The Mt. Carmel Survivors Newsletter 
May, 2005 

Greetings to one and all from Mt. Carmel. I just want to say thank you for all the letters and phone calls that have come in this past month showing support and appreciation for these newsletters. It is great to know that they are serving a purpose in keeping all our family and friends informed. Thanks also for the financial support that makes this service possible. 

There are a couple of items of news from past months that I missed passing on in my previous newsletters. One is that Bob and Janet Kendrick’s grandson, Russell, passed away back in April in California. Those of us here in Texas that know the Kendricks were deeply saddened on hearing the news and hope that God will give them and the rest of their family, especially Mike, strength and comfort in their loss. 

The second item that I missed reporting was that I attended some Passover services with a couple of different groups in April. One was with Charles Pace’s group and one was with Bo Gritz’s group. Bo Gritz’s group held their meetings in the Tyler State Park. It had been several years since seeing Bo last. I believe the last time was when he came for the dedication of the new chapel here at Mt. Carmel in 2000 A.D. Although I do not necessarily agree on the time that different groups choose to observe the feasts I have from time to time fellowshipped with various ones in a spirit of sharing and learning. 

There was no Court date scheduled for the month of May, as I mentioned in earlier newsletters, the next date on the Court docket is June 8, at 2 p.m. It will remain to e seen whether we finally get to have the matter of the Mt. Carmel property resolved this time around or whether it will be postponed once again. 

In response to the news of Kevin and Brad’s predicament with obtaining early release from prison, quite a number have written or called offering to help, of one kind or another. Some have written to the Texas Parole Board and others are offering to provide a home and/or work for the guys should they decide to relocate in another State other than Texas, if that will alleviate the excuse for refusing to allow them to be released early. So far I haven’t heard any new information from either Brad or Kevin as to whether their situation has changed. A number of people writing in have asked me for the addresses of the inmates so I am reprinting them here should any of you care to write to them. 

Renos Avraam # 60590-080 
2680 Fox Hollow Rd 
PO Box 3000 
Manchester KY 40962 

Brad Branch # 60536-080 
2680 Fox Hollow Rd 
PO Box 3000 
Manchester KY 40962 

Jaime Castillo # 60594-080 
F.C.I. Victorville 
PO Box 5300 
Adelanto CA 92301 

Graeme Craddock # 60593-080 
F.C.I. Oakdale 
PO Box 5000 
Oakdale LA 71463-5000 

Livingstone Fagan # 60550-080 
U.S. Penitentiary 
PO Box 1000 
Marion IL 62959 

Paul Gordon Fatta # 61154-079 
F.C.I. Lompoc 
3600 Guard Rd 
Lompoc CA 93436 

Kevin Whitecliff # 60537-080 
F.C.I. Sheridan 
PO Box 5000 
Sheridan OR 97378 

In my letter for April, I mentioned that Catherine Wessinger had undergone surgery and asked for your prayers on her behalf. I am happy to announce that she is on the mend and wish to thank her for sending me a copy of an article written by Tommy Witherspoon, a Waco Tribune-Herald Staff writer. I am going to reproduce just a few excerpts from his article in this letter. 

