Mark Junge: What do you want to do with the rest of your life? 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. They messed with the kids and that brought a whole communityin fact, it brought the whole western half of the state all together. She tied the string around her wrist. Rich Haskell: I took pictures of it. 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. That's what David Young forgot to realize just how important families were. No, this is something that people need to know about. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." It said in there that they had brought blasting caps, ammunition, those types of things in and there was a sealed briefcase that was in the hallway. 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. A new movie is coming out on Friday called "The Cokeville Miracle" that depicts not just this terrible event, but the various miraculous stories that emerged afterward. I later learned he'd been shot in the back. Dr. Clark is the faculty advisor of the Sweet Memories: Research Group at Western. He knew it was a predominantly Mormon [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] community. [5] The wooden piece was tied to Doris' wrist by a string. Totally destroyed it! She lifted her hand up to rub her forehead and when she did that pulled the pin out and detonated the bomb. We didn't know if the blasting caps were in therejust exactly what was in there. Mark Junge: No? On one hand people didn't want money to be made off of suffering, but on the other hand it felt ungrateful to not share it in the way that TC would or could. Mark Junge: Do you know the names and birthdates of all your grandchildren? 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. I just stayed right there and we processed the scene and did the scene. There are some survivors that couldn't believe how accurate much of it was. Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, Cheyenne. Rich Haskell: Yes. I was still trying to make sense of it all! Rich Haskell: Absolutely. But I know that, well, I'll just be quite frank. "If you can see the bomb, the bomb can see you," an officer shouted. The circuit was powered by a 9-volt lantern battery. #TodayInHistory: Today in 1986, The Cokeville Elementary School crises happened. "We could tell that he was becoming very nervous. 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. Welcome to /r/latterdaysaints, a sub for members and friends of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formerly known as Mormons). I got a chance to talk to Jennie Sorensen Johnson, who was seven when David Young rolled a bomb into her first grade classroom. If I deleted an entire phrase, I have inserted ellipses . Mark Junge: This bomb was designed to do what? This is not a Mormon film it is more of an inspirational film. I'm proud of all my children. Mark Junge: Okay. There are several great resources out there. It's a continuous training thing and years and years and years of continuous training with the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, with the fire marshals and now that it has come into it with the hazardous materials and everything else. It's made me, I think, more open-minded to things and don't take so much for granted anymore. Rich Haskell: Pretty sophisticated guy is what he was. They did a good job telling this story. Mark Junge: With bombs? I think it was still in his body. There are a select number of people that would do this, so thank you. Were you portrayed in the movie at all? Family is the most important thing in a Mormon family. I believe there was a hundred-and-sixty-plus people involved that was being held. [5] The leaking gasoline's fumes prompted teachers to open the classroom windows, unknowingly creating vents for the impending explosion. There was nobody killed but the perpetrators. They had written the manuscript, ready for publication, when the Walkers contacted them as family friends and said you may want to come ask our daughters some questions. It's just something that you just have to stay on top of. David, who dared not risk their reporting him to the authorities, responded by holding them at gunpoint. I wondered what that was, but then immediately noticed my friends over by the door talking to Doris. And they had trouble keeping people away from the building. People who had guns! They feel that it was a positive experience for them. You can't think, well, maybe something could happen, because yes it could. Rich Haskell: Well, I like to think I'm a better person because of it. As I sat there and watched him, I could feel he was becoming agitated. I said, "What on earth happened there?" And that's what we in this country have that these other fanatics or whatever is the family is the import factor. On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in the tiny town of Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a married couple with a bomb. May 16, 1986, will never be forgotten by the residents of Cokeville, Wyo. It'sI'm still doing that kind of thing because whenever they hold General Conference in Salt Lake City I go to Salt Lake City to be part of the bomb team for the church while they have General Conference. Did this shake the faith of some people, or would you say it strengthened it in most? There was no give in the school bus. In the West? Survivors began to tell their stories through a spiritual lens. Mark Junge: to go through all this? When Deppe and Mendenhall finally got wind of his plans moments before the hostage crisis unfolded, they refused to participate. My name is Kamron Wixom, I was a 12 year old 6th grader in 1986 when a mad man took over my school (Cokeville Elementary) with a bomb and his guns. I certainly enjoy my grandkids a lot more. Over the course of time he did various things to get our input from script readings early on, to being there on set, etc. 