Survivors mark anniversary of OKC bombing

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Twelve years after the Oklahoma City bombing, survivors, family and friends of the 168 people killed continue to gather each April 19 as a kind of extended family, comforting and supporting each other through the lingering hurt and loss.

"A lot of us are still helping each other," said Martin Cash, a bombing survivor, who stood among the rows of empty chairs Thursday at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

"These families are my family," he said.

Hundreds of survivors, relatives and friends of victims gathered at the memorial, built on the grounds of the destroyed Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, to remember those who died 12 years ago Thursday.

As people arrived at the memorial's annual Remembrance Ceremony, a pianist played the piano on which John Lennon composed the song "Imagine" in 1971. The piano sat outdoors on a sidewalk beside the memorial's reflecting pool.

The ceremony began with 168 seconds of silence. The names of those killed also were read.

Presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Lt. Gov. Jari Askins each spoke during the ceremony.

"This week it is hard not to note the fact that America has again been shaken by violence on an early morning in April," Giuliani said.

However, he added, Oklahoma's demonstration of compassion and strength became a model for New York City through the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and will help those affected by the violence this week at Virginia Tech, Giuliani said.

"With the dust and smoke still hanging in the air, the people of Oklahoma City came together as one," he said.

The core mission of the nation, he said, is to protect its citizens while reasserting the right to live with freedom from fear.

"What terrorists have to know, what criminals have to know, is if you attack any of us -- any one city, any one college -- you attack all of us."

Giuliani also recalled the New York City rescue workers who were dispatched to Oklahoma City late in the evening of April 19, 1995.

Nine of those workers who came to Oklahoma City lost their lives six years later in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he said.

Five New York City firefighters and that city's former fire commissioner traveled to Oklahoma City to attend Thursday's ceremony.

Dina Abulon, the stepdaughter of Peter R. Avillanoza, who died while working in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, also spoke during the ceremony and tearfully described her family's search for her stepfather after the bombing.

Abulon, who now lives in California, said her impression of Oklahoma is that of inspiration. She said that hugs, even from people she had never met, kept her going after the bombing.

"You've all transformed this tragedy into a positive experience," she said.

After the ceremony, family and friends adorned the memorial's 168 chairs with bouquets, pictures and mementos. Each chair represents a person who died in the bombing.

The nine-story Murrah Building was destroyed when the bomber detonated 4,800 pounds of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil loaded into a cargo truck parked near its entrance. In addition to those killed, more than 800 people were injured.

Timothy McVeigh was apprehended less than two hours after the bombing. He was convicted of federal murder charges and was executed June 11, 2001.

Terry Nichols, who met McVeigh when they were in the Army, was convicted of federal and state bombing charges. He is serving several life sentences.

Angel Riggs (405) 528-2465
angel.riggs@tulsaworld.com