Thus, when David and Doris Young entered the towns only elementary school with an arsenal of weapons and a gasoline bomb in a grocery cart, no one saw it coming. On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. Just before implementing the Biggie, David Young had also sent a copy of the document to President Ronald Reagan, the president of Chadron State College and numerous media outlets. On May 16, 1986, when former town marshal David Gary Young and his wife Doris Young took 154 children and thirteen teachers hostage at Cokeville Elementary school in Wyoming and kept them at bay with a shopping-cart sized bomb attached to five hairpin-trigger blast caps, it should have ended in great tragedy - one of the worst in American history. And the bathroom was off to the side of it because it was the kindergarten class. 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. Rich Haskell: I was cookin' right along, yes I was! I do think the key is talking about it often and early. They do now - ever since the Youngs barged in on the Cokeville Elementary School with guns and a bomb to demand . The hostage takers took part in the singing. He came out of the bathroom, is what we figured. You can ask me anything about this today between 1-2pm. [7] The mechanism was triggered by a dead man's switch, consisting of a wooden piece separating two metal connectors within the jaws of a clothespin, forming an incomplete circuit. Chalkboards andwhat do they call those?whiteboards, I think they are, along the walls. Cokeville Bombing. Undated scrapbook. We had people from ATFAlcohol, Tobacco and Firearmsand there was another bomb technician that came up from Evanstonhe was studying to be a bomb technicianand we all looked at that and said, "That wire's been cut." She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals on the history and heritage of Germans from Russia on the Northern Plains. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. No, not at all. Mark Junge: What do you want to do with the rest of your life? I had just cracked a little joke with a toy tank of legos as I drove it "across the death line" or the masking tape square on the floor. I actually have a pretty clear memory of the events that day, being 12 years old. It was there for a long time, all that support. The Cokeville Elementary School was the site of a horrific hostage situation on May 16, 1986 when David and Dorris Young took a homemade bomb inside the school. Peterson, Carol. I was literally blown out the door when the bomb went off , and i remember how time slowed down in those seconds. Mark Junge: Curious, Rich. Lota, Louinn. Too many of 'em to try to remember their birthdays. Rich Haskell: Sure. 96 views, 2 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from J.Cano: Law & Order: SVU - Best Episode The kids couldn't have done it. How much interaction did you have with the director/producers of the movie? This is not a Mormon film it is more of an inspirational film. David set himself near the center of the room with the grocery cart bomb nearby, as Doris went from room to room rounding up people. A look back at the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School And knew what they could do? When I arrived I could see out on the lawn, there was a black object laying out on the grass. He had tried this deviceand they were designed tothat it would be a delayed explosion. I'm not saying all of 'em were bombs, but why did God cut out Cokeville and say nobody's going to get hurt in this? it is VERY LDS, and yet there are at least 3 other churches in town: Episcopal, Catholic, Baptist (and sometimes a non-denominational church). Everybody that was inside that room, they just started throwin' them out the windows, out the doors, just anyand she happened to be one they threw out the window. Cokeville recollects 'miracle' of 1986 - Deseret News He was dismissed, however, from this position shortly after his six-month probationary period. Mark Junge: Do you think David or Doris would have cut it? Whether or not you believe in God or miracles, show some respect. Mark Junge: Which means you had to be doing over a hundred miles an hour! Cokeville miracle marking 25 years - Deseret News He instructed Doris and Princess, by now a young adult, to handcuff them inside his van. The kids couldn't have cut it. And they had trouble keeping people away from the building. 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. Rich Haskell: Not really that often, but every time I think about it I get very emotional. The Cokeville Miracle. When faith bears a miracle. - Medium Rich? I know it is real. And I think that these people actually thought that they could start another world. Throughout both baskets were chain links, gunpowder, and boxes of ammunition acting as shrapnel. Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime because of their refusal to participate.[6]. Rich Haskell: Yep. Rich Haskell: Yes. It's made me, I think, more open-minded to things and don't take so much for granted anymore. What is the LDS population of the town and how big was your school? Cokeville Children Held Hostage by Bomber., Cokeville Elementary School Bombing: 25-Years Later. Accessed May 17, 2013, at, Fagg, Ellen. David returned to the restroom and killed himself, ending the hostage crisis. The children and adults escaped after the bomb exploded. He demanded a ransom of two million dollars per hostage ($308 million, $720 million adjusted for inflation), and an audience with President Ronald Reagan. Cokeville Elementary School Bombing | WyoHistory.org Cook, the school's secretary and the first person taken hostage, could tell Young's threats were serious. Rich Haskell: Were above the level of the kids, yeah. Well, he had put wooden shelves for layers. Survivors began to tell their stories through a spiritual lens. By Jamie Armstrong May 22, 2015 09:35 AM MDT. NOTE: Witness to Miracles was published in 2006 by Pronghorn Press, www.pronghornpress.org . Virginia Tech, it wasn't that way. I wondered what that was, but then immediately noticed my friends over by the door talking to Doris. Parentheses ( ) are used for incidental non-verbal sounds, like laughter. I saw an early screening of the film and absolutely loved it. Flipboard. David Young was the only police officer in Cokeville for six months in 1979. That's what David Young forgot to realize just how important families were. They learned to trust in their God, the kids were healed for the most part, and they value life more now. Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. Mark Junge: One of the things that Sue and I found out is that people don't regret doing this because they think it's important for history. They forget about what happened in Cokeville with a lot more people and the potential of what was there. Is that morbid thinking on my part? Rich Haskell: Yeah, there was some people ready to just shoot him right where he was sitting. Box 37, Cokeville, Wyoming 83114. The basket, the shelves. David went to the school office, handing out a manifesto titled "ZERO EQUALS INFINITY" and announcing "This is a revolution!" Amy Bagaso Williams with her husband and four children. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. Now, 28 years later, Conger and more than a dozen other survivors are reliving . 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. Hi MadreDeUnMono! Audio/Video Recording. On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young entered Cokeville Elementary School with a gasoline bomb, a variety of rifles and handguns, David's philosophical writings and demands for $300 million in ransom. Mark Junge: What's been your experiences since then? SHARE Cokeville recollects 'miracle' of 1986. Mark Junge: Well, yes. where there's only a limited population, that's going to throw the fear of God into everybody. Cokeville Recollects Miracle of 1986: Hostage Survivors, Town Residents Compile Book, ________. Where you find brackets [ ] I have added words for explanation or to complete an awkward sentence. He did deliver our salvation that day. Rich Haskell: Well, I like to think I'm a better person because of it. This sub is dedicated to faithful discourse on church topics. I'm proud of all my children. I don't know. On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a couple with a bomb. I'm currently the Sheriff of Sweetwater County. What is cokeville miracle about? Explained by Sharing Culture 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. And I'm sure that that made him very nervous. Well, with the window being open, with the ceiling tiles being able to lift up and down, I think that absorbed a lot of the explosion of the gasoline bottle. Wyoming has a lot of money as far as the state is concerned. Rich Haskell: I am. "We could tell that he was becoming very nervous. They increasingly spoke about their memories in public with professional psychologists, church officials and community counselors. I actually created a website knowing that people would wonder what was real and what wasn't. The Hilton Garden Suites in Laramie, Wyo. Rich Haskell: Absolutely. Mark Junge: But all of these holes were above the level of the children. results in the deaths of perpetrators David and Doris Young; 154 hostages survive. The tuna fish cans with the two floury would be spread out in the air likehave you ever seen a grain elevator explosion? He knew what the community was all about. Had a small pin-hole leak in it and it dripped into both containers and they both became paste. Today In History: The Cokeville Elementary School Bombing One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. The Wyoming History one may be the best. Mark Junge: Do you think you were cut out to do this job? 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? 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. And, then, shortly after 4 p.m., the bomb exploded. We figured that he had dropped down on his knee, took his pistol and shot her to put her out of her misery, because when we went out and looked at her, there was a hole up through the bottom of her chin, and it came out the top of her head. They're the ones that died from the whole thing. It would have killed them. You can see what's happening in the world today. The miraculous events that followed have changed many people foreverespecially survivor Amy Bagaso Williams. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals on the history and heritage of Germans from Russia on the Northern Plains. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Mark Junge: EOD. Rich Haskell: That's my oldest boy, Steven. In 1986, 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. One of the unique things that I noticed when I went into that room and I don't know if any of the other people have told you about it or whatever else, but when I walked into that room you could see the outline on the whiteboard of an angel. Rich Haskell: If it would have went off like it was supposed to have gone off, it would have lifted the roof off of that school. 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. She's an avid genealogist, so maybe get involved with that, and maybe go on a mission for the church. I'm portrayed as the little red haired kid with glasses that asks about the AK-47. I was up there as part of his protection team. You can check out [CokevilleMiracle.com] (http://www.cokevillemiracle.com/movie.html). WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. Rich Haskell: There was also ayou look through the ceiling and there was a bigger hole up there. This did, in fact, happen in Wyoming! That's what it was designed to do was to go out and be particles and that gasoline was gonna ignite it and blow it up. 