Monday September 19: Oklahoma City OK

Upon arriving in Oklahoma City we went to the memorial at the site of the former Alfred Murrah Federal Building, which was destroyed in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995.  Tragically, there were 168 people killed on that morning.  The memorial consists of a beautiful reflecting pool with stone “gates” at each end, along with 168 chairs dedicated to each person who died.  The east gate is engraved with 9:01 and the west gate with 9:03, framing the explosion time of 9:02 a.m.  Also, the chairs are arranged based on the location of the individual inside the building, small chairs are for the children, and each chair bears the name of a victim of the tragedy.  We were at the memorial late afternoon and evening and were very touched by our time there.  It is beautiful and an inspiring tribute to those who died.