OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – From the bagpipes to 168 seconds of silence, today held a familiar scene at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. 

26 years later, this day is still hard for the victim’s families but remains important. 

“It means so much to see people who we would never cross paths except for the bombing and they become our family,” said judge Cindy Ferrell Ashwood, who lost her sister that day. 

The keynote speaker, US Attorney General Merrick Garland, help lead the prosecution. 

He recalled being in OKC 26 years ago, walking through debris, and speaking to victims’ families. 

“I cannot express the depth of my gratitude for your thinking of our comfort in your pain, or the depth of my admiration for the care that Oklahomans extended to those who were hurting neighbors and strangers alike” said Attorney General Garland. 

“Wonderful, full of energy. Just that person who everyone was drawn to in the room,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Blayne Arthur, who lost her mother in the bombing. 

Judge Cindy Ferrell Ashwood, lost her sister. 

“We spent days waiting and watching like everyone, thinking we were just living a nightmare,” she said. 

Monday, young children running and playing where older generations of their family once worked. 

The scene illustrating how crucial it is to teach younger generations what happened in 1995. 

“A lot of our family have been a part of the stories at the memorial and the outreach. My children were six and one at the time and it’s just so important for these generations to really learn,” said Ferrell Ashwood. 

“We here in OKC must actively love,  we must actively empathize, we must actively speak for truth,” added Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.