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. Sue Castaneda: Carla said that some people were mad that we were there. Rich Haskell: Well, I did learn later that the kids saw the angels. 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. I mean, what it was supposed to do? Guys like you have to go and search every corner. She is a beautiful example of turning tragedy into triumph. Accessed May 17, 2013, at, Wyoming Horror: A Fiery Schoolhouse Bomb., A 1986 Hostage Event at a Cokeville, Wyoming Elementary School., Jarvik, Elaine. The kids couldn't have done it. You can see what's happening in the world today. The top basket contained a gallon milk jug of gasoline, wired with a blasting cap. Rich Haskell: The bullet in him was in the bathroom. 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. In their minds they could start another world. 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? Rich Haskell: Yep. It was just shootin' everywhere. Survivors shared their stories with each other, investigators, family members, and hospital personnel. They lived in a mobile home with Princess, Davids youngest daughter from his first marriage. But it still sent flames all over in the room and you can see where all the flames were in that room. He did deliver our salvation that day. I remember seeing the wide eyes on my band teacher as he collapsed with the EMTs afterward. The only thing I bristle at is that TC has me suggesting that we say a prayer. They had to come and get my car and get me another one. They're the ones that died from the whole thing. One thing to mention is that the tension in real life seemed much more present at first, and then once prayers were said the mood really lifted. No, we can't do this. 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? Associated Press. In 1986 , 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. Yeah, we didn't get a lot of sleep. We know for a fact that he had tried that device because he did it in Arizona and totally destroyed a school bus. 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 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. Oral histories, memoirs and drawings began to reveal a narrative of fortune rather than misfortune. Had a small pin-hole leak in it and it dripped into both containers and they both became paste. 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. It was suggested we say a group prayer and I thought it was a great idea, so I helped gather a group of us together. The bomb was an improvised explosive device constructed in a small two-wheeled shopping cart with two baskets, one on top of the other. You could walk across the street and get run over as far as that's concerned, but I don't know if my wife has any more gray hairs because I've chosen this profession. Once all the hostages were contained in the first grade classroom, David Young informed them that they were leading a revolution and distributed copies of his philosophy Zero Equals Infinity to everyone present. It was not a teacher, but her ancestor. WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a couple with a bomb. And I think that these people actually thought that they could start another world. Weredo you think it had something to do with angels? Everyone else survived, and many who did recalled the tragedy with memories of the presence of angels. All the kids were saved. She is a trained rural historian who specializes in oral history, childhood history and memory studies. I don't know. Maybe writing that up 2 years ago when this came along was more healing for me than for him, but I gave it all to him! Rich Haskell: Well, I got a lot of it while I was in the Marine Corps and in the Army National Guard. This did, in fact, happen in Wyoming! Mark Junge: Why do you think that God chose Cokeville to save? In most cases I have deleted redundant ands, ers, uhs, buts, false starts, etc. Mark Junge: Curious, Rich. The windows had been knocked outhad been blown out. It was within the first few weeks that the Hartley boy was explaining his witness. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries, the majority of which were severe.[3][2]. You could see that the roof tiles had been lifted out of their brackets. The subsequent police report states that David opened the door from the connecting bathroom, shot his injured wife in the head and killed her,[9] shot and wounded John Miller, a music teacher who was trying to flee, then closed the bathroom door and killed himself with a shot from a .45 pistol to the head. I guess I should say I am only speaking as a child, the adults were probably tense the entire time! I've got to get back to work now! Go to school and learn how to do it." Mark Junge: And your great-grandkids? I can understand that. 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. Well, when I arrived at Cokeville, of course they had the roads all blocked off and there was not a lot of people around the school at the time. Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime because of their refusal to participate.[6]. 