On April 19, 1995, a terrorist act tore apart the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. It tore open hearts across the nation. But in Oklahoma, the community spirit was bound.
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Ten years ago Tuesday at 9:02 a.m, Oklahoma was thrown into chaos. By 9:03, the long, painful road to recovery began.
One of the first major moves toward recovery came May 23, 1995. That day, the ruined federal building was razed. A memorial conceived and constructed upon mankind's better spirits now rises where an act of mankind's cruelty was committed.
A portion of the chain-link fence that surrounded the bombing site, protecting the crime scene and keeping onlookers from dangers, still stands on the west perimeter. Just as they did 10 years ago, visitors still are moved to leave personal tokens -- keys, stuffed animals, pictures, license plates, wristbands, shoes, socks, hats, banners, flags, toys and good wishes. Curators from the adjacent Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum frequently collect items and carefully store them. It is a living museum, continually being restocked.
Perhaps the Survivor Tree stands taller because it lived through the violence of that day. The once ill-treated American elm now is the memorial's VIP.
In the center lies a shallow reflecting pool, black at the bottom and, despite the breeze, seemingly always still.
Just around the corner, the new federal building defiantly casts its shadow on the spot where terrorism failed to kill the spirit of freedom.
In today's Oklahoman, you'll read about the resolve of a people, the growth of a community, and how Oklahoma taught the nation about the power of hope in the face of grief.
