Yesterday I went to Oklahoma City for a conference on domestic violence for work. (ps. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month - wear purple! ) This was my first trip to Oklahoma City since moving out here, even though it is only about an hour and a half from Tulsa. After the conference was over, I decided to go to the downtown area to look at the Oklahoma City Memorial which is in honor of those killed in the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in April 1995.
I have to admit, I couldn't remember a whole lot about the bombing (shame on me and my degree in History!) just that it was a terrorist act, a lot of people died, and that Timothy McVeigh was held responsible. I was about 15 at the time, so I'm sure I should remember more, but probably didn't pay a lot of attention to the news at that time.
I was so struck by the scene when I first pulled up, it was not at all what I expected. There is a fence surrounding the main entrance and it is covered with flowers and other things people have left in remembrance. It was so surprising and refreshing to see that people don't let things like this be forgotten. We all have seen many things on the news where people put flowers out and hold vigils during tragedies, but this, 13 years later, people still honor the victims. What a wonderful tribute to the them and their families.
This is just one section of the fence where visitors had left things.
Across the street from the Memorial is a church that was also damaged by the explosion. This statue of Jesus stands on the corner. I think it is so beautiful. Below His feet it says "And Jesus Wept"
On either side of the Memorial are two very tall walls you can enter through. One wall says 9:01 and one wall says 9:03. According to the brochure, this represents the time when the city was still innocent before the attack and then the time after the attack. There is a shallow reflecting pool between the two walls that makes a very peaceful sound when you walk through the area.
These are chairs that represent the 168 people that lost their lives. The smaller chairs represent the children that died. I would love to see this at night when the bottoms are lit up and the names show through.
There was much more to the outdoor memorial, but it was getting late and dark, so I didn't get pictures of much else. There is also a museum, which I did not have time to go through, but would like to some other time. If you, like me, need a refresher about this tragedy you can read about it here or here. I was really impressed by this memorial and the tribute it pays to the victims of this tragedy.
I hope you enjoyed your little history lesson :)
I have to admit, I couldn't remember a whole lot about the bombing (shame on me and my degree in History!) just that it was a terrorist act, a lot of people died, and that Timothy McVeigh was held responsible. I was about 15 at the time, so I'm sure I should remember more, but probably didn't pay a lot of attention to the news at that time.
I was so struck by the scene when I first pulled up, it was not at all what I expected. There is a fence surrounding the main entrance and it is covered with flowers and other things people have left in remembrance. It was so surprising and refreshing to see that people don't let things like this be forgotten. We all have seen many things on the news where people put flowers out and hold vigils during tragedies, but this, 13 years later, people still honor the victims. What a wonderful tribute to the them and their families.
This is just one section of the fence where visitors had left things.
Across the street from the Memorial is a church that was also damaged by the explosion. This statue of Jesus stands on the corner. I think it is so beautiful. Below His feet it says "And Jesus Wept"
On either side of the Memorial are two very tall walls you can enter through. One wall says 9:01 and one wall says 9:03. According to the brochure, this represents the time when the city was still innocent before the attack and then the time after the attack. There is a shallow reflecting pool between the two walls that makes a very peaceful sound when you walk through the area.
These are chairs that represent the 168 people that lost their lives. The smaller chairs represent the children that died. I would love to see this at night when the bottoms are lit up and the names show through.
There was much more to the outdoor memorial, but it was getting late and dark, so I didn't get pictures of much else. There is also a museum, which I did not have time to go through, but would like to some other time. If you, like me, need a refresher about this tragedy you can read about it here or here. I was really impressed by this memorial and the tribute it pays to the victims of this tragedy.
I hope you enjoyed your little history lesson :)
1 comment:
Hi, Amanda! Thanks for coming by my blog! I came by to visit yours...it's so lovely! Danielle did a great job. And your little James, what a doll. Are you enjoying OK? We lived in Altus for several years because of the Air Force and you know, I do miss Oklahoma and the friends I made there. And Tulsa is WAY nicer than Altus. I loved the post you did about missing your dad. I have had several friends lose their dads recently, and have two friends whose dads are very, very ill right now. They are really struggling and I'm glad I could read your post and maybe pass on the Mercy Me lyrics...I think Jesus prodded you to write that for me. Thank you! You are doing a great job on the blog....it's kind of fun, isn't it? And CONSUMING sometimes. Looking forward to reading more from you. :)
See you soon!
Lisa
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