OMAGH VICTIM JOINS NEW YORK SERVICE
Omagh victim joins New York service
AS the city of New York honoured its dead yesterday, they were joined by a victim of Omagh's terrorist atrocity. Kevin Skelton stood shoulder to shoulder with fellow victims of terrorism when he attended the memorial service at Ground Zero for the victims of the September 11 attack. Before setting off to New York Kevin said: "I want to show the people there that we know exactly what they are going through. We have been through it for 30 years although their disaster was on a bigger scale."
Kevin's wife Philomena was killed in the Omagh bomb and his daughter Shauna was badly injured.
"It is important for me to go to New York. Omagh was our September 11. What makes it worse is that we were supposed to have peace in Northern Ireland," he said.
"I saw the whole atrocity unfolding on television. I know exactly what it felt like having been in the street when the bomb went off in Omagh.
"It was on a smaller scale but the devastation was the same. It wrecked our lives. I can relate to what the families of the people who died are going through."
Mr Skelton said he wanted to find out how the victims of the atrocity had been dealt with by the US government compared with how the Omagh victims had been dealt with by the British Government.
AS the city of New York honoured its dead yesterday, they were joined by a victim of Omagh's terrorist atrocity. Kevin Skelton stood shoulder to shoulder with fellow victims of terrorism when he attended the memorial service at Ground Zero for the victims of the September 11 attack. Before setting off to New York Kevin said: "I want to show the people there that we know exactly what they are going through. We have been through it for 30 years although their disaster was on a bigger scale."
Kevin's wife Philomena was killed in the Omagh bomb and his daughter Shauna was badly injured.
"It is important for me to go to New York. Omagh was our September 11. What makes it worse is that we were supposed to have peace in Northern Ireland," he said.
"I saw the whole atrocity unfolding on television. I know exactly what it felt like having been in the street when the bomb went off in Omagh.
"It was on a smaller scale but the devastation was the same. It wrecked our lives. I can relate to what the families of the people who died are going through."
Mr Skelton said he wanted to find out how the victims of the atrocity had been dealt with by the US government compared with how the Omagh victims had been dealt with by the British Government.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1096
Published Date: 12-Sep-02
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