reacted quickly with firefighters and medical teams arriving from all across the U.S. – in fact, their generosity and the response from the citizens of Oklahoma City spawned a new phrase – The Oklahoma Standard – which represented their alacrity and dedication to whatever was needed.
We moved through the museum listening to survivor stories, seeing rescue and recovery operations and witnessing funerals and memorial services. At some point in time I realized I was silently bawling as were most of the others in the museum. The impact on my emotions was overwhelming and I feel it again as I write these words.
Through a fluke, Terry Nichols was captured within a couple of hours of the bombing although the arresting officer had no idea he was responsible for the OK City destruction – it was a routine traffic stop and it would be a few more days before the dots connected him to OK City.
We saw in-depth the investigation along with the trials for McVeigh and Nichols; we saw first-hand evidence of the blast in sections of buildings that were preserved and we saw hope – hope from the survivors, from the victims’ families, from children around the world who sent pennies, notes, handprints and from the special memorial room where there is an exhibit for each of the 168 who died.
The Field of Empty Chairs symbolizes the lives lost
The most dramatic part of the outdoor memorial is the Field of Empty Chairs – 168 of them, each one a symbol of a life lost. They are arranged in 9 rows, one for each of the 9 floors in the building and are placed in accordance to the floor on which those killed were working or visiting. Smaller chairs represent the 19 children killed. The chairs are bronze and stone resting on a glass base etched with the name of a victim. They seem to float about the glass bases and at night the bases illuminate as beacons of hope. The field matches the footprint of the Murrah Building and is lined by a granite path – granite salvaged from the Murrah Plaza.
The Memorial Fence
The fence was originally installed to protect the building site – but immediately people began leaving tokens of love and hope at The Fence. To date more than 60,000 items have been left – many are now in the museum archives and others are used for education and outreach. Now more than 200 feet of the original Fence remains and tokens of remembrance are still left.
The Survivor Tree
The Survivor Tree is a 90+ year-old American elm across the street from where the Murrah Building stood. It was heavily damaged in the blast and was not expected to live – but like the human survivors of the blast, it came back to life and is seen as a profound symbol of human resilience. The message to visitors reads:
The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us.
We should forgive………but never forget.
