Murrah Federal Building Bombing: 18 Years Later

Hundreds of people gathered Friday at a church near the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to mark 18 years since the Murrah Federal Building bombing. Because of the weather, some changes were made to the ceremony.

In previous years, the remembrance ceremony was held outside on the memorial grounds. Because of the damp grounds at the site and the cold temperatures, organizers moved the ceremony inside, to the First United Methodist church located at N.W. 5th Street and Robinson. That's just around the corner from the memorial.

The ceremony began at 8:55 a.m. At 9:02 a.m., there were 168 seconds of silence to honor the lives lost that day. 

Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Bombing: A Timeline

Gov. Mary Fallin spoke at the ceremony. She was lieutenant governor of the state and attending a prayer breakfast downtown when the bombing occurred in 1995. She said she vividly remembers the day ad how people rushed to help, setting what's become known as the "Oklahoma Standard."

Fallin said the tragedy could have crippled Oklahoma City, but didn't. She said Oklahomans had the inner strength to rebuild, and because of that, Oklahoma City is now thriving.

The governor also offered prayers and support to Boston, saying Oklahomans well know, sadly, what the New England city is experiencing in the aftermath of the marathon bombing.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum (Twitter handle @OKCNM) is also trying something new this year. Organizers are encouraging the younger generation to become involved on Twitter, and tweet about the events of April 19, 1995, using the hashtag #FOREVERCHANGED. They're asking people to do the same on Instagram and Facebook.