After a two-and-a-half hour standoff, the children were becoming restless, so the teachers preoccupied the kids in the form of movies, games, prayer, and books. Sue Castaneda: Did you look at (unintelligible). The only two fatalities were David and Doris Young. And he didn't even ask me if I wanted to do that. And it burned some children. 2 Recreation Board, Indigenous People in Wyoming and the West, http://news.google.com/newspapers/p/deseret_news?id=nz1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BYQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4165,3587249&dq=cokeville+bombing&hl=en, http://archive.org/details/SurvivorIsMyName-VoicesOfTheCokevilleElementarySchoolBombing, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udNB_xdPiYE, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mz1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BYQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6656,2193766&dq=cokeville+trying+to+rebuild&hl=en, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oD1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BYQDAAAAIBAJ&dq=cokeville&pg=7027%2C3851642, http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/MultiMedia/Display.aspx?ID=86&icon=1, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19870529&id=-AogAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c2UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1067,6238243, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19870521&id=w4sfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zH4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4596,6209063, https://www.deseret.com/2006/5/15/19953524/cokeville-recollects-miracle-of-1986, http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18072820, http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article%E2%80%943077bf4a-a45e-5dad-ae3a-a99aa8fcf3aa.html, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19960515&id=Ke5LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fuwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5227,9406392, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19940404&id=GoQwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iuwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2778,1992787, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705372484/Cokeville-miracle-marking-25-years.html, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe_ZX4Qbsi4, Emergency Management Coordinator Kathy Davison on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, EMT Glenna Walker, Mother of Three Young Children, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Public Works Director and Fireman Kevin Walker, Father of Three Young Children, on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Certified Bomb Technician Rich Haskell on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Secretary Tina Cook on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Second grade teacher Carol Petersen on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Third grade student Rachel Walker Hollibaugh on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Third grade student Jamie Buckley King on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Fourth grade teacher Kliss Sparks on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Fourth grade student LeaKae Roberts on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Law and Order in Cokeville: A Woman Mayor and Prohibition, Green River Historic Preservation Commission, Natrona County Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Natrona County Recreation Joint Powers Board, Sublette County Historical Preservation Board, University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources, A Projectile Killed Doris Young, Not Bomb Blast, Police in Cokeville Say., Castaneda, Sue and Mark Junge. Because they refused to participate, Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime. The miraculous events that followed transformed the lives of hundreds of people, including many who witnessed angels or received heavenly help from deceased ancestors. [8] This unintentionally activated the triggering mechanism and the bomb exploded, severely injuring Doris, and filling the room with black smoke and pockets of fire. Rich Haskell: I am. I don't think that they were planningor David was planning on the ceiling tiles in the school. . I really did not even want to walk inside that building because I was just afraid that I'd see kids all over the place. Hi MadreDeUnMono! For instance, The Cokeville Miracle Foundations 2005 book Witness to Miracles: Remembering the Cokeville Elementary School Bombing and the Wyoming State Archives oral history project called Survivor is My Name both focused on the reconstructing of this narrative as a miracle instead of a tragedy. There are a select number of people that would do this, so thank you. [4], Prior to the hostage crisis, David had tested a similar bomb in a sealed school bus in Arizona, destroying it.