Oklahomans Celebrate Heroes of the Bombing

By Jennifer Pierce, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Fifteen years after the Murrah Bombing, Oklahoma City isn't focusing on the destruction of that day, but instead the people who lived through the tragedy are telling a new story.

The Heroes of the Bombing can be seen all over the metro as part of a marketing campaign.

Tom Hall is among the survivors of the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City.

"For me personally it's always been about moving forward and not letting circumstances get the best of me that would be to me letting the bastard win if it did consume me," he said.

That spirit landed him on a billboard near downtown Oklahoma City. The creators of the 15 year bombing anniversary campaign called on the Heroes of that day. The theme is about capturing a brief moment in time, but always looking forward, said Meribeth Sloan with Jordan Associates.

"We want people to know that going forward we need to look at resilience and the resolve to go on," she said. "They really are the true heroes because they've moved on. They've raised their children. They've been successful in their lives despite the hardship that they felt."

Rescue worker Keith Simonds thinks strength and resilience are appropriate themes to mark the 15^th anniversary.

"We can look back and see that a day of tragedy is now given Oklahoma something we can be proud of," he said.