STORM2K

...marks the 10th Anniversary of the Murrah Federal Building Bombing.



Where were you at the time of that incident?

I was walking to a babysitters house in the windy and rainy weather before I saw the news about it.

Watching CBS Morning News with Harry Smith when the story broke.

My daughters were on Spring Break. We decided to stay home that day, they were watching a video and I was planting 14 shrubs. I actually had the phone off the hook so I could get serious landscaping done that day. By the time I finished, it was after 2 p.m. The second I plugged the phone back in, it rang. My mom called to alert us of the tragedy.

I'll just never forget stopping a video my kids were watching, switching to network TV and seeing those images.

I think the saddest of all that fateful day was learning there was a daycare in the building. And that image of a firefighter carrying a 2 year old out in his arms, is forever etched in my memory.

Mary

Miss Mary wrote:...I think the saddest of all that fateful day was learning there was a daycare in the building. And that image of a firefighter carrying a 2 year old out in his arms, is forever etched in my memory.

Mary

Me too. I actually do not remember where I was or what I was doing. More than likely at work and someone came in and told us about it. Honestly, I don't even remember what time of day it happened. It is not something I will ever forget, but I do not remember the details of it like I do Kennedy's assasination or the shuttle tragedies or 9/11.

vbhoutex wrote:

Miss Mary wrote:...I think the saddest of all that fateful day was learning there was a daycare in the building. And that image of a firefighter carrying a 2 year old out in his arms, is forever etched in my memory.

Mary

Me too. I actually do not remember where I was or what I was doing. More than likely at work and someone came in and told us about it. Honestly, I don't even remember what time of day it happened. It is not something I will ever forget, but I do not remember the details of it like I do Kennedy's assasination or the shuttle tragedies or 9/11.

Me, too, David. But Mary, the picture of the firefighter with the baby in his arms, I think that picture is burned into my memory.

I was attending classes at LSU and didn't hear about it until lunchtime.

We were living in Ft. Hood Texas at the time, I remember it, the neighbor came over and told me about it, I was watching it on tv...

I was halfway through my week long Spring Vacation, during my junior year of high school.

I was at school (8th grade). I think I found out about the incident when I returned home; although, since it was a Christian school, it is possible they broke the news to us and prayed for the victims. I do not remember very well that day, which is a surprise considering I have a GREAT long-term memory.

I read several AP articles in my Sunday paper today. But I cannot find them online. One is about the one year old girl the firefighter is seen carrying out, that famous photo I mentioned. Her name was Baylee but sadly she didn't make it. One article is about her family. The other is about a boy who survived but needed a trach and surgeries, since the inside of his throat was badly burned.

I still say the saddest aspect of this bombing was the daycare.

With 9/11 there were many, many sad aspects. My first thought were the innocent victims on the planes, assuming communications with the hijackers would prompt a safe landing. Hence, they didn't fight back. For hours that day I imagined their horror at the very end, as they saw the towers looming ahead or the Pentagon. But then of course my sadness shifted all over the place - the victims on the planes, in the towers and pentagon, the heroic firefighters and police officers climbing into the towers to bravely save people.

But with the Oklahoma City bombing, knowing there was a daycare in the building, was almost too much to bear. And if I remember correctly, it was located on a low floor, maybe the second. And the truck was parked feet away. I think I hugged my children a dozen times that day.

Mary

I was teaching a class at UGA inTopology. I remember that someone came in, and interrupted the class telling that they'd heard of the incident and saw pictures of absolute horror on TV. We stopped the class, and went to the nearest TV to watch. I think the only thing that has freaked me out as much since was watching TV on Sept 11, 2001.

Im not sure if I remember or not, I only just turned 6 at the time. I do remember the days following it, looking at the newspapers and magazines and seeing all the carnage.

I was at work...and the three staff members in our platemaking area and I all learned about it at the same time through our connection with the Associated Press.

I remember being very concerned that it was an International terrorist plot...because we had all been worried about that happening in our country.

The photo of baby Baylee (was that her name) who was being carried by the fireman from the rubble of the day care center is still etched in my mind.

I remember it so clearly. I was with my husband in a Mexican restaurant in Tampa, having lunch. I saw it on the TV and then we had the sound turned up. Unreal moment, like the WTC and Kennedy shooting -- you just don't forget those tragedies.

Steve - yes her name was Baylee. There's a wonderful article in my paper today but I still can't find a link for it. Her family still have residents in their town come up to them, asking how they're doing. One family named their baby Baylee in fact. I'll keep looking for that article.

Mary

Just so happens I was living in Edmond, OK back then - about 15 miles north of where the blast occurred. I was in second grade and was in class when the entire building shook, rattling the windows and sending everyone into a state of semi-panic. The administration decided not to tell us what happened, so I didn't learn of the tragedy until my mom picked me up from school that day. I remember we experienced some very heavy rains that day and even some flooding around the OKC metro area, which obviously didn't help with the rescue effort.

at home...we had easter break that week.

i don't remember where i was but my cousin was very lucky. he lives in downtown ok city just a 2 blocks from the building. that morning he was putting on his socks when the bomb went off. thank goodness he was as the sliding door in his highrise building apartment imploded on him. he was not seriously injured thankfully. he helped others in his building get out. several of the doors of apartments were jammed and he helped to get those people out. his car was in the parking garage under the building and he could not retrieve it. this building was so damaged structurally that the residents had to move out for many months while it was being fixed. if i recall correctly he was not able to get his car out for several months. he said it was the most terrifying and emotion ridden day of his life and he will live with the memories of what he saw for the rest of his life. he had to testify in the hearings.

I believe I was in 7th grade as well during the bombing. We watched it live shortly after the events happened. As such... I remember one girl in the back of the class (I think her name was Amy) weeping because she had used to live in Oklahoma City and she had family that worked there I believe. ( I believe that later she found out that they had survived. )

Fast forward now, to the execution of Timoth McVeigh. I was interning at the local CBS affiliate (while in my senior yr. of high school) in the weather department. They needed someone else to go with them down to OKC to cover the execution, so a friend and I volunteered to go help them with audio/video. When I got back, our newspaper in town contacted me to write an editorial about the experience. I am going to see if I have it save on here somewhere and place it in this thread later today if I can find it. If not, I may retype it up. I know that my grandmother has a copy of it top of the entertainment center in a frame.

Miss Mary wrote:Steve - yes her name was Baylee. There's a wonderful article in my paper today but I still can't find a link for it. Her family still have residents in their town come up to them, asking how they're doing. One family named their baby Baylee in fact. I'll keep looking for that article.

Mary

Baylee Almon was her name and the firefighter was Chris Fields. Baylee was one year old. She would have turned 11 years old -- yesterday, April 18th.