[5]. I received a telephone call from my dispatcher informing me that an incident had taken place up in Cokeville and they were requesting me to drive to Cokeville for assistance. When Columbine took place, it was such a big deal, and I mentioned to a couple people, "You know, Columbine wasn't the first school to have anything happen." If you are interested in seeing the film, theaters are listed here. David Youngs journals and writings reveal that he was a troubled man who spent many years grappling with deep philosophical questionsabout mans existence, the afterlife and spirituality. Following the explosion, 79 children were taken to area hospitals, most of which were located more than an hours drive from Cokeville, for treatment for burns and smoke inhalation. I was, and I still am, a certified bomb technician at the time, and I was, as far as I know, the only bomb technician in the southern half of the state of Wyoming. Welcome to /r/latterdaysaints, a sub for members and friends of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formerly known as Mormons). We didn't know if the blasting caps were in therejust exactly what was in there. They do now - ever since the Youngs barged in on the Cokeville Elementary School with guns and a bomb to demand . Sue Castaneda: Carla said that some people were mad that we were there. This allowed gasoline to drip into the tuna fish cans, turning the aluminum-flour mixture into paste, unable to aerosolize. (before I see Hollywood's version). Personally I gave him 17 pages of journal notes! Encircled it. Rich Haskell: Approximately three and a half days. As I sat there and watched him, I could feel he was becoming agitated. Mark Junge: Do you think you were cut out to do this job? Have there been any lingering psychological effects from going through something so traumatic while so young? I believe there was a hundred-and-sixty-plus people involved that was being held. The Wyoming History one may be the best. The windows had been knocked outhad been blown out. No, not at all. So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States. Rich Haskell: That's my oldest boy, Steven. I mean, we're talking about from kindergarten kids up to 10-, 11-, 12-years old. The Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis occurred on May 16, 1986, in Cokeville, Wyoming, United States, when former town marshal David Young 44, and his wife Doris Young 47, took 136 children and 18 adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School . Mark Junge: What's been your experiences since then? The device was set up on afor lack of a better word, I call it a shopping cart. The kids could just go to the bathroom right from their classroom. In 1986, 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. And knew what they could do? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Okay? I contacted my sheriff, and that was Jim Stark at the time, and he said, "Definitely! Of what you would picture an angel, with the wings and, Mark Junge: Well, if I'm a skeptic, I could say, "Well, that's just the way the flames shot up.". You can also read about it on [Wikipedia] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cokeville_Elementary_School_hostage_crisis). SHARE Cokeville recollects 'miracle' of 1986. And they had trouble keeping people away from the building. David saw John Miller, the music teacher, trying to escape and shot him in the back. Rich Haskell: Yes, there was a briefcase in the hallway, and we were toldbefore I had gotten there they had gotten papers from his daughter. Do you ever think about that? You could see that the roof tiles had been lifted out of their brackets. Mark Junge: And when you went into the classroom you saw holes in the walls? Unexplained Mysteries: Angel Files. Season 1, Episode 20. Well, when I arrived and saw that body layin' on the front lawn, I was told that was Doris. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. You can check out [CokevilleMiracle.com] (http://www.cokevillemiracle.com/movie.html). How did you determine how everything looked when this went up in smoke itself. The Hartley story didn't come out publicly until my parents (who wrote the book in the year after the bombing) began asking questions about this kind of thing. Whether or not you believe in God or miracles, show some respect. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." over there. What should people know going into the film? I didn't touch the body at all. Recording and transcription by Wyoming State Archives. Returning, David Young shot his wife, then himself. That much I know. Mark Junge: Do you think David or Doris would have cut it? I know it is real. May 16, 1986, will never be forgotten by the residents of Cokeville, Wyo. Eventually Doris lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris while David was out of the room. Rich Haskell: Well, I didn't know a lot about 'em and I still don't know a lot about 'em. TC is one of my heroes. And that's what we in this country have that these other fanatics or whatever is the family is the import factor. He hadn't had anything to eat and she finally convinced him to get something to eat, and he let her be in charge of that bomb. Mark Junge: So it would have gone upward, but would it have killed the kids? A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. Rich Haskell: Okay, I'll buy that! Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime because of their refusal to participate.