The real highlight of our 6,200 mile journey was a visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial. What a fantastic and creative way to tell a story.
The Okie City attack was horrible, misguided, and cost 168 lives not counting McVeigh...yet it is more a story of American heroism, kindness, and neighborliness rather than a story of horror. I highly recommend a visit to this museum.
A few of the anecdotes that impressed me:
The rescuers were on the scene within one minute. The first were passers-by and survivors who, though shocked and (some) wounded, immediately began assisting the injured. They quickly began crawling through the wreckage with total disregard for their own safety. One, a nurse, was killed.
Volunteer rescue workers from around the country began arriving in less than 24 hours bringing their own equipment with them.
Local stores freely and voluntarily emptied their shelves to provide whatever the rescuers and waiting families needed.
Locals gladly waited in long lines for days to donate blood for the injured.
The American Restaurant Assn annual convention was on-going at the time nearby. The convention was closed and all the equipment on display was donated to the agencies providing relief.
Several days into the rescue, a nurse was asked if she needed anything...she answered that she was afraid to ask for anything else because every time she expressed a need she got a truck load of it before finishing her shift.
At one point, a call went out for work boots as the sharp steel, jagged concrete and broken glass were tearing up clothing and shoes. One worker said a man walked up and handed him a pair of nearly new, very high quality boots. The worker thanked the man who responded that he just wanted to help...Only as the donor walked away did the worker notice that he was leaving in his socks.
Much of what was learned in Oklahoma City was used to save lives in NYC. A large contingent of Oklahoma volunteers went to NYC to assist rescue OPS immediately after the 9/11 attack.
The police and detective work was intense and produced incredible results...literally overnight.
The stories are endless and clearly displayed using a wide variety of techniques.
Highly recommended.
uw |