“Jaime Castillo, one of seven imprisoned Branch Davidians, likes to remember the good times at Mount Carmel when he played rock ‘n’ roll with David Koresh, rode motorcycles and studied the Bible. He says he even dreams about how happy he and his friends were before government agents trying to arrest Koresh on weapons charges stormed their communal home in Central Texas and upended their lives. ‘All my friends were inside the chapel area,’ Castillo says, describing one of his dreams. ‘As I walked into the door and saw everyone, I was really happy. I was happy because they were happy. They all looked over me as if they’d been waiting for me to arrive. That peace and joy was overshadowed by the thought that had entered my mind – that they had died but that they didn’t know they had died.’ The image jarred Castillo awake, he recalls, and he was consumed with bitterness. ‘After considering the dream the next day, I just took it as a confirmation that they were at peace,’ he says. ‘And me, still alive, would have to deal with the sadness and bitterness of the whole experience.’ …years after the federal siege on the Branch Davidians’ remote settlement 10 miles east of Waco, imprisoned followers of dead Davidian prophet David Koresh display hope, anguish and holy indignation about the past, present and future… Of the six imprisoned Davidians involved in the siege, only Whitecliff agreed to Tribune-Herald requests for interviews. However, Castillo, Whitecliff and Fagan responded to written questions from the newspaper. Fagan, always the most vocal of the imprisoned Branch Davidians, alleges he has been physically abused by prison guards, say Davidians who have kept in touch with him. Fagan, a British social worker, sent the Tribune-Herald a 47-page manuscript that he calls Weaned from the Milk & Drawn from the Breasts: A Tribute to David Koresh. Between rambling, Scripture-laden prose, three themes emerge: Fagan’s unwavering faith in Koresh, his belief that his friends died defending religious freedom and his assurance that Koresh and the Branch Davidians ultimately will be vindicated. … Whitecliff, a former police officer from Hawaii, spent most of a 15-minute telephone interview bitterly railing against the amount of money the Tribune-Herald was willing to spend to send a reporter to interview him while he remains destitute. He says he is concerned he wonk’t be able to pay his share of the restitution that U.S. Distritct Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. assessed in the criminal case. The restitution is to pay expenses to the families of the four U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents killed during the bungled Mount Carmel raid on Feb. 28, 1993. ‘We owe restitution in the millions,’ Whitecliff said. ‘I have never had anything in my name. I am going to get violated when I get on supervised release because my share is going to be something like $200,000. You understand the bitterness. I have lost everything I had to begin with because of someone’s cowboy mentality … years ago. Instead of (the ATF’s) knocking on the door and saying ‘Can we come in?’ …well, you know what happened and they have continued to do this throughout the entire process. I will be a slave. I won’t ever have anything of my own.’ … Today Whitecliff declines to discuss his law enforcement background because of his surroundings. ‘That was just a small part of what I was,’ he said. ‘I used to be a cook at a Pizza Hut, I used to be a custodian for a time, I was in the Air Force at one time. I had many jobs. I hated that job (in law enforcement). I didn’t want that to get into my background because they don’t like ex-cops in prison. I am a private guy to begin with. I understand I am a public guy because of these events.’ …Officials at the various prisons where Branch Davidians re being held say they cannot release information about the Davidians’ disciplinary records or discuss wht kind of prisoners they have been without the Davidians’ permission, which was not forthcoming…” 

A letter from Livingstone mentioned that “It has been freezing up here recently (unlike Texas which has already been experiencing summer-like weather throughout the month of May). You know I’m not built for cold weather. It left me chilled to the bones. Not carrying much fat I couldn’t even exercise to keep warm, having to conserve what little energy I have. I’m reduced to skin and bones. Hmmm! In any case we haven’t got long to go… I look forward to seeing you all soon.” Please remember these guys in your prayers as the time for their release draws closer. 

I did receive a phone call earlier in May, telling me of the passing of Dudley Goff’s wife. Dudley was a former Davidian minister under Victor Houteff and was also the voice of the Davidians on the radio after the death of Victor Houteff, on a program broadcast under the title “The Eleventh Hour Call.” Dudley has become a very good friend in recent years, being the inspiration and driving force behind a California group called Jeremiah Films doing a documentary on Mt. Carmel and what happened in 1993. It was through this medium that we came to meet. Unfortunately Jeremiah Films ran into financial problems when the Government went after them for turning out another documentary which some of you may have heard of, called “The Clinton Chronicles.” Hopefully the documentary can still see the light of day, after all the work that has gone into it already. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to Dudley during this time of his great loss. 

I will begin to wrap this up with a more pleasant piece of news. May the 28th was the day of Daniel Martin’s graduation from High School. The ceremony took place at the Heart of Texas Coliseum here in Waco. It is hard to believe that most of the small children that exited MT. Carmel during the siege are now adults. Congratulations Daniel! If anyone has any news of the whereabouts and progress of the other children that survived the siege, we would love to have that information forwarded to us here. 

I see my page is about to come to an end. I was going to have an enclosure to send along with this letter, but have decided to hold off till next month, due to time and mailing costs. Any news that you would care to share with all of us through this newsletter feel free to pass along. Keep us all in your prayers. Till next time may God bless! 

Clive Doyle