April 19, 1995.
It was an ordinary day. We were living in Jacksonville, North Carolina where my husband was stationed at the Marine Corps Base, Camp LeJeune. I had been out shopping for all the necessary items to make a two year old's Lion King themed birthday party as perfect as I could. When I arrived back home I noticed that our neighbors were outside waiting for me. Instead of approaching me, they went around to the back of the minivan to check my tag. I later learned they were verifying that Chris and I were from Oklahoma. Then they delivered the surreal news, the Murrah Building had been bombed earlier that morning.
While the tag on our car was from Oklahoma, I wasn't. So my reaction was like many Americans outside of Oklahoma. Full of shock and sadness. Then my husband, Chris came home. Chris was born and raised in Oklahoma City. I will never forget him seeing the images coming from Oklahoma City over the airwaves for the first time. His knees went weak as he sat in front of the screen. It was difficult for him to be so many miles away. You could see the helplessness he must have been feeling. That's when I began to understand the magnitude of what had happened on that otherwise ordinary day.
The following hours were spent trying to get in touch with his family. It was almost impossible to get a long distance call through to OKC without hearing that all circuits were busy. Thankfully contact was eventually made and everyone we held dear was accounted for.
As we know, that was not the news delivered to many Oklahoma families that week. April 19, 1995 we will never forget.
It was an ordinary day. Where were you?
Posted by Edmond REALTOR Kristyn Grewell, CENTURY 21 Goodyear Green
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