Sapling from Oklahoma City Memorial Survivor Tree Planted In D.C.

April 19 will mark 30 years since the Oklahoma City bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. On Monday, April 7, a sapling from the Survivor Tree at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum was planted in Washington D.C. as a tribute to the 168 lives lost on that tragic day 30 years ago.

News 9 was on site in Washington D.C. this week for the planting of the sapling from the Survivor Tree. A plaque was added to the front of the sapling that read: "To honor the 168 lives lost, rescuers and others impacted by the April 19, 1995, attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma."

The Survivor Tree is a symbol of resilience to Oklahomans.

On April 19, 1995, when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed in downtown Oklahoma City, local televisions showed the front half of the building completely blown away. According to the report from the FBI, one third of the building was reduced to rubble by a bomb ignited by Timothy McVeigh. Downtown Oklahoma City looked like a "war zone" near the federal building - "dozens of cars were incinerated and more than 300 nearby buildings were damaged or destroyed."

The loss of human life was more devastating than the destruction - 168 people died that day, including 19 children, and several hundred were injured. The only thing left standing near the building was an American elm tree. It was badly scarred from the explosion, but it survived and is still standing today next to the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The Survivor Tree has become a symbol of resilience to Oklahomans as it withstood one of the most violent terrorist attacks in United States history and is still standing today.