Area: S:SNET-L
  Msg#: 2963                    Date: 05-3095  11:54
  From: Searchnet Mailing List  Read: Yes    Replied: No
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  Subj: MORE ON THE OKC MOM!


From: ur-valhalla!aur.alcatel.com!ghoda
Subject: More on the OKC mom!
Message-ID: <9505301454.AA09502@aurxcg.aur.alcatel.com>
Date: Tue, 30 May 95 10:54:53 -0400

Here is a recent exchange between CNN host, Gary Tuchman, and the
mother and grandfather of two young victims of the OKC bombing.
The mother (Edye), like veryone else, is wondering: Where was the
ATF on the morning of the bombing? It seems no one in the ATF
showed up that day.....hmmmmm...  Please note that this poor
woman has been told to shut up and not ask questions.

[BEGIN]

Glen, how are you managing?  How's the family holding up?

GLEN WILBURN, Victims' Grandfather: Pretty good, pretty good. We-
we're close, and we- we talk about it.  We talk about our
feelings, and we discuss- what's consumed our [unintelligible].
Our [unintelligible] took 180 degree turn that day, and it
probably will never be the same again.

GARY TUCHMAN: Edye, at this point you're very busy.  You've been
talking to people like us, you've been talking to police
officials, you've been with your family.  But in the next couple
of months when things start to get quieter here in Oklahoma City,
do you think it will begin getting tougher for you?

 EDYE SMITH:  Yeah, but I don't think things are going to start
getting very quiet, you know?  There's a- there are a lot of
questions that have been left unanswered, a lot of questions we
don't have answers for, we're being told to keep our mouths shut,
not talk about it, don't ask those questions, and I think things
are going to get a lot busier.

GARY TUCHMAN: What kind of questions have people been telling you
to keep your mouth shut about?

 EDYE SMITH:  Well, we've- just from the very beginning, we,
along with hundreds and thousands of other people, want to know
just- and we just innocently ask questions, you know - where was
ATF?  All 15 or 17 of their employees survived, and they live-
they're on the ninth floor.  They were the target of this
explosion, and where were they?  Did they have a warning sign?  I
mean, did they think it might be a bad day to go in the office.
They had an option to not go to work that day, and my kids didn't
get that option, nobody else in the building got that option.
And we're just asking questions, we're not making accusations.
We just want to know, and they're telling us 'Keep your mouth
shut, don't talk about it.'

GARY TUCHMAN: Well,  Edye Smith  and the Wilburns, thanks for
joining us.  Obviously, there are still a lot of questions that
have to be answered about this investigation, and I'm sure you'll
be seeking the answers to those questions.

Very important thing to point out.  There is still work to be
done at the site. There are the bodies of two victims still
inside the building, and it's believedthe body of a third man is
also there. They will immediately start looking for those
victims.  This is Gary Tuchman, CNN live, in Oklahoma City.

BOB CAIN: Thank you, Gary.


---------------------
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Date: 95-05-25 09:58:17 EDT


                              CNN
                      SHOW: NEWS 8:29 am ET
                          May 23, 1995

HEADLINE: Victims' Mother Asks Why No ATF Were Killed in Bombing

GUESTS: ANDREA ARCENEAUX, Anchor; EDYE SMITH,  Victims' Mother
(LIVE);KATHY GRAHAM-WILBURN, Victims' Grandmother (LIVE);GLEN
WILBURN, Victims' Grandfather (LIVE)

BYLINE: GARY TUCHMAN; ANDREA ARCENEAUX

 BODY:

BOB CAIN, Anchor: The visible monument to the terror of April
19th disappeared from the Oklahoma City skyline today about half
an hour ago.

ANDREA ARCENEAUX, Anchor: Watching among spectators were some of
the victims' family members.  CNN's Gary Tuchman joins us now
from Oklahoma City with an update as well as some interviews we
understand, Gary, with some of the victims'family members.

GARY TUCHMAN, Correspondent: That's right, Andrea and Bob.  You
know, for 34 days we've been standing in front of the federal
building here in Oklahoma City,and now, for the first time, we
can't be doing that.  The federal building is gone, imploded.
And you talk with people here at the scene, people who are family
members- members of the victims, people who were trapped inside
the building when this happened, people who have just come out to
watch.  And although this wasn't a surprising thing, everyone
knew it was going to be imploded today.

There was a lot of shock, because the fact was it was very loud,
it was very smoky and eerily reminiscent of what happened here
April 19th, 34 days ago, whenthe building exploded, when 4,800
pounds of TNT blew up in front of the building.

With us right now is  Edye Smith.   Edye was the mother of three-
year-old Chase and two-year-old Coulton, two little boys who
perished when this building exploded.  And standing next to Edye
are Chase and Coulton's grandparents.  Thank you, all three of
you, for joining us.

Edye, when you watched that building go down, as I was just
saying, it was no surprise, but it was so loud - wasn't it? - and
so reminiscent of what happened last month.

 EDYE SMITH,  Victims' Mother: It- it sure was.  Of course, last
time, whenever the bomb went off, we didn't know then at that
point that it was this building. So this to me, watching it go
down, I can just- it's like reliving that day, you know.  But the
building's not there anymore.

