April 5th - Oklahoma City Memorial

Entry to the overlook of the Memorial. The Memorial was dedicated on April 19th, 2000, the fifth anniversary of the attack.
Graphic display of the timeline of the bombing which occured at 9:02, April 19th, 1995.

The Reflecting Pool which occupies what was once N.W. Fifth Street. It is a shallow depth (3/4") of gently flowing water which is intended to help soothe wounds, with calming sound providing a peaceful setting for quiet thoughts. Unfortunately while we were there, the peace was shattered by the sounds of a workman drilling up some of the pavement around the pool.
Field of Empty Chairs. There are 168 chairs in the Field. The chairs come in two sizes, with the smaller chairs representing the 19 children who were killed in the bombing. The chairs are placed in nine rows, representing the 9 floors of the building. The chairs are further identified by placement according to the floor on which those killed worked or were visiting. Each chair is crafted of bronze and stone, with a glass base that is etched with the name of a victim. At night, the glass bases of the chairs are illuminated, casting a ghostly glow over the Field. The field's perimeter matches the footprint of the former Murrah Building. It is lined by a granite path made from granite salvaged from the Murrah Plaza.

The first wire Fence was installed to protect the site of the Murrah Building. Almost immediately, people began to leave tokens of love and hope on the Fence. Those items now total more than 60,000 and are collected and preserved in the museum archives. The Fence was moved to it's current site by family members, survivors and rescue workers at the time of the ground breaking for the Memorial. Today, more than 20 feet of the original Fence gives people the opportunity to leave tokens of remembrance and hope. It's mostly just junk, but obviously each item meant something to the person who left it there. There are also several wreaths with photos of victims of the blast.
Reflecting Pool. The building on the left is the Memorial Museum, which was the former Journal Record Building. Built in 1923, the building withstood the blast of the bombing with minimal damage, and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On the back corner of the building spray painted in large black letters is the statement: "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!"
9:03 Gate
9:01 Gate
The two entrances to the Memorial are marked 9:01 and 9:03. In the middle, between the two gates is the Reflecting Pool, representing 9:02, the time of the blast.

Survivor's Wall. Located at the east end of the Memorial, placed on the only remaining walls from the Murrah Building, are granite slabs salvaged from the Murrah Building lobby. On these slabs are inscribed the names of more than 600 of the survivors of the terrorist attack.
Part of the wall of the original building.

It's a sobering place to visit. While the beauty of the Memorial hides the ugly truth of what happened there at 9:02 AM, April 19th, 1995, you still are strongly reminded of the number of people whose lives were irreparably changed on that day by the act of one deranged individual. One just hopes that at some point in time, people could just learn to get along and stop killing each other!!!!!