Today, for the first time ever, I visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Wait, I know you’re thinking “Aren’t you in fact, from Oklahoma?” And the answer is Yes. Oklahoma born and bred, and God willing, I’ll die here. This is home. But, in the twelve and a half years since the OKC Bombing, I’ve avoided the place, much like I tried (and failed) to avoid Ground Zero while in Manhattan last year. I didn’t want to go simply because I didn’t want to relive my own version of 9/11.
Today I went. I hadn’t been since 1996, when the original Fence was in place to protect the site. 200 feet of that Fence sits on the western facade of the Memorial. I remember placing a teddy bear in that Fence eleven years ago.
I also toured the Museum, and managed to make it through alright, until I came to the Survivor Experience and the Gallery of Honor, the latter a hall of phots and trinkets from the families of each victim. I cried. I cried so hard from the…humanity of the place. When I left, I left behind the story of where I was and who I knew.
Just as I was on April 19, 1995, I am today…forever changed.
This is a part of the original Fence once protecting the outside world from the reality within.
This was taken from just outside the 9:03 facade. The words inscribed make up the simple, yet poignant motto of the Memorial. “We come here to remember those who were killed, those who surived, and those who changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, stregnth, peace, hope, and serenity.”
On the grassy area where the Murrah Building once stood, there are 168 chairs arranged in nine rows for each victim. The arrangement represents what floor each victim was on. The chairs come in two sizes, one for adults, and one for the children. Each bronze chair sits on a glass base inscribed with the name of the victim it represents. Each chair is slightly different, for each victim was unique. One of these chairs is for Pamela Argo, someone I’ll never forget.
Now, I’m a tree lover. But this tree is my favorite tree in the entire world. This is the Survivor Tree, and it still grows in the face of the adversity it has seen. There are still bits of glass and metal embedded in its trunk. Seeds from this tree have been collected and nurtured into seedlings and planted all over the world. There is one growing in the White House lawn. There was also a seedling given to Rudy Guiliani by the mayor of Oklahoma City shortly after 9/11.
This is not actually a part of the Memorial, but has evolved into equal attraction. This is found in the courtyard of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, located directly across the street from where the Murrah Building once stood. The image is so simple, but perfectly captures the humanity of the entire experience. The words at the base of this statue are “And Jesus wept.” John 11:35.
(c) 2007 Kimberly Wren
