And if I, a simple woman in a tiny town in rural Arkansas, thousands of miles away from any direct impact, was so affected, how much more so those who actually lived through it?

This is exactly how I felt about it.

I was living in OKC when the Murrah building was bombed. We were about 8 miles away from the downtown area, and we felt it. I walked around in shock for a few days after that. This was so many times worse; I can't imagine.