[6]. Cook, the school's secretary and the first person taken hostage, could tell Young's threats were serious. Which is hard to believe, but a positive experience in that they learned something. When the children became increasingly loud, Doris Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. Because of the tiles and the window? He had tried this deviceand they were designed tothat it would be a delayed explosion. It was a great movie, very well directed and acted. WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. But it didn't. Mark Junge: What do you want to do with the rest of your life? I've spent many, many hours and many days with the leaders of the Mormon church, with the Prophet of the Mormon church. I did not have to imagine how God would move that day when I said my little prayer just hours before, I simply knew he would. The Cokeville hostage crisis began the afternoon of May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took 154 children and adults hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. Mark Junge: You also mention in your written article in Witness to Miracles [See Note] , the book, that you found a briefcase and you had to open it remotely? All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. There was no give in the school bus. They learned to trust in their God, the kids were healed for the most part, and they value life more now. As I got closer to it I could tell it was a body, and of course, you just start thinking about what took place. Dr. Clark is the faculty advisor of the Sweet Memories: Research Group at Western. Survivors shared their stories with each other, investigators, family members, and hospital personnel. Mark Junge: What were they designed to do? Mark Junge: You think when we talk to you to bring this up againI know you're emotional about itbut does it hurt you to talk about this? This did, in fact, happen in Wyoming! Because of the experience and the different classes that I've attended, I know what bombs do to people, to buildings and to all kinds of structures. Rich Haskell: It's a combustible. What is the LDS population of the town and how big was your school? You have to think about what you're doing right at that particular time so you can stay focused on what you have to deal with. Rich Haskell: Yeah, there was some people ready to just shoot him right where he was sitting. I know that for a fact! Sue Castaneda: Where did you get your training for that? Some of the children just sat right all around and just watched him. Mark Junge: to go through all this? I didn't look at the speedometer, I was just kind of watchin' for animals and everything else. And the bathroom was off to the side of it because it was the kindergarten class. And that was their whole intent of coming to Cokeville. The man and woman who took an elementary school here hostage Friday, injuring 70 children when their homemade gasoline bomb exploded, had ties to the Posse Comitatus and other white supremacist. I did see the lighting had changed in the room, and it was right in the same timeline as everyone else's witness. Rich Haskell: I think it could be a spiritual experience that I have with church, or being around the kids, I don't know. Excerpt from the book "On This Day In Wyoming History": David young Yeah, we didn't get a lot of sleep. Returning to the scene, David shot his wife, a teacher, then himself. Used with permission and thanks. Mark Junge: And you're sheriff in Sweetwater? Rich Haskell: Yep. Cokeville Bombing. Undated scrapbook. And if I had been a little less of a jokester I may have seen something in that strange light. David Young had initially planned to involve longtime friends Gerald Deppe and Doyle Mendenhall, who had invested money with him in a get-rich-quick scheme that he had called "The Biggie. I don't know how many people under the age of 35 know about the Chicago Tylenol murders, but for a few weeks in 1982, it was a national news sensation. Amy Bagaso Williams was a fifth-grader when a couple used a bomb while taking hostages at her Wyoming school on May 16, 1986. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. He did it right. Rich Haskell: Yes. The bomb did detonate and fire, thick black smoke and toxi fumes filled the room. The first chapter is titled A Town of Trust.. Everything was blackened. Mark Junge: Well, what do you think would cause two people like this to do this? You see the bag ladies pullin' them around behind them when they go to the store and they can put their groceries in or whatever else. He still needed to tell it to his parents though, and that's basically what you see in the movie. Totally destroyed it! He knew it was a predominantly Mormon [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] community. A quarter of a century later, Williams can still vividly recall the chaotic scene following the explosion. I actually hadn't thought of doing that, yet. On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a couple with a bomb. My husband and I are looking forward to seeing the movie, as we weren't around when it happened and have just recently learned about it. Rich Haskell: Well, as we were talking before we started recording, because of my knowledge with the explosives and with the law enforcement and everything else, I've had many opportunitiesbecause of the explosivesI've been with Vice President Cheney when he was here in Wyoming up in Pinedale. You know something about bombs. You should also know that TC basically just wove a storyline into and between the facts and witness testimonies. It would have killed them. