This April 19th...

[Brent]

So sad... VP Cheney is speaking at the memorial right. Former President Clinton is also there and expected to speak.

[wx247]

Here is that editorial... looking back at it now brings back so many memories, along with the occasional thought that I didn't write so swiftly back then. I also find it ironic some places where I mention it being the largest "attack" on American soil in history. This was just 3 months before 9-11.


"The morning of June 10th, a Sunday, was calm and serene in Oklahoma City. From the Westin hotel where we were staying, the sun rose brightly with an array of golds, pinks, and blues. Outside, however, the world was preparing for the execution of Timothy McVeigh.

Ground zero, the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial, was packed with many people from all over the world. Streets near the memorial were closed to allow the hundreds of news trucks to park and broadcast live. Everyone from local television crews in Oklahoma City to CNN was there. Newspaper journalists were flashing pictures of the beautiful memorial.

Today was not an ordinary day. Tomorrow, hundreds of miles away, Timothy McVeigh, would be executed in Terre Haute, Indiana. While the world was only tuning in for a couple of days, Oklahoma had been waiting for this day since the bombing six years ago.

The memorial itself served as a place for the victim's families to come and remember their loved ones. The one hundred sixty-eight empty chairs served as a reminder to what a truly horrible tragedy had occurred on the very ground we were walking on. The reflecting pool shone brightly against the clear blue sky. Here, the shallow depth of the gently flowing water is intended to help heal wounds. Everyone who looked into the water saw his or her reflection -- the the face of a person changed forever, for you cannot be the same person after visiting this place.

The mood here was one of nervousness and anticipation. Would there be protests? Would the execution bring any closer? The only hint of unrest lie in some graffiti painted on a wall nearby. The chalkboard walkway that allowed everyone to share their feelings, an important component in the healing process.

Here messages were written, not just for the victims, but for McVeigh as well.

"God will forgive you Tim!"

"Tomorrow: justice will be served!"

As we left the memorial, I saw a large tree, the only one of its size on the grounds. I later discovered it was the "Survivor Tree". It was the only one to survive the blast in 1995. Its shade provided, not only relief from the sun, but also a sense of strength, one that only Mother Nature can provide.

The rest of the day was filled with news cut-ins. Every newspaper already Oklahoma City had been bought. Anxiety and tension were building. I could not help but feel these emotions (even though only a visitor here), although I had not been personally affected by this bombing. Everyone was talking about it. Less than twenty-four hours remained until the execution of the man at least partially responsible for the largest act of terrorism on American soil in the history of these great United States.

Monday morning, live non-stop television reports began as early as four a.m. The suspense was heightening. Some victim's families chose today to visit the memorial at the time of the execution, some would watch McVeigh's death via closed circuit television, and some would go on with their daily lives like it was just any other day. Today was anything but normal.

As the clock ticked down to Timothy McVeigh's last breath, millions of people watched from around the world. Nothing could compare with Oklahoma City, however. Not until McVeigh was pronounced dead did a sense of relief flood across the city. Inside the memorial, a new place on bombing timeline was inserted stating that McVeigh had been executed.

But some were not satisfied. The ones who watched his death were horrified as he stared directly at them while taking his last breath, as if spiting them. Others, who had expected to feel closure, did not. Their loved ones were now gone. Now one more life had been taken. For better or worse, the number of dead now stood at one hundred sixty-nine.

There is a quote outside the memorial in Oklahoma City which reads "...May all who leave here know the impact of violence...". Those who have been at the memorial, including myself, have been changed forever. Every time the sun rises and sets on that memorial, it serves as a reminder that some did not survive and some will continue to deal with the loss of family and friends that occurred on that tragic day, April 19, 1995. But now there is another day that will live on in the minds of those in Oklahoma City -- Monday, June 11, 2001, the day of Timothy McVeigh's execution."

[TexasStooge]

This April 19th also marks 1993 Massacre in Waco.