I close my eyes at night knowing extra steps of kindness helped my community after the Oklahoma City bombing. The blast challenged our collective consciousness. Signs of recovery began bit by bit.

One-hundred-sixty-eight innocents perished on April 19, 1995, when bombing conspirator Timothy McVeigh detonated a 4,800-pound bomb packed in a Ryder truck that he parked in front of the downtown Alfred P. Murrah Building.

Cries followed on the streets. Shock settled in. Images of the bombing etched into memory.

Having been there that morning as a photographer for The Edmond Sun, I witnessed a dark hour overcome by humanity. Our future stepped forward. A child carried a younger child through a crowded street. Oklahomans cared for their own.

We are aware of the survivors. We honor their legacy 25 years later — perennial as the grass.

Oklahomans responded to the Oklahoma City bombing with a unified vision for a better world. It taught us to be less indifferent and more empathetic. We are grateful for all of the wisdom the survivors have been willing to share to make Oklahomans a better and stronger people.

Those innocents who died included men, women and children. Nineteen adults who died in rubble had made Edmond their home. They had families, thoughts about days to come.

McVeigh’s inhumanity is gone. Seeds from the partially burned Survivor Tree were harvested and given to many of the survivors and families of victims on the anniversary of the bombing. Light overcame darkness.

McVeigh and his co-conspirator Terry Nichols were two men enraged by their government. They sought to wound the federal government by their action. What they failed to consider is the government is of the people and by the people.

McVeigh and Nichols could have gone to the ballot box for change, a liberty provided by the Constitution of the United States of America.

May we be reminded that our Constitution of 50 states unites us as “We the people” with liberties protected, not by radical politicians, but by laws.

I observed McVeigh smirk in court as a steady, cold north wind blew across the Murrah Building grounds onto the face of the nearby courthouse. Victims and survivors of the bombing sat peacefully as justice proceeded.

Everyone has a role in preventing domestic terrorism. The big challenge for counter terrorism is getting all sectors of society involved in protecting future generations against the pathways of radicalization.

We can do this in a lawful manner providing a platform for answers to questions posed by young people. Educate. Deepen civics classes in our schools. Reveal ways people have made moral, intellectual and spiritual sense of the world. Elect leaders who do not divide people, but unite them.

We must become more aware of history to prevent the unthinkable from happening again.

James Coburn is a police, government and general assignment reporter for The Edmond Sun. Send an email to James at jcoburn@edmondsun.com or call 405-341-2121.