This is a sunrise over the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial.
There is really no way to describe the feeling of grief.... respect... and peace at the memorial. The site sits in the middle of the downtown area, but is set in such a way that you don't see cars or hear traffic. There is a strange feeling standing there and thinking about what happened on that spring day in 1995.
There are three main sections to the memorial. The first is the reflecting pool and giant black walls. The time: 9:01 and 9:03 are each inscribed on a wall. These times mark the moment before the bomb - a time of innocence, and the time after the explosion - when nothing will be the same.
The second section is a green field where the building stood. There are chairs with the names of the individuals that were killed. Each chair is located in the field in a way so that it marks out where they were when the bomb went off.
The final section is the Survivor Tree. This tree is over 100 years old, and survived the blast despite the fact that the force of the blast ripped most of the branches off of it, glass and debris were embedded in its trunk, and fire from the cars parked beneath it burned it. Most people thought the tree could not survive. Almost a year after the bombing, however, family members, survivors, and rescue workers gathered for a memorial ceremony under the tree that had started to bloom once again. In that instant the tree became a symbol of what the city had come through.
19 responses
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Sharon Griffin gave props (21 Nov 2008):
Super Wow and I echo what Crystal said. Thanks for the story- a behind the scene history. A lovely tribute !!!
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Tani Livengood said (22 Nov 2008):
This is a powerful image. The best I have seen of this memorial. I drove truck through this city and always wished I could have seen it better . Thanks for sharing
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Christopher J Chalk gave props (23 Nov 2008):
Great tribute, lovely story!
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Martie Last said (24 Nov 2008):
Thanks for explaining the arrangement there. I like the way you composed the photo.
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Shane W. Link said (24 Nov 2008):
Great image that deserves to be published. I just got cold chills while reading about this photograph. I was about four miles away from downtown OKC attending art school that morning when the bomb went off. Just as I was getting in my car at lunchtime, I slammed my car door at the same exact moment the bomb exploded. Sitting inside my car I was over come with this strange feeling of confusion. Stepping back outside I could hear a wave of security and car alarms going off across the city while a large cloud of black smoke appeared over downtown OKC. I returned inside the school to hear many comments of how the building rafters shook inside the classrooms. Shortly after the news broke of the events downtown on the news. I didn't hesitate to return to my car and drive downtown. I suppose I felt a need to help anyone involved in this cowardice act of terrorism. By the time I arrived downtown the streets had already been blocked off, so I returned home to record the news and reflect on how unpredictable the days are. Thanks for including some history on the memorial.
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Litz Go gave props (25 Nov 2008):
Beautiful photo and wonderful and informative caption. Thanks.
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Sherry Davis Johnson gave props (25 Nov 2008):
Very touching. I have never seen a photo fo this memorial at night. It is a beautiful capture. *tears*
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Jonathan Shertok gave props (27 Nov 2008):
Beautiful Panoramic
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eyal leave said (28 Nov 2008):
This is an excellent shot.
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*Tim Needles gave props (1 Dec 2008):
Very cool photo!
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Teresa gave props (2 Dec 2008):
This is a wonderful shot. Well done.
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Judy Wanamaker gave props (4 Dec 2008):
Wonderful image, tremendously enhanced by the essay. Great capture.
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John Linton gave props (4 Dec 2008):
Magnificent entry.
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Alina Hahn gave props (6 Dec 2008):
Great picture and story!
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Sherry Stone gave props (10 Dec 2008):
What a wonderful shot. Thanks for sharing the photo and information.
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John Dorosiewicz gave props (27 Dec 2008):
Wonderful & poignant.
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Shonda Reynolds said (30 Dec 2008):
I can still remember that I was supposed to go downtown that morning to the Social Security Adminstration (located on the bottom floor of the Murrah building) to get my daughter's Social Security card. But I decided to go that afternoon after I got off work instead. I heard the explosion from where I worked. When I heard it was the Murrah building I was overcome with grief. When I visit the sight sometimes I'm reminded that my name would have been on one of those chairs. It still gives me chills. Your photo is a beautiful image of a terrifying moment in American history. Oklahomans would be proud to see this published!!
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Alex Ojeda gave props (7 Apr 2009):
Very moving, I live about 3 hrs from OKC and have vistied the memorial a few times
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Latrenia Bryant gave props (17 Nov 2009):
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Also by Wallace Jones
