PJ Allen’s small body was horrifyingly burned when rescuers found him amidst the wreckage. Later, in the hospital, the toddler was so completely covered in bandages that his grandmother could only identify him by his belly button.
He carries the physical scars of the deadliest homegrown terrorist attack in US history but holds no memory of the day that remains etched in the minds of older generations. His 73-year-old grandmother, Deloris Watson, however, can recall every single detail.
She remembers dropping off then 18-month-old Allen at the daycare located within the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on the morning of April 19, 1995. She had a 9 a.m. appointment with the daycare’s director to discuss the boy’s recent asthma diagnosis, she told. But upon learning the appointment would be canceled, she decided to take her wristwatch to a local repair shop, just a few blocks away.
At 9:02 a.m., as she was driving, a massive explosion rocked her world. She instinctively jumped out of her truck and ran up the street, desperately trying to comprehend the unfolding catastrophe downtown, she recounted. As thick clouds of smoke and dust began to dissipate, the sheer horror of the scene became apparent. The building that housed the daycare was now nothing but a twisted, catastrophic mess.
Emergency responders rushed to the devastated site, finding victims both inside the ruins and scattered on the street. Hours later, Watson finally located her grandson at the children’s hospital. The little boy had burns all over his fragile body, and doctors were still struggling to accurately identify him.
But amidst the layers of bandages, Watson instantly recognized her grandson’s belly button. She knew without a doubt it
