Trifter

It was about a quarter before 09:00 when I climbed into my truck, eased away from the fuel island and onto the access road. The morning commute was almost over. So, I was hoping for no problems going from the north side of Oklahoma City through downtown and south to Dallas. Clear blue skies, pleasant mid-spring temperatures and no traffic should have made for a perfect day of trucking.

My clock showed 09:01 as I approached the N. E. 10th street exit. I was reaching up to turn my radio on when I caught a glimpse of black smoke just before the road dipped into a valley. As I headed up the next small hill in front of me an Oklahoma State Trooper blew past me on the left. When I topped the hill I had a longer look at the giant cloud of smoke that seemed to be billowing out of the north end of downtown Oklahoma City. The black and white state trooper’s car had already disappeared through the I-40/I-35 interchange. I figured he was headed to where the black smoke was coming from. By the time I went through the interchange onto I-40 and then splitting off to go south again on I -35 I had been passed by two more cop cars. These were Oklahoma City Police vehicles, and they too were headed for the area consumed in black smoke. And, by now, the AM radio was talking about a large explosion, unsure about the cause.

The thought hit me that I should turn around. I figured somebody was going to be needing a lot of help. But, I was driving 80,000 pounds of steel and frozen meat down the highway. If I drove my truck down into the mess I knew would soon be stacking up down there,,,,,,,,,,,. Anyway, my responsibility was to keep my truck moving, and stay out of the way.

It has been eleven years since that nightmare unfolded in Oklahoma City. And, I think about that day, and September 11, 2001 every single day. And, yes – I still weep for those who lost their lives, and those who lost their loved ones. And, it often occurs to me that, most likely, somewhere between the truck stop and downtown Oklahoma City, I may have been within a hundred feet of Timothy Mc Vey. As he drove north out of town we may have met on I-35.

I have visited the outdoor part of the Oklahoma City National Memorial half-a-dozen times since it opened. I have been there three times now with camera in hand. All of my visits were short due to time constraints. And, each time I leave I know that I will be returning as soon as possible.

I seem to always enter the memorial from the west side, which faces Walker Avenue. Along this street is a tribute fence, where visitors have placed mementos, letters, photographs, hand written prayers, and other tributes to those who died that day.

Visiting this memorial helps me sort things out, and puts life into perspective for me. I am almost 58 years old. I believe that if the events of April 19 and September 11 had not happened I would have gone to my grave not knowing the value of the time I am spending here. The Oklahoma City National Memorial is where I go to renew promises to myself of living a life of meaning.

Resource Box

There are approximately 30 photographs available to illustrate this article.

Note: Keith Birmingham is now a Las Vegas based photographer, writer and webmaster with a growing catalog of industrial, lifestyle and nature photography. Photography by Keith Birmingham is the online portfolio he uses to attract professional photo buyers.