OKLAHOMA BOMBING - IN MEMORIAM

 

From the Buffalo News:

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told survivors and victims' relatives gathered Monday for a somber ceremony to mark the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing that the city's spirit in the wake of the tragedy served as an example to the nation.

Napolitano also warned of the need for continued vigilance against terrorists when she spoke during the 90-minute memorial to the 168 lives lost in the destruction of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. More than 600 others were injured in the blast, which at the time was the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Across Oklahoma City, people observed 168 seconds of silence to honor the dead.

Some dabbed away tears as the ceremony closed with family members reading a roll call of those who died.

"What defines us as a nation, as a people and as communities is not what we have suffered, but how we have risen above it, how we've overcome," Napolitano said.

 

Charlene Green hugs, left, hugs Constance Favorite, right, at the chair of Favorite's daughter, Lakesha Levy, in the Field of Chairs at the Oklahoma National Memorial, Monday April 19, 2010, the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.

 

Ila Clark, left, holds her husband Dale Clark, right, of Denham Springs, La., during the reading of the names of the 168 victims of the Oklahoma city bombing.... Dale Clark's sister Kimberly Clark was killed in the bombing.

Let us pray for healing for the injured in the bombing and for those who suffered psychological trauma.

All those who loved the victims who died in the bombing will never forget them. Let us pray for healing for their friends and family.

Let us pray, "Never again!"

Thanks to Counterlight for the reminder of the anniversary of the tragedy.