A Memorial because bad things happen to good people
Written: Dec 08 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Extremely well done memorial and it is free.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: This is an moving tribute to those who survived and those who died in Oklahoma City at the hands of Timothy McVeigh.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Oklahoma City National Memorial |
We spent June 8, 2004 in Oklahoma City. It was on our way west so we thought we would take in a couple of sites. One of them was the Oklahoma City National Memorial. In spite of this being a Tuesday thus a weekday, I was surprised at the number of visitors at this Memorial.
What is this Memorial:
On the morning of April 19, 1995 the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building located at 620 North Harvey Avenue in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was a large United States Government Complex. It had been built in 1977 and named after a Federal Judge. On this morning Timothy McVeigh parked a truck filled with explosives in front of this complex. At 9:02 a.m. an explosion occurred taking down the entire north side of the building and killing 168 people. Nineteen of these were children and more than 700 people were injured. Over 300 buildings were damaged or destroyed however the good news is that 1000 people survived.
A month later the building that had survived was demolished although there is still one piece left as a reminder.
The Memorial is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is free of charge. Rangers are on site to provide information from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily in the spring and summer and from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the fall and winter.
There is no parking lot here. There is however street parking and on this morning we had no trouble finding a spot. There is handicapped approved parking off of Sixth Street near Harvey at the Northwest corner of the Memorial. Restrooms, which are handicapped, accessible are available as well.
I found it exceptionally well done and quite moving.
What you will see:
This Memorial was dedicated on April 19, 2000 by President Bill Clinton. It is unusual in its design. I have never seen anything quite like it before.
The 3.3 acres are laid out in a giant square with each section of this quadrangle representing something or perhaps better said and as I read the sections use structures that symbolize this tragedy. An unusual element that I found out is that material from all over the world was used to build this memorial.
The first things I saw were the gates. These are called the Gates of Time. They are covered in bronze and originate from Japan.
You will enter the east side of the memorial through the first gate. The first one has 9:01 a.m. on it in large numbers. This was the time just before the bombing. A statement symbolizing the time before the bombing and reflecting the mission of the memorial says, We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.
You will leave the Memorial through the western gate stating 9:03 a.m. which represents the lives that have been forever changed.
As I said there are sections each representing something about that day. In the middle of the quadrangle
between the two gates is a 400-foot reflecting pool. This is just beautiful. It is where N.W. Fifth Street once was. Even on this rainy day we were moved by the reflection of the gates in the water and the beautiful trees and flowering bushes. The flowing water represents the ability to sooth wounds with calming sounds. It also promotes a peaceful setting for your thoughts. As someone who lives on the water I could certainly relate to that pool which really had an affect on me.
I think what moved me the most was the section to one side of the pool of 168 empty chairs. These are made of glass and granite in honor of each of the people killed. I suggest you walk to the left of the chairs and look toward the pool. You will see a field of chairs, reminders of the absence felt by family members and friends. The chairs are two sizes representing both adults and children.
Standing by itself to the right of the pool and encased by a granite semi circle with built in benches is the Survivor Tree. This is a 70 year old American Elm which represents the violence of April 19 and a symbol of the resilience of people. This tree was there before the explosion and withstood the blast. A grove of fruit and flowering trees surround this area in a way protecting the tree. This grove is called the Rescuers Orchard.
What is called the Area for Children had me in tears. There is a beautifully done wall of hand painted tiles sent to Oklahoma City in 1995 by children. The pictures on the tiles are amazing. They were hand painted. You will see handprints, flags, rainbows and ribbons. There is also a series of chalkboards for children to share their own feelings.
And finally there is a Memorial Fence that reminded me a lot of the fence of items at the World Trade Center site. These are items left by visitors.
My Final Thoughts:
I expected to see names of the dead on each chair and was surprised that there were not. I asked a Ranger and was told the Memorial did not want to act in that way. Instead there is a granite panel that was recovered from one of the buildings. On this panel are the names of the survivors.
In addition to the Memorial there is The Institute for The Prevention of Terrorism and a Memorial Museum.
The Oklahoma City Memorial was wonderfully done. Other than Holocaust Memorials I have not seen others. There are Memorials to various wars but I have never seen anything like this. Of course this was built before 9/11.
If you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment.
Perhaps because I found it disturbing I did not take any notes of this day so had to use information I had on hand, my memory and information from the Internet.
I am keeping track of the reviews I am writing chronicling our 3-month cross country trip:
Applebee's in Ohio
Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky
Bella NotteThis is a restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky
Buckstaff Bathhouse in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas
Bicentennial Mall State Park in Nashville, TN
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN
Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN
National Civil Right Museum in Memphis, TN
Graceland in Memphis, TN
Rum Boogie Cafe in Memphis, TN
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma
Souper Salad in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Petroglyph National Monumentin Albuquerque, New Mexico
Petrified Forest National Forestin Arizona
Taste of Thai a San Diego restaurant
Handlery Hotel in San Diego, CA
Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles, CA
Kan Zam restaurant in San Francisco, CA
Polker Gourmet Burgers in San Francisco
Holiday Inn Express in San Francisco, CA
Las Margaritas in San Francisco, CA
Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma, CA
Beringer Vineyards in Napa Valley, CA
The Coffee Gardenin Sonoma, CA
Antelope Island State Park in Salt Lake City, Utah
Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah
Mount Rushmore in South Dakota
Badlands in South Dakota
Montreal Holcaust Museum in Canada
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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