Oklahoma Rescue Memorial - OK Firefighters Museum - Oklahoma City, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 31.292 W 097° 27.825
14S E 639295 N 3931966
In the main hall, as you enter the museum building, this memorial stands as a silent reminder of those who served after the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing.
Waymark Code: WMBCYG
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 05/07/2011
Views: 5
At 9:02AM on April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City was rocked by an explosion that would forever change the hearts of its people. Throughout the City, windows were blown out, nearby buildings were turned to rubble, and the Federal building was torn apart.
Within minutes, first responders and anyone within reach, came to the location with one thing in mind - rescue any who were still alive, at whatever risk was necessary. Police, firefighters, ham radio operators, medical crews, construction workers, canine rescue workers, and countless others began the gruesome, dangerous and frustrating job of looking for survivors and retrieving the bodies of its victims.
This memorial is specifically honoring those who worked so tirelessly in the days and weeks after this tragedy. There are two of these memorials - this one at the Oklahoma Firefighters Museum, and the other at the offices of the International Association of Firefighters in Washington, D.C.
On the pedestal, a granite plaque with an etching of the destroyed building reads: On April 19, 1995 at 9:02 a.m. Downtown Oklahoma City experienced an atrocity so great, it gripped an entire nation and made the whole world stand still / Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
Beneath this, on a base faced with blue granite are the words: OKLAHOMA RESCUE MEMORIAL / In memory of the helpless individuals killed, in honor of the ones who risked their lives to save others, and with absolute appreciation to those who worked until the last was found, and to those who remained by the home front ready to serve at a moment's notice, we will remember, rebuild and continue to make this America's Heartland. Presented to Oklahoma Fire Service / Oklahoma State Firefighters Association. The east side of the base reads: In memory of those who perished and lists the names of the 168 who were killed this day.