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I remember watching that when I was a younger kid, and when they were interviewing the witnesses, I remember several of them referencing "Heavenly Father " instead of "God," and I knew immediately they were LDS. But I walked up to the window and looked inside the window and didn't hardly see anything out of the ordinary except it was all black inside. Then, several years later, Jennie Sorensen identified what she thought was a teacher who led her out of the building after the blast. In the tiny classroom, they watched movies, played games, prayed. How much interaction did you have with the director/producers of the movie? Story: Witness who ran toward marathon bomb 'saw bodies flying' "The death of any child shatters us all,'' Barnicle said. It's a little basket that has different layers on it. I went from within two feet of the bomb to right near the door within ten minutes before the bomb went off. Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. Rich Haskell: Well, run fordo another term as sheriff and then retire, and my wife and I are going to doshe loves genealogy. I was later told that everybody had been taken to different hospitals, ambulance services from all over, from Utah, from Idaho, from Wyoming was transporting people all over the place and there was only two fatalities. There were plenty who opposed this from Cokeville, not a majority, maybe, but they were vocal and raw with feelings. So he did try that device. He just said just go do it. Rich Haskell: Yes, I did. 10 Years Later, Cokeville Just Says: Let Us Be., Pierce, Scott D. Save the Children is Shallow, Exploitative: Focus is on Wacko Bomber Instead of 167 Cokeville Students and Teachers., Troone, Trent. Then he went to the restroom, which was attached to the classroom. Can you describe this? I think it was still in his body. Retro Report took a look back at this episode, with a focus on how Johnson & Johnson and . Hi, I am working on publicity for the film, and I will chime in if anyone needs it, or has other questions. Well, after interviewing some of the people, what had happened, the bombDavid Young had set the bomb to have what they call a dead-man switch. How has that experience shaped your life? I was frightened and felt that we needed to do something to try to calm down or to be careful, because he was so agitated. David, Doris and Princess proceeded to the elementary school and entered the building shortly after 1 p.m. that Friday. I was up there as part of his protection team. I don't know what. I gathered up some of the equipment that I would need and a change of clothes and proceeded to Cokeville. They increasingly spoke about their memories in public with professional psychologists, church officials and community counselors. Mark Junge: Okay. Rich Haskell: Well, I got a lot of it while I was in the Marine Corps and in the Army National Guard. In the days and weeks immediately after this event, most accounts focused on the horrors of the day. It was cut. Rich Haskell: I was cookin' right along, yes I was! Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, Cheyenne. The two brought in a bomb attached to themselves with a lanyard. Debbie Sparks and Steven Moore, both EMTs, discuss on May 9 the elementary school bombing. Go to school and learn how to do it." The basket, the shelves. I saw an early screening of the film and absolutely loved it. Details: At 1:20pm on Friday, May 16, 1986, forty-three-year-old David Young and his forty-seven-year-old wife, Doris, wheeled a shopping cart containing a homemade gasoline-filled bomb into Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyoming, just after the lunch hour recess. And I think that these people actually thought that they could start another world. Who died in the Cokeville bombing? The children and adults escaped after the bomb exploded. Rich Haskell: No. They had a circle of tape around the device itself and they said, "Do not come inside of this circle. To my right is Sue Castaneda who is the Wyoming Oral History Project Director, and across the table from me is Rich Haskell, who is a certified bomb technician. It killed her instantly. So I went to Huntsville, Ala., to Redstone Arsenal. Rich Haskell: I'm Rich Haskell. Wyoming Town Still Healing a Year After School Bombing., Schoolhouse Blast Still Felt a Year Later., Survivor is My Name: Cokeville Elementary School Bombing1986 News Report Audio. Audio Recording. They had to come and get my car and get me another one. [10][2][3] The injured were triaged to several area hospitals in Wyoming and Idaho.[2][3][11]. Anything? Oral histories, memoirs and drawings began to reveal a narrative of fortune rather than misfortune. Returning, David Young shot his wife, then himself. He was dismissed, however, from this position shortly after his six-month probationary period. Have you seen the Unsolved Mysteries episode that had a segment on this? Chalkboards andwhat do they call those?whiteboards, I think they are, along the walls. The couple corralled a large group of students and teachers into a single classroom. Now, 28 years later, Conger and more than a dozen other survivors are reliving . [7][5] The reason for the wire cuts are so far unexplained. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News.