Pat Smith talks about her son's work and says officials promised to tell her about Sean's death at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Watch part II of the interview:
Read the rush transcript:
COOPER: Pat, I appreciate you being with us. And I'm just so sorry for your loss. What do you want people to know about your son, about Sean?
PAT SMITH, SON KILLED IN BENGHAZI ATTACK: Well, god. He was my only child. And he was good, he was good at what he did, he'd loved it.
COOPER: He loved working with computers?
SMITH: Computers, radios. He was good at what he did.
COOPER: Was that something he had done as a kid? I mean how did - did he always - was he always good with computer?
SMITH: Well, when he was a kid, computers weren't out yet. And -
(LAUGHTER)
And then they were out and he - I got a computer and he started playing with them and he started showing me how you could build a flame thrower and - by just watching a computer and then told you how to do it. So that's how it started.
COOPER: He lived in the Netherlands. Were you able to communicate a lot? I mean he'd served in a lot of very dangerous places. Did you always know where he was?
SMITH: I always knew where he was when he told me. For example, this time he was in the Hague and that is where he was stationed. He was supposed to be there for about two years. And then he would transfer some place else. I did not know he was going to be in Libya.
COOPER: Did he ever talk about the dangers that came along with his job? I mean he - he serve d in Iraq as well.
SMITH: Yes, in fact, he sent me - I still have it on my computer where he sent me this thing. He was in working in the palace over there.
COOPER: In Baghdad.
SMITH: And they - yes, in Baghdad, and he says, got to go, and suddenly he just disappeared and I said, well, what's happening over there. And he said listen. And I was listening, and suddenly I heard boom. Where they were shooting at him.
COOPER: You must have worried a lot.
SMITH: When that was over. I can't spend my life worrying about it. I accepted what he wanted to do.
COOPER: I want to play for our viewers some of what President Obama said about your son when he returned home. Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sean Smith, it seems, lived to serve. First in the Air Force, then with you at the State Department. He knew the perils of this calling, from his time in Baghdad. There in Benghazi, far from home, he surely thought of Heather and Samantha and Nathan, and he laid down his life in service to us all.
Today, Sean is home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: He's mentioning his wife and his children. When you heard the president say that, what did you think?
SMITH: This is the first time I heard the president say that.
COOPER: It is really?
SMITH: Yes, he never told - didn't tell me that. Sean knew he was in a bunch of scary places. I knew he was in security places. I didn't expect him to get blown up. I didn't expect him to die. COOPER: Do you feel that you know what happened or are you still searching for answers? Have you been in contact with the State Department? Have they reached out to you and given you details of what happened?
SMITH: That's a funny subject. I begged them to tell me what was - what happened. I said I want to know all the details, all of the details no matter what it is, and I'll make up my own mind on it. And everyone of them, all the big shots over there told me that - they promised me, they promised me that they would tell me what happened. As soon as they figure it out.
No one, not one person has ever, ever gotten back to me other than media people and the gaming people.