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." Sue Castaneda: Where did you get your training for that? But shortly after entering the school, Princess decided to rebel. Carbon County School District No. Mark Junge: Had you seen anything like what took place in this classroom before? If you are interested in seeing the film, theaters are listed here. On May 16, 1986, a man and his wife with a bomb took . She was a divorce who earned money working as a waitress and singer in a local bar. That's why I have a computer. Rich Haskell: Sure. Edit: Thank you so much for your questions! The wire was cut. When the children became increasingly loud, Doris Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. Rich Haskell: Uh, I can understand that. Amy Bagaso Williams was a fifth-grader when a couple used a bomb while taking hostages at her Wyoming school on May 16, 1986. Peterson, Carol. The Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis occurred on Friday, May 16, 1986 in Cokeville, Wyoming, United States, when former town marshal David Young, 43, and his wife Doris Young, 47, [1] took 136 children and 18 adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School. Have you had anything like this, anything close to this happen? . Mark Junge: They don't want it brought up again. When you say what cut the wire? He had been aware of above-average achievement scores from Cokeville's education system. Also, how long was it before the kids started talking about seeing angels? Did you see anything? So he did try that device. The children and adults escaped after the bomb exploded. Kind of a synopsis of what they were going to do and what their plans were and the whole thing. Meanwhile, police and parents gathered out of sight of the school room where hostages were gathered. A quarter of a century later, Williams can still vividly recall the chaotic scene following the explosion. The jug of gasoline had a pinhole-sized leak on its bottom. 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 . over there. Rich Haskell: Well, by none of the kids bein' hurt that was supposed to be hurt. She is a trained rural historian who specializes in oral history, childhood history and memory studies. Both men were handcuffed in a van outside the school.[1]. Mark Junge: How many actual bombs have you had experience with? And my 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. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News. How has that experience shaped your life? [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. Many of the children who stated they saw angels were of various faiths. So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States. On May 16, 1986, when former town marshal David Gary Young and his wife Doris Young took 154 children and 13 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. Rich Haskell: No, it's not. 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." How did it affect your family long-term? ITT: people who want to pick a fight with someone who survived an incredible experience. Too many of 'em to try to remember their birthdays. . Recording and transcription by Wyoming State Archives. I walked into the bathroom and there was the suspect that had started this whole mess, layin' there on the floor with ahe had a pistol in his hand and you could tell he had shot himself in the head. Of course, most children were elated by the prospects of an assembly. [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. Mark Junge: Well, yes. Students, teachers, staff and visitors frantically exited the building, with teachers helping many of the children escape through the windows. Now you are a bomb technician. In 2006, the Cokeville Miracle Foundation compiled a book of recollections about the day from parents, emergency workers and former hostages. David returned to the restroom and killed himself, ending the hostage crisis. Witnesses later testified that just before the explosion David Young had connected the explosive to his wife. And if I had been a little less of a jokester I may have seen something in that strange light. And screaming, I can't imagine the screams that she was making. Rich? I didn't touch the body at all. David had also sent a copy of the manifesto to Reagan. At that time all of the different agencies was pretty much on the same radio frequency and I was stayin' in touch with them, lettin' them know what my location was and they were in turn telling me what was taking place. With the explosionwhat occurred? These are designed to just spread out the particles all over the air. You can check out [CokevilleMiracle.com] (http://www.cokevillemiracle.com/movie.html). Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. Rich Haskell: Oh my goodness! When did Cokeville miracle happen? Rich Haskell: Were above the level of the kids, yeah. SHARE Cokeville miracle marking 25 years. I never did get to see that untilI think it was two days lateractually what they had taken as far as the paperwork was concerned. Some of the children just sat right all around and just watched him. Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis, "Radical Right Link Suggested in Hostage Case", "Cokeville Elementary School Bombing | WyoHistory.org", "Couple take over school but die after bomb blast", "Couple in School Blast Linked to Extremist Group", "Certified Bomb Technician Rich Haskell on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "Secretary Tina Cook on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "A projectile killed Dorris Young, not bomb blast, police in Cokeville say", "In 1986, 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School", "Emergency Management Coordinator Kathy Davison on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Liberty Point International Middle School, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, "'No Way to Prevent This', Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens", List of school shootings in the United States by death toll, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cokeville_Elementary_School_hostage_crisis&oldid=1139490391, Improvised explosive device bombings in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 11:55.