Category: News, observances, history

Remembering the Oklahoma City bombing April 19, 1995

April 19  is the anniversary of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which remains the deadliest domestic “homegrown” terrorist incident in the United States.

I lived there in the 1970s while in medical school and residency at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center and visit frequently. These are my memories of that day.

I will never forget April 19, 1995

On April 19, 1995 I was seeing patients in my family practice office in Tulsa Oklahoma when my medical assistant told me a bomb had exploded in Oklahoma City, 90 miles away. We didn’t have computers, smartphones, or internet so I turned on a radio and heard news reports that shocked and saddened me.

A massive bomb had exploded at the Federal building in downtown Oklahoma City , something I thought only happened overseas. Who would bomb a building in Oklahoma?  we all asked ourselves. Several employees heard from friends or relatives who lived in or near OKC, as we call it; some said they felt their homes shake several miles away from the blast site.

Oklahoma mural
A mural representing Oklahoma culture decorates downtown Oklahoma City today

As I drove home from work that afternoon I encountered a traffic jam on a usually easy drive; I assumed a car wreck was  tying up traffic. Instead, the cars of people trying to get into the local Red Cross blood donation facility created the backup; when I finally drove past I saw a long line of people waiting to enter.

I picked up my 10-year-old son from school and realized the teachers had not told the students. I explained to him what had happened, as well as you can explain something so horrible to a child.

He looked at me and said, “Mom, the 5th graders went to Oklahoma City today.” I remembered seeing the charter bus parked at the school that morning for the annual field trip to the science museum in OKC. Since I knew the museum was not downtown, I assured him the children from his school were safe.

Bricktown in Oklahoma City
Bricktown area of OKC with Cox Convention Center and Devon Energy Center tower behind
Chesapeake Arena
Chesapeake Arena, home of our popular Thunder Basketball team

The day after, April 20, 1995

They next morning as usual I turned on the television to watch the morning news while I dressed for work. I can’t believe now that I wondered if there would be any news of the bombing on national television; it had dominated our local news the evening before.

I turned to the Today show and found that it was broadcasting from OKC, as were all the major networks, and devoted the entire broadcast to the bombing. I think that was my first inkling what a momentous event it was.

They interviewed a doctor from St Anthony Hospital, just down the street from the Murrah Building- he was one of my medical school professors. I couldn’t believe someone I knew was on national television.

window at the museum
window from the museum overlooking the outdoor memorial
Memorial pool and chairs
Field of Empty Chairs beside the Reflecting Pool – Each gold chair represents a deceased victim.

The following months

In the following days, weeks and months we learned all the details about the bombing- the perpetrators, the victims, the rescuers, the survivors.

168 Oklahomans lost their lives there that day, including 19 children.

My first visit to the bombing site

My husband and I visited the site after the building was imploded, when the grounds were fenced off.  The fence had become a makeshift memorial, as people left mementos of all kinds- dolls, stuffed animals, photos, pictures, flowers, crafts, flags, shirts, and letters.  We visited again when the official memorial  and the museum were established on April 19, 2000.

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a long section of the original fence has been left intact, as well as parts of the original federal building wall.

sections of damaged wall
sections of damaged wall

Until 9/11, it was the deadliest act of terrorism on United States soil.

OKC memorial and federal building in the distance
The West Gate of Time. the Reflecting Pool  and looking  northwest toward the new federal building in the distance

Remembering April 19, 1995

That day in Oklahoma City showed the best in our state and our country as people, some with no training, risked their lives to help rescue people who were injured and trapped inside. Firefighters and police came from all over the United States to help. People donated food and first aid supplies.

children and adults visiting a wall decorated with handprints
Schools regularly bring students to visit the memorial and museum; these are visiting the children’s area
colorful hand painted tiles from children
Hand-painted tiles by children were sent to the city as a show of support and sympathy.

I was proud to be an Oklahoman then and now, and still grieve for the lives we lost that day.

