I rise especially early on this day so I can head to a cemetery not too many miles from my home in order to set out a small American Flag at the grave of my friend, Ted L. Allen, who was killed in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995.
Today, as you read this many will be gathered at the Oklahoma City National Memorial for time of remembrance of the tragedy that took place 29 years ago. While many survivors, first responders and downtown workers choose to attend the formal ceremony, I choose a different path of remembrance, typically alone at my friend's grave.
Ted Allen
Ted worked on the 8th floor in the offices of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and his body was among the very last of the 168 victims recovered from the site in the days that followed the disaster.
Ted's children ranged in age from 4 to 22 (at the time of his death). Normally his youngest would have been in the building's child care center, but his wife took their 4-year-old on to the doctor after dropping Ted off at the front of the building just minutes before the blast.
OKC Memorial
Ted and 167 others, were taken from not only their families and loved ones that day, but all of us they served.
But in the midst of sorrow and tragedy, America and Oklahoma changed. We became stronger people with a greater sense of pride in those who serve us, no matter what their capacity, be that soldier, law enforcement personnel or even urban planners.
Today, the Oklahoma City National Memorial stands on the site of the former building as a symbol of strength and hope, but most of all remembrance, so 'we never forget.'