#SPEECH TRANSCRIPTS

On a rainy morning in April, people from every corner of America gathered in a Texas field to mark the second anniversary of a great tragedy. Passions still ran raw from from what had happened at Mount Carmel just two years before. In fact, the event may even have been more emotional than the 1994 commemoration, which was billed as a "Day of Information" rather than a memorial service, and where academics talked about abstractions like religious liberty. Amplifying the raw emotions, news of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City being bombed was coming in as the service was being held.

This anniversary is one of the most interesting. The speakers included two militia commanders, as well as other pro-Patriot speakers, including "Bo" Gritz. It is fascinating to watch how the speakers react as more "information" about Oklahoma City comes in during the day. Another interesting point is the number of speakers who express guilt and remorse for doing nothing to save the Davidians. One usually thinks of the Oklahoma City bombers as being driven by "rage," for instance, but a tormenting shame over their inaction two years before could also have been a powerful motivation.

Last year, I spoke to David Hall, who helped plan the 1995 event. Hall brings a replica of the Liberty Bell to almost every anniversary, which is rung as the name of each of the dead is called out; also, as a producer for KPOC-TV, he made the video, "The Waco Incident." Hall says that for a time, he was in the doghouse with Clive Doyle, because Clive thought he was with the militia movement due to the prominent role they had at the service. But Hall says that Clive told him that they wanted to participate and to fit them into the program, and that's all he intended. He also said that it was his idea to bring little white crosses to symbolize each of the dead, but that the survivors weren't entirely pleased with that, either, as they prefer their Star of David motif.

Pam Hawkins, who acted as local coordinator that year, confirmed recently what David Hall said about Clive being unhappy with him about how the event turned out. She says that the organizers were pleased to get Jack Zimmerman, Sarah Bain, and Ramsey Clark to speak, and were hopeful that these figures would have the stature to attract national media attention to the memorial service. A press reception was held with the three of them the night before, with the expectation that their speeches would be the focus on the morrow. But in the morning, there were suddenly all these militiamen, standing out dramatically in their fatigues and stealing the show. She lamented that the media ignored everybody except the militias and the fiery Reverend Otwell. She also said that Clive told her that the sight of men in camouflage uniforms prompted one of the surviving children to ask, "Why are the people who killed my parents here?"

The fact that this memorial service got underway on the same morning that the Oklahoma City bombing would burn the date of April 19 into the minds of all Americans gives this anniversary an edge. And while David Hall may not have intended it, and the survivors may have wished otherwise, having militiamen at Mt. Carmel on the very day that their movement would explode into the mainstream consciousness sharpens it. Watching the event now, you realize you are witnessing a historical moment- the militia movement on its most hallowed ground, as Oklahoma City would change it forever.

This is a list of the speakers from the 1995 anniversary, with the approximate time that each speaker began speaking, based on the three-tape set made by John Seydler. I have also transcribed my first speech from this event, that of Revend WN Otwell. There are first drafts of the other speeches also, but these are not reliable. Also, currently all transcripts stop where speakers began reading from prepared texts. Those speeches are marked here by an asterisk (*). Again, remember that I only transcribe these speeches, I didn't give them, and am not endorsing every thought of every speaker.

:00	Pam Hawkins	local coordinator
:20	Reverend WN Otwell	minister from Nacogdoches, TX
7:00	Pam Hawkins
9:30	Ron Engelman	former radio talk show host, KGBS Dallas
15:05	Jack Zimmerman*	former attorney for Branch Steve Schneider
28:45	Ron Engelman
30:05	Sarah Bain	jury forewoman, San Antonio Davidian trial
35:05	Ron Engelman
36:00	James Pate*	writer for Soldier of Fortune
1:03:10	Ron Engelman
1:04:15	Dick Reavis	author, The Ashes of Waco, New Leftist Texan
1:17:15	Ron Engelman	first news of Oklahoma City
1:18:05	Pam Hawkins*
1:31:15	Ron Engelman
1:32:45	Gordon Novel*	investigator for civil suits
1:37:45	Ramsey Clark	former Attorney General, attorney in civil suit
1:52:05	Ron Engelman
1:54:00	intermission
1:55:15	end of first tape
++++
1:55:20	Ron Engelman
1:58:00	Pam Hawkins*
2:06:25	Ron Engelman
2:09:10	Dr. Phil Arnold*	head of Reunion Institue, Houston
2:46:35	end of second tape
++++
2:46:40	Ron Engelman
2:47:30	David Thibodeau	survivor, April 19
3:07:35	Ron Engelman
3:08:35	Clive Doyle	survivor, Branch Davidian pastor
		(3:11:45 reading of names of the dead)
3:30:10	Doyle/Engelman
3:32:15	Dan Powell	commander, Northeast Texas Regional Militia
		(3:34:20 Bonnie Haldeman, David Koresh's mother, accepts flag from Powell)
3:39:35	Ron Engelman
3:42:35	James "Bo" Gritz	Presidential candidate, Populist Party
3:55:45	Ralph Turner*	commander, Texas Constitutional Militia
4:09:10	TCM Honor Guard
4:12:30	Clive Doyle
4:13:00	crosses
4:21:50	end of last tape

This event was one of the most emotionally powerful of the remembrances at Mt. Carmel. While transcripts can relay the words that were said, they cannot capture the emotion in the voices and on the faces of the speakers, and they especially fall short for such a passionate event. Having transcribed the speeches myself from the video, I can testify to how miserably my efforts compare to watching the tape. If you also want to see and hear this emotionally charged event, a three-tape set is available from the Mt. Carmel Survivors Memorial Fund. The three-videotape set is priced at $20, and the audiotape set at $15 (donations for postage appreciated). The set has been discontinued, so will be available on a "while supplies last" basis. Their address is:

wacocult@yahoo.***

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version:9/27/00