The Survivor Tree
The Survivor Tree, an American Elm, survived the blast

"We search for the Truth" written on a wall.
On the wall of the Journal Record Building which was also damaged by the blast; the museum now occupies part of it.
statue of Christ with head bowed
statue of a grieving Christ, in the courtyard of a church across the street from the memorial

The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum

The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum is privately funded. The memorial is free and open to the public. Admission is charged to tour the museum. According to the website-

“The Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) organization which owns and operates the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. The Foundation is the caretaker of both the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial and the Memorial Museum. It does not receive any annual operating funds from the federal, state or local government. Museum admissions, store sales, the Memorial Marathon, private fundraising and earnings from an endowment allow the Memorial and Museum to be self-sustaining.”

 

exploring the HEART of remembering

Thank you for joining me to remember and honor those injured and killed in the Murrah Building and the heroes who rescued them.

                                               Dr. Aletha 

From the O.R. to the Oval Office- 3 Docs Who Ran

Anyone who is following the United States Presidential campaign knows it has become one of the most unexpected, unpredictable, and contentious races in history. And so far the candidates are only vying for their parties’ nominations.

The qualifications for President are fairly simple (at least it seemed so until the controversy over Mr. Obama’s birth certificate.)

U.S. Constitution Requirements for a Presidential Candidate:
  • Be at least 35 years old
  • Be a natural-born citizen of the United States
  • Been a resident of the United States for 14 years

In the Naturalization Act of 1790, the First Congress provided that children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond the sea, . . . shall be considered as natural born citizens . . . . Thus Senator John McCain of Arizona, born in the Panama Canal Zone; Governor George Romney of Michigan, born in Mexico, and Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, born in Arizona before it became a state were all eligible to run for president, though none of them won. Senator Barack Obama, born in Hawaii when it was a state, was eligible and won the presidency in 2008.

How to become President inforgraphic
The Presidential pathway from USA.gov

The election process is anything but simple. The candidates campaign to secure delegates to their party’s convention through caucuses or primaries in each state. Then at the convention they must win the nomination to be on the ballot to win the electors in each state.

Finally, the Electoral College votes on which candidate will be President. Even that might not be final since in one recent election  the final decision ended up in the Supreme Court (Bush vs Gore).

Holding the office of the President is our country’s highest honor but the job of president has become so thankless I wonder why anyone wants to do it. But I am grateful that people volunteer for and seek the position, and this year three of the candidates are physicians. (three that I discovered; if you know of others, please tell me.)

These posts are meant to inform, not influence you; they do not indicate an endorsement of the candidates. I will not promote or endorse any candidate on this blog.

In medical usage, progress notes are “Records kept by health care workers to indicate the course of the patient during care”

I have written some “progress notes” about each candidate that will give you a glimpse into their professional, personal and political lives.

statue of George Washington in Manhattan
statue of General George Washington, first President of the United States of America – New York City

Jill Stein, M.D.- Green Party candidate 

Dr. Stein, an internist,  is running for President for the Green Party.

Here are some notes about her.

  1. Dr. Stein graduated from Harvard Medical School.
  2. Her hobbies include writing and performing music.
  3. She ran for President in 2012, also on the Green Party ticket.
  4. She is a physician’s wife, mother, internal medicine physician/teacher and “environmental-health advocate.”
  5. She developed the “Healthy People, Healthy Planet” teaching program.
  6. She has been interviewed on the Today Show, 20/20 and Fox News network.
  7. In Massachusetts she ran for Governor, State Representative and Secretary of State.
  8. She co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities, a non-profit organization.
  9. She likes to walk with her Great Dane Bandita.
  10. She has advocated for several environmental issues in her home state-
  • Mercury contamination of fish
  • The “Filthy Five” coal plants clean up
  • Mercury and dioxin contamination from burning trash

The Presidential Oval Office at the Reagan Library
a replica of the White House Oval Office at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Next post- two Republican candidates  are doctors.

Do you know who they are?