GARY TUCHMAN: I mean, the instant it went down, I was watching
your face, I was watching faces of other family members standing
there, and it was almost a look of disbelief, even though you
knew it was going to go down.

 EDYE SMITH:  Oh, it was.  I mean, who's ever seen anything like
that before.  We've- I'm here not only as a tribute to my kids
but just- I'm curious, like everybody else.  I wanted to see what
it was going to be like and it- it was certainly a sight.

GARY TUCHMAN: You're two little boys, such beautiful children.
It's very hard for anyone to figure out how someone likes- like
you copes with the situation.  How do you manage to cope?

 EDYE SMITH:  I've- my strength comes directly from God.  I am-
I've been raised in a Christian home, very fortunate.  He keeps
me going every day.  I don't see how anybody could go through
anything like this without Him.  I just can't even imagine.

GARY TUCHMAN: Do you talk to Chase and Coulton?

EDYE SMITH:  Oh, I sure do.

GARY TUCHMAN: What do you say to them?

EDYE SMITH:  I just- I tell them I miss them, and I just pretend
sometimes - I probably look like an idiot - I pretend like
they're right there with me, you know, at home, and I'll talk to
them.

GARY TUCHMAN: Edye, I can assure of you that no- assure you no
one would think you're an idiot for doing that.-

EDYE SMITH:  -I receive letters and cards from people all over
the place saying 'talk to them.' You know, 'Talk to them - tell
God to say 'hi' to them,' you know.  My kids will always be alive
in my heart, you know.  And, you know, they might have died in
that building, but they're not dead to me, they're not.

GARY TUCHMAN: Grandparent Glen and Kathy Wilburn.  Kathy, I
looked- when I looked at your face it was just an incredible
sight when you saw that building go down.  It was like you had
never imagined something like that would happen.  How did you
feel?

KATHY GRAHAM-WILBURN, Victims' Grandmother: Well, it startled me.
I was expecting to hear sirens and to be warned, and I didn't
hear 'em.  And when- when it happened, it was just like being
back in my office again.  And it did-

GARY TUCHMAN: -Where was your office?

KATHY GRAHAM-WILBURN: Four blocks down.  Edye and I work at IRS
and-

GARY TUCHMAN: -Oh, so you work together, you and-

KATHY GRAHAM-WILBURN: -Yeah.  And we ran down the street together
and found the-the building devastated, and it- it was startling.
It broke my heart.  It was sad.  It- it dawned on me just a few
days ago that while I was sitting there on the phone placing an
order that when I heard that noise that our babies were just
being blown to bits.  It was- instant replay.  It was sad.

GARY TUCHMAN: There actually was a warning system put in place
here - police sirens going up.  But they were very faint, two
blocks away.  It was hard to hear-

KATHY GRAHAM-WILBURN: -I see.-

GARY TUCHMAN: -those police sirens here.  So that's what
increased the shock value that we actually-

KATHY GRAHAM-WILBURN: -Yeah.-

GARY TUCHMAN: -didn't know right away that was going down.  Glen,
how are you managing?  How's the family holding up?

GLEN WILBURN, Victims' Grandfather: Pretty good, pretty good. We-
we're close, and we- we talk about it.  We talk about our
feelings, and we discuss- what's consumed our [unintelligible].
Our [unintelligible] took 180 degree turn that day, and it
probably will never be the same again.

GARY TUCHMAN: Edye, at this point you're very busy.  You've been
talking to people like us, you've been talking to police
officials, you've been with your family.  But in the next couple
of months when things start to get quieter here in Oklahoma City,
do you think it will begin getting tougher for you?

EDYE SMITH:  Yeah, but I don't think things are going to start
getting very quiet, you know?  There's a- there are a lot of
questions that have been left unanswered, a lot of questions we
don't have answers for, we're being told to keep our mouths shut,
not talk about it, don't ask those questions, and I think things
are going to get a lot busier.

GARY TUCHMAN: What kind of questions have people been telling you
to keep your mouth shut about?

EDYE SMITH:  Well, we've- just from the very beginning, we, along
with hundreds and thousands of other people, want to know just-
and we just innocently ask questions, you know - where was ATF?
All 15 or 17 of their employees survived, and they live- they're
on the ninth floor.  They were the target of this explosion, and
where were they?  Did they have a warning sign?  I mean, did they
think it might be a bad day to go in the office.  They had an
option to not go to work that day, and my kids didn't get that
option, nobody else in the building got that option.  And we're
just asking questions, we're not making accusations.  We just
want to know, and they're telling us 'Keep your mouth shut, don't
talk about it.'

GARY TUCHMAN: Well,  Edye Smith  and the Wilburns, thanks for
joining us.  Obviously, there are still a lot of questions that
have to be answered about this investigation, and I'm sure you'll
be seeking the answers to those questions.

Very important thing to point out.  There is still work to be
done at the site. There are the bodies of two victims still
inside the building, and it's believedthe body of a third man is
also there. They will immediately start looking for those
victims.  This is Gary Tuchman, CNN live, in Oklahoma City.

BOB CAIN: Thank you, Gary.


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