News

Blast victim's father to speak

By Jeff Kurowski
Compass Assistant Editor

Diocese gathers What: The Gathering of the Church of Green Bay featuring 142 presenters and 295 sectionals When: Oct. 8-9 Where: St. Norbert College, De Pere Why: To come together with Catholics from around the diocese to pray, learn, share faith, be renewed, develop skills, celebrate your beliefs and enrich your spiritual life. Registration: For materials, call 1-877-500-3580, ext. 3 or (920)437-7531, ext. 3.

There are no classes scheduled at St. Norbert College in De Pere during The Gathering of the Church of Green Bay, Oct. 8-9.

That's good news for featured speaker Bud Welch, who will present "From Rage to Reconciliation" on both Friday and Saturday.

"When I speak at a college or university, I often see a young woman, a student, who reminds me of Julie," said Welch. "It affects me. It's not as tough as it used to be, but it's still difficult. She was only 23 when she died. She was my only daughter. We were very close."

Julie Welch was one of the 168 killed in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. She was an interpreter for the Social Security Administration. Her death led her father down a path he describes as "temporary insanity."

"I had hatred for the first four or five weeks," said Welch. "By the following Saturday, the perpetrators were arrested. I didn't want a trial. I wanted the bastards fried. I thought the legal system was a waste of time."

"My hatred turned to deep sorrow," he continued. "If I drank enough, I was able to get to sleep at night. I woke up with a hangover day after day. I went through 30 days of that for a 10-month period. I finally realized that you can't live like that. You can't live with hatred and revenge in your heart. There are still a dozen people here in Oklahoma City who carry that hatred and will carry it to their graves. There have already been seven suicides as a result of the bombing that we know about. The execution of Tim McVeigh didn't solve anything."

Welch had always opposed the death penalty, but it was not a personal issue for him before his daughter's death. Following his period of extreme anguish, he became an activist against capital punishment. The death penalty victimizes people all over again, he said. Welch, a retired Texaco Station owner, has testified before Congress and in various state capitals, and made numerous radio and television appearances. He is a member of the board of directors of Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation, an abolitionist organization made up of victims' family members and family members of inmates on death row, and of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation.

"People who support the death penalty, the prosecutors who support it, think they are serving the victim's family," he said. "It's actually a disservice. Look at the case of Terry Nichols. He was brought back to Oklahoma so prosecutors could seek the death penalty. He was already serving a life sentence in Florence, Colo. It was in the newspapers every day. There were constant news articles. They spent $12 to $15 million in a case that risked one juror saying 'no.' It turned out that four said 'no.' Now there are people tormented that he once again didn't get the death penalty. If he had, after all the appeals, they would have been dealing with this for another 10 to 20 years. When someone is sentenced to life in prison, the victims' families are able to start the healing process."

Besides not serving victims' survivors, Welch said, morally, he does not believe in the death penalty. He spoke out in opposition of the execution of McVeigh, and met his father, Bill McVeigh.

"I know the pain of losing my daughter," he said, "but I can go around the country and talk about Julie. He can't talk about his son. He can't mention his son's name."

Speaking throughout the country allows Welch to help other victims, discuss the death penalty and honor his daughter, who graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee.

"I get strength from her," he said. "She was a small girl, a little over five-feet tall and weighed around 103 pounds, but she was determined. She was an activist. She fought for people's rights."

When Julie, who spoke five languages, was in high school, she volunteered at a center that assisted the Hispanic population in Oklahoma City.

"She helped Latinos with their utility bills," said Welch. "They would receive notices that their utilities were going to be shut off for failure to make payment. She would act on their behalf to set up a payment plan. She would talk to as many people as necessary until it was set up that they paid $10 a month. That was her figure - $10 a month. She was devoted to helping people in need."

Welch reaches out to victims at his speaking engagements. He recalls the distraught mother of a victim of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

"She asked me if she could tell me about her son," he said. "He was 23-years-old and a recent college graduate. There were many similarities with Julie. She asked me, 'How did you get to where you are today?' It had only been three weeks since the attacks. You go through stages. I was angry at God for letting it happen. Then you're angry at yourself. I was angry for encouraging my daughter to pursue foreign language. I thought that if she had chosen another field, she wouldn't have been there. I was angry at Julie. She was offered a grad assistant job, but turned it down because she felt that she needed to come home and work for a couple years. You go through all of these emotions, but remember to give yourself some time. The most important thing you have is time."