The citizens of the United States were stunned on April 19, 1995, when a rented truck parked outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, erupted at 9:02 am Central Time. Its scenes of carnage unleashed fear, anger and sorrow across the nation, as well as an astonishingly swift quest for the suspected perpetrators of the slaughter. In the worst act of terrorism in U.S. history, the huge car bomb virtually destroyed the building. Six other nearby buildings were also heavily damaged by the explosion. The bodies of a dozen or more small children who had been in a second-floor day care center were among those confirmed dead shortly after rescue teams arrived at the scene. As many as 200 others were believed to be trapped beneath the wreckage, but firefighters had to proceed with caution because the damaged structure was so unstable. The explosion left 168 people  dead, including 19 children. In addition, a nurse was killed during the rescue efforts. April 19, 2000 Emotional dedication of Oklahoma City memorial offers time to grieve OKLAHOMA CITY (CNN) -- Hundreds of family members, friends and survivors gathered at a powerful service to dedicate the Oklahoma City National Memorial, honoring the 168 people who died in the truck bombing that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building five years ago. The $29.1 million memorial was built on the grounds where the Murrah building stood, a place called sacred by speakers at the service. The monument's 168 empty stone-and-glass chairs stand in mute testimony for those who died on April 19, 1995. The chairs recall tombstones and are lined in nine rows, one for each floor of the building. A name of a victim is engraved on each chair. "In some ways, it's not easy to turn this over to the world," Bob Johnson, chairman of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation, said at the dedication. "It is sacred to us; it is our holy ground." After prayers, hundreds of tearful family members rose from their seats with arms on one another's shoulders to listen to the hymn "Holy Ground." They then bowed their heads to observe 168 seconds of silence -- one second for each victim -- which was broken by the tolling of bells. Friends then read out each of the victim's names. Upon hearing the names, victims' family members rose and were escorted to the memorial by an honor guard, to the chairs that honor their loved ones. "We have come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived, and to offer comfort peace, hope and serenity," said Doris Jones, a family member. The site of the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil is a picture of serenity now. Where a bomb once blasted a crater into the downtown street, a black granite pool reflects the downtown sky. Grass and trees stand where rescuers scoured a three-story high pile of concrete and glass for victims. An elm tree whose branches bore the impact of the blast, unfolds in a display of green. It has been named "The Survivor Tree". Message: Look to the future During the service, the message to the grieving family and friends was not to lose heart. "Live in the present, dream of the future," Oklahoma City Police Chaplain Jack Poe told the audience. In a prayer, he said, "Do not allow us to lose ourselves in horror, allow us to exercise freedom of choice, work strongly, (with a) deeper sense of righteousness." Family members "will always be a fiber of memory between us, gone but never forgotten, giving strength and hope to future generations." "Treasure the gif"t of life, remember friends and family that reached out to help, remember the strangers whose lives were touched by the events," Allen told those gathered. "We must learn to go on with our lives as well." Chairs bring peace The stone-and-glass chairs bring peace to Jeannine Gist, although she needs no reminder of the empty chair at her own dinner table. "When we first talked about building the memorial, I couldn't imagine it could be a peaceful place," said Gist, whose 32-year-old daughter, Karen Carr, worked and died in the federal building. Robert Roddy, who managed to escape the ninth floor of the building down a stairway, came looking Wednesday morning for a memorial that was "spiritual, calming and fitting." His name is among those of survivors listed on a cracked and damaged part of the former federal building's foundation. "I was worried this might be a little too many bells and whistles, but it looks like it's come together real nice," he said. "I was anxious to come in, walk the grounds, see my name and imagine my children and grandchildren walking here someday." Museum to open across from memorial Across from the memorial, at the gutted shell of what was the Journal Record newspaper building, a museum is being constructed where visitors will be able to hear the bomb blast and learn more about the victims. The museum is scheduled to open in November. The story will be told simply, without drama, museum director Sunni Mercer said, pointing to one example -- a box holding keys plucked from the crumbled federal building. Piles of these unclaimed house keys, locker keys and gate keys will be on display, all speaking to the normal lives changed by an act of terrorism. Gist, who helped plan the museum, wants visitors to know who her daughter was and wants them to be changed, too. "I'd like them to leave thinking, 'If there is anything I can do to make sure this never happens again, I will do it,'" she said. Then Now Symbolic Concepts Of The Memorial  • All 'Before' pictures are by Sgt Dan Helmuth  and/or the Oklahoma City Police Department. • All 'Now' pictures were submitted by a friend of Steve Long (a friend of ours). Please acknowledge this page if you use them. • White House Commission on Remembrance • The Memorial Ceremony Report  is courtesy of CNN.com. You are listening to: Holy Ground Back To Oklahoma Page Drive On To Branson!!! Visitors to this site since August 2000