In the dim of evening, it's easy to miss the tiny scars on her face, stitched there by exploding glass. It's lifted a burden, Urbach says. You don't have to explain what you've been through. In the beginning, there was the fence. The chain-link barrier that surrounded the bombing site became America's wailing wall, and even after the memorial was built, a section was preserved.
People still attach mementos.
Bracelets and photos. Most memorials are built years after the event, and some, including a national World War II memorial, still are works in progress. In Oklahoma City, though, the planning began almost immediately. A 350-member task force that included survivors and victims' families drafted the mission statement that would guide the memorial design. For many, the bomb site has always been a place to return to.