Oklahoma City Honors Blast Victims

They came with bouquets and their memories Saturday to honor those killed and injured in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building two years ago.

The murmur of babies, the gentle sobs of adults and the wail of a fire truck in the distance punctuated the silence at 9:02 a.m. as about 1,500 people bowed their heads for 168 seconds--one second for each of the people killed in the April 19, 1995, bombing.

Relatives clutched flowers, teddy bears and tiny seedlings from the Survivor Tree--a slippery elm scarred in the blast.

The tree became a symbol for the spirit of survival and is a part of each of the five bombing memorial design finalists selected Saturday.

“It was less than 50 yards from ground zero. It’s the closest sign of life near the blast,” said Mark Bays of the Oklahoma Agriculture Department’s forestry division. “It’s survived a heck of a lot. It truly is a survivor tree.”

The department collected seeds from the tree last year to produce the first generation of seedlings from it since the bombing.

“I will go home and I will plant this and I will always remember,” said Cathy McCaskell, whose sister, Terry Rees, was killed in the bombing.

“Healing is a process; it’s not a destination,” Gov. Frank Keating said.

“Two years ago, this was a place of terror and sorrow and stark ugliness--but only for a brief moment,” he said. “As the first brave rescuer stepped into that building, as the mighty forces of compassion and support mobilized all of our people, as our loved ones came home to us, we all felt the power of God’s love.”

A letter from President Clinton was also read at the service, and a wreath from the president was placed at the site. In his letter to the Oklahoma City Memorial Foundation, Clinton said the tragedy reminded the nation that “America is a family, and that such a brutal attack on any American is an attack on us all.”

But Clinton said nothing Saturday to mark the dual anniversaries of the bombing and the fiery raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, four years ago.

In contrast to commemorations of previous years, Clinton kept his role deliberately low-key this year in deference to the judge’s gag order in the high-profile trial of Oklahoma City bombing suspect Timothy J. McVeigh.

McVeigh, 28, a former Army soldier, is accused of parking a rental truck packed with explosives in front of the building in retaliation for the federal raid on the Davidian compound.

A handful of demonstrators clamored outside the White House on Saturday to press demands for a special prosecutor to investigate the FBI raid near Waco.

An hour after the Oklahoma City memorial, bells rang out for a similar observance in Denver, where McVeigh is standing trial for the bombing.

Inside the Church of the Holy Ghost, about 25 mourners assembled for the service, which included the singing of a hymn and the reading of Psalm 57, whose message of justice echoes the feelings of sorrow, fear and anger the bombing has raised.

After a prayer, four religious leaders read the names of the dead as the church bell tolled 168 times. It took nine minutes to get through the list.

After attending the Oklahoma City memorial, Jon Hansen, the Oklahoma City assistant fire chief who kept the public abreast of rescue efforts after the bombing, said, “It’s refreshing to see the people come out.

“The site is still a very humbling experience, yet I think there is still a spirit amongst everyone of how the city came through this and that is such a tribute to everyone who was killed or injured here,” Hansen said.

He said Oklahoma City has not recovered from the bombing but is well on the way.

“I am proud of how everybody pulled together and kind of bonded in this,” he said. “That sends a signal to the terrorists and those kind of people that perpetrate these crimes that they may wound us but they will never defeat us.”

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Plans for Paying Tribute

The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial finalists and their proposed designs:

Hans-Ekkehard Butzer, Torrey Butzer and Sven Berg, Locus Bold Design, Berlin: Narrow high gates to east and west bring the visitor into the site, revealing a reflecting pool. The site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building becomes a grassy slope. Empty chairs representing the dead sit under a canopy of trees, and the Survivor Tree, an elm scarred by the blast, is nestled in an orchard of fruit trees.

J. Kyle Casper and Brian Branstetter, Dallas: A simple concept creates the victim’s memorial as a sanctuary between a spreading memorial lawn and a silent remembrance court. At noon on each victim’s birth date, sunlight illuminates a personal memorial. A children’s garden also is included.

Susan Herrington and Mark Standard, Ames, Iowa: A concept of multiple experiences, ranging from an “echo wall” recognizing the victims to an amphitheater of steps “echoing footfalls.” A circle of 19 trees forms a clearing as a special place for children. The Survivor Tree stands in a clearing as a resilient stage of hope.

Richard Scherr and James Rossant, New York: A 60-foot-high wall of gray granite symbolizes rebuilding and rebirth. The site is divided into activity areas with groves of trees sheltering the site from prevailing wind and a reflecting pool outlining the damaged profile of the Murrah building.

Hanno Weber and Kathleen Hess, Hanno Weber & Associates, Chicago: Based on the symbol of a circle, their proposal creates a sloping contemplative space bordered by 168 column cypresses. The space inside the circle is a peaceful meadow sloping down to a pool preempting most of the Murrah building footprint.

Source: Associated Press