I, along with the rest of America, grieved with the people from my home state.  Ten days later, on April 29, 1995, my beloved Daddy died.  The day I returned to the airport in Oklahoma City to return to Oregon was rainy and dismal.  I wanted to see the site myself.  The closest we could get by car was about five blocks away on the blast side of the building.  Even from that distance, the sight was astonishing - and painful.

In July, 1999 Momma passed away.  When we made the trip to the airport we were able to stop and walk to the site, which was surrounded by a fence.  Just as the site of the demolished building was overwhelming two years before, the site of the fence was as well - but for a different reason.  The fence enclosed three sides of the area and every square inch was covered with items left by visitors from all over the world.  It was breathtaking.

In the years since, a beautiful memorial has been built.  It has an understated and powerful impact.  A museum and many educational programs have been added. The Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism began operation in 2000.

This tragedy deeply affected me - not just the bombing and the senseless loss of life it caused but the relationship it had to the deaths of my parents. 

Many terrible things happen in our world - this was not the worst or the least.  The words "Never Forget" seem to be overused.  So, it is my hope that you will visit these web-sites - and perhaps the Memorial itself, in person, - and "Always Remember."