It's been 30 years since Oklahoma endured the worst act of domestic terrorism in American history. For those who've lived in the state for any length of time, you know the date well: April 19, 1995.
On that infamous day, 168 lives were tragically lost following the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. Forty-seven blood donors were among the death toll, along with 19 children.
Naturally, we focus today on those who were so senselessly killed. But in those first days and hours following the attack, Oklahomans banded together to focus on the hundreds of bombing survivors requiring medical attention. Men and women dug tirelessly through mountains of rubble looking for signs of life while local and federal law enforcement searched far and wide for those responsible.
But there were so many other heroes that day as well, as we here at Our Blood Institute know firsthand.
OBI's donor center in central OKC was less than a mile from the bombing — close enough for the building to shake violently from the blast. Not even an hour later, people started showing up unprompted, requesting to donate. Lines began to form around the building. With no social media and with little information regarding the bombing to speak of, Oklahomans bravely risked their lives to give blood for the sake of others.
Everyday citizens arrived in droves to donate over the next several days. In just 72 hours, we saw an astonishing 7,000 donors! Not only did these unnamed heroes provide critical support for the victims of what we now know as the Oklahoma City Bombing, they exemplified a spirit of resilience and compassion that — like the memories we hold of those we lost — will never be forgotten.