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. So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States. Then he went to the restroom, which was attached to the classroom. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries, the majority of which were severe.[3][2]. In the West? Mark Junge: Do you know the names and birthdates of all your grandchildren? Mark Junge: They weren't big enough, in a way. Amy Bagaso Williams was a fifth-grader when a couple used a bomb while taking hostages at her Wyoming school on May 16, 1986. Go to school and learn how to do it." When I looked at everyone looking at me (as if I should call on someone to say it) I realized I should call on Allyson Cornia - literally because she was the smartest kid in the class! Edit: Also, were you at that early screening? As I come to the junctionI'm sorry, I don't know what the road is that goes over to Bear Lakebut as I was passing that intersection, they did inform me that the bomb had exploded. Young met his second wife, Doris Waters, while in Cokeville. Young was a former Cokeville town marshal who had been living in Arizona for several years. Do you ever think about them? Mark Junge: Well, you've been blessed in a lot of ways. Rich Haskell: Yes, I did. David attached the bomb trigger to his wrist and threatened the group that he might, at any time, move his arm and ignite the bomb. By the people that was the bad folks, they're the only ones that got really hurt. During the Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis. And I think it's made me a stronger person. I think it was still in his body. But shortly after entering the school, Princess decided to rebel. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. Go to their hands and knees and crawl out. The Cokeville hostage crisis began the afternoon of May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took 154 children and adults hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. Of course, I can imagine the noise that it made. It's just something that you just have to stay on top of. With the explosionwhat occurred? Everyone else survived, including the injured John Miller. How has that experience shaped your life? Angelic Intervention save all 153 in bomb blast - Cokeville Wyoming - Unexplained Mysteries - Angels Brain Boyle 2.05K subscribers Subscribe 928 158K views 11 years ago All 153 Children &. It just embedded into the walls from the ammunition from the heat. Rich Haskell: Oh my goodness! The only thing I bristle at is that TC has me suggesting that we say a prayer. During the chaos, Doris' burnt body was expelled through a window, and left lying on the front lawn. May 16, 1986, will never be forgotten by the residents of Cokeville, Wyo. I don't know. When the thing went off, when the bomb exploded, they just started chuckin' people out the windows. Cokeville Elementary School teachers and staff tried to keep kindergarteners through sixth graders calm and entertained. Two Powell residents, Lenita Moore (a science teacher at Powell High School) and John Miller (a longtime choir director at Powell High School who retired in 2020), remember being in Cokeville during the bombing. How did it affect your family long-term? Mark Junge: Today is the 23rd of September, 2010. Because it was sittin' low enough and the kids were low enough that it would have done it. Rich Haskell: I did not. He shot and killed her. She lifted her hand up to rub her forehead and when she did that pulled the pin out and detonated the bomb. That's a true line in the movie. Sue Castaneda: Where did you get your training for that? They were sitting out across the fence with scopes on their rifles just ready to shoot until the sheriff went out and said, "No. Best Episode | Law & Order: SVU - Best Episode - Facebook Doris tried numerous times to calm the children by telling them to "think of it as an adventure movie," or that they "would have a great story to tell their grandchildren." There are a select number of people that would do this, so thank you. Story: Witness who ran toward marathon bomb 'saw bodies flying' "The death of any child shatters us all,'' Barnicle said. Used with thanks. Is there a news article that I could read to get a better idea of what happened? Had a gallon milk jug full of gasoline on one level, had aluminum powder, flour and those two components was in tuna fish cans directly under the gasoline bomb. Mark Junge: What were they designed to do? Shortly after their wedding, David and Doris left Cokeville and headed to Tucson, Ariz. During their time in Tucson, according to Doris daughter Bernie Petersen, David became increasingly reclusive, focusing on his philosophical readings and writings. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the convicted killer whose 1974 murders spawned the "Amityville Horror" franchise, died last week while serving a 25 years-to-life prison term, officials said Monday . The two died after the bomb. David and Doris both returned to Cokeville on May 16, 1986. David, who dared not risk their reporting him to the authorities, responded by holding them at gunpoint. Both David and Doris had ties to white supremacist groups, including the Posse Comitatus and the Aryan Nations. Well, when I arrived and saw that body layin' on the front lawn, I was told that was Doris. Mark Junge: Why do you think that God chose Cokeville to save? Rich Haskell: Well, I did learn later that the kids saw the angels. David and Doris Young took 167 hostages (150 children, 17 adults and one unlucky UPS driver) at the elementary school. When I looked up to see if David had heard me (which he had, and scowled down at me) I noticed that the florescent white light overhead was not white, but a yellow hazy light. Located in Lincoln County and nestled between the towns of Star Valley and Kemmerer on the Wyoming-Idaho border, Cokeville, many residents believed, was a safe place to rear children. Here is a local story from the 20 year anniversary (we are at the 29th year now), What's your side of the story? This all happened about 8 months after the bombing. