17 years later...

[one_voice]

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, April 19, 2012 - We’re taking a pause in our celebrity pursuit today to remember that April 19th marks the 17th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in downtown Oklahoma City.

Seventeen long years have passed since that explosion ripped through the Alfred P. Murrah building. But for many Oklahomans, that day is etched permanently in their minds as if it were only yesterday. On April 19, 1995, 168 innocent souls were taken away forever from friends and family, and the lives and views of Oklahomans were drastically altered in an instant.

Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols accomplished their goal of destroying lives and striking fear into the hearts of the populace by perpetrating the worst act of terrorism on domestic soil to that date. However, what they didn’t expect was the unity and strength that arose from the devastation that they created that terrible day.

In the hours, days, and weeks that would follow the bombing, a brotherhood of sorts would form among everyone affected directly and indirectly as well. People from communities all over the state and the U.S. traveled to volunteer their time to search for survivors and help in any manner that they possibly could.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/angeliques-celebrity-q-and/2012/apr/19/oklahoma-city-bombing-17-years-later/

[irisblue]

1. rest in peace

[yellerpup]

2. Thank you for remembering one_voice.

We can never allow ourselves to forget how poison words encourage haters.

[MrSlayer]

3. But...but....All terrorists are Muslims.

What a tragedy, remember it like it was yesterday. I, like most, instantly thought it was some whacko Islamic Jihad group or something. When it turned out to be an American that did it, it hurt all the more. How could one of our own do such a heinous thing?

I learned something that day about jumping to conclusions and about myself. A hard lesson but well learned.

The picture of the fireman and the baby is still gut wrenching. That kid could have been casting their first Presidential vote this year.

McVeigh got what he deserved but he also got off easy.

[malaise]

4. Wow

17 years - thanks for the reminder

[Skittles]

5. I visited the memorial last year

you stand there and you just cannot believe it happened

[one_voice]

6. kick.

[RZM]

7. A very dark day in our history. RIP to the victims n/t

[JoePhilly]

8. I remember exactly how I learned this happened.

I live in NC, but I was on a business trip in CA. The meetings that I was in that week were "all day" affairs. And we often went later into the evening. And most of the time, we were basically cut off from the outside world.

That Thursday was the last day of the event and I had meetings that ran until about noon. When those ended, I bolted to catch a cab, jumped out at the airport, and made my flight just in time.

My connection back to Raleigh was through Dallas. The weather in Dallas was very bad, so we circled. The meetings had been long and draining, and so on the flight, I was reading some novel, basically to clear my head. If any one around me knew what had happened, I didn't hear it.

We circled for a long time ... well past midnight, probably 1am or later ... and then finally we landed. My connection back to Raleigh had left hours earlier. I was stuck in Dallas. The airport folks said that all of the local hotels were full, but they could send me out to a hotel about 1-2 hours away.

So I had to decide if I wanted to ride out to a hotel for 2 hours, sleep for 0 hours, and then ride back for 2 hours, so I could catch my re-book flight at 6am.

Or, do I just sleep in the Dallas airport from 2 until about 5:30, then catch my 6am. Easy choice. I decide to sleep in the airport.

So I settle in at the gate where my 6am flight will be. And I decide to watch some TV before I curl up on the floor and get maybe 3 hours of "sleep".

And that's when I started to see the images. And by this point, details of the story are unfolding.

And suddenly, my endless, exhausting meetings, my delayed flights, and the potential of a night sleeping on the floor in the Dallas airport, seemed a whole lot less problematic.

Needless to say, I did not sleep, no one who showed up "trapped in Dallas" at my gate did either. There were maybe 8 of us.

I think it was at about 3 or 4am or so that an airport worker driving a cart stopped, and gave out those blankets you can get when you are on a flight. I think at times some members of our little group dosed off. But none for very long.

At about 5am, some one came and gave us orange juice, coffee, and muffins. They asked if there was any new news about what had happened.

It was a rather surreal experience. A bunch of strangers. Powerless to do anything. Can't help. Can't share deeper emotions with loved ones.

All we could do was watch, and count the minutes until we could get on the flight back home, and hug our families.