Episode Production Notes
Don Swift • Executive Producer, Project Concept & Marketing
Rick Buchanan • Producer, Researcher, Writer
Ken Sarkey • Producer, Recording Engineer, Music Composer, Editor
Jeremy Gossett • Producer, Recording Engineer, Program Announcer
Brenda Bennett • Program Host
Stephanie Moore • Project Coordinator, Scheduling, Social Media & Marketing, Web Assistance
Nina Jones • Web Design
Episode 1 Production Notes
Original podcast date: February 12, 2015
Our special music is “Annie’s Song”, composed and performed by Drew Faulkner, a student at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Piano and orchestration arranged and performed by Ken Sarkey, and recorded at Cornerstone Recording Co., Edmond, Oklahoma.
A number of guests were Interviewed in this episode; some we hear from briefly now, but will hear more of their account in upcoming episodes.
They are:
Trey Davis
KTOK News reporter, shares his First-on-the-Scene account
Veyda Sarkey Burbridge
Local business woman and great-grandma
Bob Ricks
Chief of Police – Edmond Oklahoma Police Dept., formerly FBI Special Agent In Charge – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Christy Sarkey
Sergeant – Edmond Oklahoma Police Dept., formerly with the FBI and Bomb Squad Member, she was a College Student in 1995.
Phil Bacharach
Journalist/writer for the Oklahoma Gazette, author of “The McVeigh Letters” for Esquire Magazine
Kent Frates
Oklahoma City attorney and author of “Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases”
Jon Hansen
Assistant Fire Chief – Oklahoma City Fire Dept.
Bruce Davis
Formerly with the Oklahoma City Police Dept.
Albert Ashwood
Director, Oklahoma State Emergency Management.
*A Note from producer Ken Sarkey:
While working on the first episode of our Real Mysteries podcast series, “Annie’s Song” came to mind as I considered music appropriate for inclusion. It was written in 2013 by a then 20 year old Drew Faulkner, who sent me a demo to listen to and help him with a professional arrangement and recording. I had previously had the pleasure of recording Drew’s beautiful singing voice, and he comes from a very talented and creative musical family. On the very day we released the premier “We Will Always Remember” podcast that closed with “Annie’s Song”, Drew’s father was recovering from cancer surgery in Oklahoma City, and my wife and I played it for him during our visit to the hospital that evening.
For one as young as he, Drew seemed to have a special ability to convey the complex emotional message of one who is suffering in ways most people cannot understand unless they too have experienced it. But as I listened to “Annie’s Song” in light of the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing tragedy, the deep, sensitive lyrics seemed to apply in a way he probably hadn’t thought of:
“The walls are closing in, and I am done. I just don’t have any strength left to keep pushing on…”
On April 19, 1995, in an instant, the walls of the Murrah federal building were shaken apart, along with the lives of those inside, and those who would rush to their rescue and recovery. It would require a lot of strength to work through the healing process; physically, mentally, and emotionally. It takes time, too.
We are coming up on the mark of twenty years since that horrific event, and as we have interviewed many who were involved first hand, we see and feel those emotions still lingering. We pray for continued restoration as you cast all your cares on the One who cares for you.
Drew Faulkner
Hooker Oklahoma
Notes on Annie’s Song:
I began writing “Annie’s Song” in the spring of 2013 and wasn’t satisfied with it until that fall. It was at that time that I contacted Ken Sarkey at Cornerstone Recording Co. in Edmond, Oklahoma, to see about arranging and producing the song. He worked on it for months. He would send me a version of the song, and I would give him any ideas I had for adjustments via email. We corresponded that way until the summer of 2014, when he sent me the final product. I was blown away when I listened to it for the first time.
The inspiration for “Annie’s Song” came from the mother of one of my friends. At the time, she was battling cancer, and her case was not a good one. However, she’d decided she was going to be positive, and would post about her daily life on Facebook to encourage people. One of these posts not only sparked my imagination and inspired me to write a song, but also struck me to the core and changed me forever.
It wasn’t the post itself, but a comment that caused this epiphany. Person after person had commented with words of encouragement, which is crucial in a situation such as hers. However, she had learned something even more important than believing she would beat cancer, and I was about to discover it in one of her replies.
I can’t remember what her exact words were, but I can tell you what I took away from it. From what she said, I got, “I might not survive this, but God is still good even if I don’t.” When I processed what she said, my jaw dropped. It was at this moment that I discovered what true faith looks like. True faith doesn’t depend on outcomes to be strong, it just IS. True faith believes that God IS good, no matter what your eyes see, or what your mind, or sometimes even your heart, tries to tell you.
It was then that I began to imagine what she thought, said, or felt when nobody was around. I started to try to picture the dark battles she had to fight against herself: against any fear, pain, sorrow, doubt, anger, hatred, or even self-resentment. I imagined that huge war, and all of the weariness that must come with it.
And then I thought about the reality of her victory. She was not cancer free, and didn’t know yet what would happen to her in the end, but when she decided to have unconditional faith, she had already won. When she could have given in to fear, she decided instead to acknowledge the reality of what she was facing and be an encouragement to others in the middle of it all. Even if it turned out that she wasn’t going to be around for much longer, she decided that she was going to use the time that God gave to her; that while she was still alive, she was going to live.
I used all of those thoughts and emotions, along with a Bible verse, to write this song. I wrote it as a gift to a stranger, who is now my cancer-free friend, for inspiring me the way she did. And I hope for it to touch many more hearts than just hers. I want it to inspire hope in seemingly hopeless situations everywhere. More than anything, though, I want it to point to the reality of what God can do for people, because that’s where true hope comes from. The quote from Psalms says, “… Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” So when you see the sun hanging up in the sky after a dark night, let yourself feel joy. Choose, like my friend did, to have unconditional faith, and say, “Today I am alive.”