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. Casper Chapter, Wyoming Archaeological Society, June Frison chapter, Wyoming Archeological Society. Doris had a migraine headache that day, in talking with the other folks, and she was complaining about that, and asked David if she could open the windows because the gas fumesevidently the gas was leaking from the incendiary and he finally consented to let 'em open the window. Edit: Thank you so much for your questions! David Young entered the school with his wife transporting a large gasoline-filled device that appeared to be a bomb. They messed with the kids and that brought a whole communityin fact, it brought the whole western half of the state all together. Rich Haskell: You walk into the door, and I don't know if you got to go into the classroom, but you walk into that door and it opens up into the whole thing. Mark Junge: And that's the lesson we learn. Interesting stuff to me! The top basket contained a gallon milk jug of gasoline, wired with a blasting cap. [5][10][8], When the bomb detonated, the majority of the explosive force was channeled through loose ceiling tiles into the roof, and open windows acting as vents. Mark Junge: And when you went into the classroom you saw holes in the walls? Doris developed a headache from the gasoline fumes, and raised her hand to her forehead. There was no give in the school bus. Mark Junge: Do you think he took up thatwanted to take that up because of you? And that was their whole intent of coming to Cokeville. To go off to the side? Rich Haskell: I sometimes do, but you can't let yourself think about it. But he knew the culture, he knew the type of people, and I'm not sayin' that Mormon people are better than anybody else, but their way of life is family is first. 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. This narrative was perpetuated in many publications and productions. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. "If you can see the bomb, the bomb can see you," an officer shouted. 25 years after school bombing, Wyoming town remembers story of survival Mark Junge: This was a life-changing event. Press J to jump to the feed. After a stand-off lasting two and a half hours, the gasoline bomb the couple had brought into the school went off prematurely, badly burning Doris Young while David Young was out of the room. 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. Seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide. 1 of 7. And I didn't know about the angel thing comin' to the kids until many days later. So we took the tiles off and went up into the ceiling and crawled up into the upper space up there and found a .45 slug up embedded into the iron girders up in the wall, and thought, okay, where did that come from? 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." Either way, right after my joke is about when David excused himself from the room. Of course, most children were elated by the prospects of an assembly. [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: No. [T]rust is big here youngsters grow up knowing they can turn to many other members of the community with confidence, write Hartt and Judene Wixom in Trial by Terror: The Child-hostage Crisis in Cokeville, Wyoming. So many of 'em thatI don't know. Mark Junge: And you know, in Sue and I's conversation with these dozen people we've talked to now, seems like they also feel the same way you do. According to survivor accounts, Doris enticed many into the first grade room by announcing that their presence was required for a school assembly. [4], Prior to the hostage crisis, David had tested a similar bomb in a sealed school bus in Arizona, destroying it.[5]. In a May 16, 1986 photo, the body of Doris Young is removed by officials after the Cokeville Elementary hostage situation in Cokeville, Wyo. Trent Toone, Mormon Times. Returning to the scene, David shot his wife, a teacher, then himself. She is a beautiful example of turning tragedy into triumph. Rich Haskell: Yes, absolutely. I actually hadn't thought of doing that, yet. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Associated Press. Have you seen the Unsolved Mysteries episode that had a segment on this? I didn't touch the body at all. Cokeville survivors relive school bombing for film The Cokeville Miracle - The American Tragedy That Never Happened It was in their Tucson home that David came up with what he considered the Biggie, a plan to get rich quick and create a Brave New World. This plan involved Davids longtime friends, Gerald Deppe and Doyle Mendenhall, who believed by investing in Davids scheme they would get rich. and detonated a bomb inside. The Cokeville Town Hall is located at 110 Pine St. For more information, visit the website of the Cokeville Chamber of Commerce at http://www.cokevillewy.com or call (307) 459-4195. Recording and transcription by Wyoming State Archives. Mark Junge: You'd been tested, though. The mood did not lift with the singing and teachers quickly negotiated with the hostage takers to get items from the library to help the kids get their minds off the siege,[8] and help to pass the time. I have no doubt about my friends witness testimonies - even though I saw or heard nothing such as they did. There's a piece of wood in there that separates the jaws of a clothespin and in that clothespin there are two metal connections that the wires were hooked to which made the electrical connection with the bomb. I think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. It became a story of a miracle rather than a tragedy. (before I see Hollywood's version). You know something about bombs. Mark Junge: How many actual bombs have you had experience with?
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