Blue ribbons were the symbol adopted by the people of Oklahoma City in the aftermath of the April 19, 1995, terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

During those terrible days, Oklahomans across the state wore the ribbons, often combined with purple, yellow, and white, as symbols of support, hope, and remembrance for the dead, the missing, the injured, the rescuers, and each other. In those small tokens, we found strength, unity, and a small measure of comfort.

Equally memorable to many of us was the spontaneous lighting of auto headlights. In a gesture once reserved exclusively for funeral processions, drivers began turning on their headlights. Within hours of the explosion, literally miles of lights could be seen throughout the city. Those ribbons of light helped bind us together and communicate our care and concern to one another.

The links on this page will tell and show you a great deal about the bombing and the memorial that later was built on the site. However, there was one unforgettable image in local newspapers that could not be found for inclusion here: a police patrol car parked at the scene during the rescue efforts with a message scrawled across its rear window—

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!!

I grew up in Oklahoma City. I lived there until September 1999. I was five miles away when the bomb went off. Even so, the one-story steel frame and stone building I was in shuddered alarmingly.

In the days that followed, the downtown streets and alleys so familiar to me were crowded with strangers. Every access to the area was blocked by Hummer vehicles and guarded by two or more U.S. Army troopers, big burly men in camouflage fatigues armed with both rifles and handguns. A sickening, warlike scene in the streets of my hometown, a city famous for its friendly openness to all comers.

The headlights blazed for days. Flags flew at half staff. Everywhere were blue ribbons, sloganed T-shirts, fund raisers, and blood drives. Soup kitchens near the blast zone were open 24 hours a day, providing for the rescue workers. Radios and TVs were left on to blare the latest news. Every yellow Ryder truck was viewed with suspicion. Every siren freshened the memories and rekindled the anxiety. It seemed to go on for months.

The bomber, Timothy McVeigh, was captured just a few hours later. He was tried and convicted in 1997 and was executed on June 11, 2001. His accused accomplice, Terry Nichols, is serving a life term in prison.

— Susan Records   

 

(Click for larger images)

 

We will never forget!!!

 

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