Episode 2 Production Notes
Original podcast date: February 19, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Frank Keating
Governor of Oklahoma from 1995-2003.
Jon Hansen
Assistant Fire Chief – Oklahoma City Fire Dept.
Phil Bacharach
Editor of Oklahoma City Gazette, Writer of “The McVeigh Letters” article for Esquire magazine.
Bruce Davis
Oklahoma City Police Department (ret).
Rockie Yardley
Edmond Police Department; has served as Crime Scene and Technical Investigator, Bomb Disposal Technician and Police Dive Team Instructor, and is the developer and Chief Instructor for the Underwater Explosive Recover Specialist Course.
Albert Ashwood
Director, Oklahoma State Emergency Management.
President Bill Clinton
From the briefing broadcast on April 19, 1995.
Episode 3 Production Notes
Original podcast date: February 26, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Bob Ricks
Chief of Police – Edmond Oklahoma Police Dept., formerly FBI Special Agent In Charge – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Charlie Hanger
Sheriff, Noble County, Oklahoma; formerly Trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol
Episode 4 Production Notes
Original podcast date: March 5, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Bob Ricks
Chief of Police – Edmond Oklahoma Police Dept., formerly FBI Special Agent In Charge – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Kent Frates
Oklahoma City attorney and author of “Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases”.
Janet Reno
Former US Attorney General. From the briefings given April 19-21, 1995.
Episode 5 Production Notes
Original podcast date: March 12, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Frank Keating
Governor of Oklahoma from 1995-2003.
Cathy Keating
First Lady of Oklahoma from 1995-2003.
Rocky Yardley
Edmond Police Department; has served as Crime Scene and Technical Investigator, Bomb Disposal Technician and Police Dive Team Instructor, and is the developer and Chief Instructor for the Underwater Explosive Recover Specialist Course.
Bill Clinton
42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001
Rev. Billy Graham
Evangelist
Episode 6 Production Notes
Original podcast date: March 19, 2015
Brenda Bennett
Real Mysteries Host
Ken Sarkey
Real Mysteries Producer, Recording, Editing & Mixing Engineer, Music Composer/Editor, Add’l Research & Writing
Rick Buchanan
Real Mysteries Producer, Researcher, Writer
Episode 7 Production Notes
Original podcast date: March 26, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Melody (Sarkey) Hoppers
Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, Real Mysteries Assoc. Producer, Interview, Research & Transcriptions
Catherine Simonds
Events Manager, Oklahoma State Fairgrounds
Keith Simonds
Oklahoma City Police Dept. (Retired)
Episode 8 Production Notes
Original podcast date: April 10, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Bob Ricks
Chief of Police – Edmond Oklahoma Police Dept., formerly FBI Special Agent In Charge – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Christy Sarkey
Sergeant – Edmond Oklahoma Police Dept., formerly with the FBI and Bomb Squad Member.
Patrick Ryan
Attorney, formerly U.S. District Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, on the prosecution team in both McVeigh and Nichols trials.
Phil Bacharach
Journalist/writer for the Oklahoma Gazette, author of “The McVeigh Letters” for Esquire Magazine
Episode 9 Production Notes
Original podcast date: April 16, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Sandra Elliott
Oklahoma County Assistant District Attorney, lead prosecutor in the State of Oklahoma vs Terry Nichols trial.
Wes Lane
Former Oklahoma County District Attorney.
Episode 10 Production Notes
Original podcast date: April 25, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Phil Bacharach
Journalist/Reporter
David Cid
David Cid is a founding partner in Praxis LLC, providing critical incident management and security consultation to corporate leadership. He is also Director of the Homeland Security Institute at Rose State College, developing a series of college level Counterterrorism courses.
David Cid Bio:
David Cid is a founding partner in Praxis LLC, providing critical incident management and security consultation to corporate leadership. He is also Director of the Homeland Security Institute at Rose State College, developing a series of college level Counterterrorism courses. From 2006 to 2014 he was Executive Director of the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a nonprofit training and professional development center serving the line officer. The police training program developed by Mr. Cid has been used by over 450 agencies nationwide, to include the NYPD.
Prior to joining the Institute in 2006 as Deputy Director, Mr. Cid was President of Salus International, a consulting practice providing Security, Crisis Management, and Business Continuity services. Clients included the United States Army, the FBI, the Department of State, and Fortune 500 companies. For two years, he was an advisor to foreign governments on counterterrorism in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Mr. Cid is a 20-year veteran of the FBI, where he served as a counterterrorism specialist. He was a member of the FBI International Crisis Response Team, and while assigned to the New York field office, a member of the FBI Special Weapons and Tactics team.
Mr. Cid has been on-scene commander in extortions, kidnappings, and acts of terrorism and has led special events security planning for the World Series, the Special Olympics, and the U.S. Open. In 1996, he supervised the first successful investigation and prosecution under the Biological Weapons Antiterrorism Act, interdicting a plot to assassinate federal and local officials. A native of New York, Mr. Cid joined the FBI in 1981, retiring as an Inspector and Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Oklahoma City Field Office. Prior to his FBI service, he was a Human Resources specialist for AT&T. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War, honorably discharged. Recent publications include “Understanding Counterterrorism A Guide for Law Enforcement, Policy Makers and Media,” available on Amazon.
Episode 11 Production Notes
Original podcast date: April 25, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Kari Watkins
Executive Director, The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
Episode 12 Production Notes
Original podcast date: May 18, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Mike Turpen
Rockie Yardley
Governor Mary Fallin
President Bill Clinton
Episode 13 Production Notes
Original podcast date: May 19, 2015
In order of their appearance, those interviewed or included in this episode:
Dr. Michael Anderson
Westminster Church