Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

We scheduled a one-night stopover in Oklahoma City, so we could visit the memorial to the victims of the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building here. A very powerful and moving tribute to the 168 victims---19 of whom were children.

Matching structures on each side of the memorial frame the reflecting pool, and the eastern piece has 9:01 carved atop it (the time before the blast); the western twin has 9:03 carved atop it (the minute after the blast), emphasizing the "before and after." an adjacent building -- still showing shockwave damage -- has been made the memorial museum.

The footprint of the building is an enclosed lawn, with chairs representing each victim, as well as their relative location in the blast. Most children were in the second floor daycare center, which explains why so many small chairs are in that row. The five victims outside the building are set apart to the west.

A "Survivors Tree," located at the time in an open parking lot has been preserved and serves as an icon on much of the memorial's printed material.