Managing to 'survive history' - the Olympic Park Bombing of 1996

Where Erika and I stood that night.

14 years ago this week, Erika and I were living in Atlanta, GA. Erika, 5 months pregnant with Cassidy, and I had the pleasure of experiencing the 1996 Summer Olympics. The date was Saturday - July 27th, it was a beautiful summer day and we had planned on taking in the non-sport activities in downtown Atlanta. We had dinner at Planet Hollywood, we mingled in the crowds of nearly a million people on the streets and ended the night at the Centennial Olympic park where Black Uhuru performed a fantastic set. We hung out most of the night near this sculpture (top right)

The bomb explodes at 1:20am.

After the band finished, we wanted to hang around longer, but we both agreed that we 'were suddenly just wiped out tired' - we headed out of the park, right around midnight, grabbed the subway home and hit the sack. Within the hour our phone started ringing off the hook...the first called asking us "are we ok?" "did you hear what happened?" Our friend said - "there was a bomb at the park tonight" and neither of us could believe it until we turned on the TV.

Damage from the blast.

At 1:20am, a bomb, later learned to be placed by Eric Robert Rudolph, detonated no further than 50 yards where Erika and I had hung out all night. Tragically, the blast was deadly, killing 2 and injuring over 100. You can see the damage to the sculpture we stood by for most of that night.(left) Alice Hawthorne, killed by the blast, was seated at one of the benches in this area.
For the next few days, I had a hard time grasping the gravity of this situation we just experienced. Even though, we were not "there" when it happened...it was one of those moments in life where I had to question "why me, why us, why NOT us?" The very next morning I drove to work and for the first time in my life, I felt absolutely empty inside - I remember just driving and crying. That night, the night of the bombing, I was helpless to protect my wife and unborn child, and even myself. That day covered the entire spectrum of emotions for us - we reveled on the Olympic spirit and we mourned a national tragedy.
The Centennial Park was closed for 3 days and reopened on July 31st. To show our support and defy the fear that terrorism brings, we went back to the park that day. The park has change a lot over the years and today, there is located along the east border are the Quilt Plazas, five plazas of contrasting bricks that tell the story of the Centennial Olympic Games. The best "quilt" is also the most moving. Titled the Quilt of Remembrance, (right) it pays respect to the bombing victims and contains colored marble from five continents.