Remembering the Oklahoma City Bombing - Where Were YOU on April 19, 1995?

Standing on the hallowed grounds of the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial conjures up some amazing feelings and images for me. It's honestly one of my favorite places to go when I'm home; there's such an overwhelming sense of peace and serenity there, which is ironic considering what took place almost 12 years ago. It seems that nowadays, even with the subsequent 9/11 tragedy, that no one remembers what happened on that fateful day. How can you forget? I surely can't. 169 people died in the worst DOMESTIC terrorist attack in United States history. (Domestic meaning the culprit was American...) On the outer walls of the memorial is the mission statement that reads: "We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity." Since the anniversary is coming up, I thought it would be appropriate to publish my own recollections of that fateful day...

9:02am, April 19, 1995: It was a Tuesday. I was 16 years old and sitting in my Honors Anatomy/physiology class at Del City High School, in Del City, OK. Located just 5 miles from Downtown Oklahoma City, my hometown was a nice little suburb of the Oklahoma State Capitol. Just a sophomore at the time, I had no idea how much impact this date would have on my life.

Sometime around 9:30am, a secretary came into the room, breaking the monotony of lecture, and asked if anyone had friends or relatives who worked in the Alfred P. Murrah building in downtown Oklahoma City, None of us did, so she left and, I assume, went on to the next room. The bell eventually rang and we were dismissed for lunch. (We were on "new" thing at the time called a block schedule that gave us 4, approx. 80 minute, class periods a day...) Everything seemed normal about that day and, so far, we were oblivious to the tragedy that had occurred just minutes earlier.