Episode 02:
The Immediate Response
on April 19, 1995
at 9:03 am
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After the horrific blast at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City a community pulled together and responded immediately. Firemen ran to aid. Policemen rushed on site. Brave nearby citizens ran into the building with hearts set to rescue anyone that could be saved. Freshly inaugurated Governor Frank Keating, minutes from a prayer breakfast began to request help and try to identify his responsibility in a scene so tragic an unexpected…
Almost instantly, you could sense a pulling together of spirits, a working and uniting as one to make something unimaginable and unbelievable tolerable and bearable.
One officer describes it as “organized chaos”. The scene was overwhelming… billowing smoke, paper floating, cars on fire, glass glistening, tragic screams and loss of life. But somehow, the community agencies pulled together and worked tirelessly to save lives.
The stories you will hear will not only touch your heart, but they will warm your spirit as you listen to, “The Response”.
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Episode 2 Production Notes
Original podcast date: February 19, 2015
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
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.
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.
Tears still flow as I come face to face with twenty years ago. When I looked into the eyes of the families that came to my Church at First Christian. I witnessed the journey these families were forced to take, we all tried to hold them up and cried with them. There were victims, too. With Gods help we poured out our hearts to these people, prayed with them, and held them when they received the news.