I certainly enjoy my grandkids a lot more. Davids friends did not know that the Biggie was a plan to take over Cokeville Elementary School, hold each of the children hostage for $2 million dollars apiece and then detonate the bomb, transporting the money and children to his Brave New World, where he would be God. For more information about our sponsors and the people behind WyoHistory.org, visit our About Us page: Hostage crisis at the elementary school in Cokeville, Wyo. That's why I have a computer. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. Dozens. Rich Haskell: You know, with 33 years of law enforcement, I've seen a lot of things. Totally destroyed it! Sept. 21, 2010. Rich Haskell: Well, I did learn later that the kids saw the angels. The circuit was powered by a 9-volt lantern battery. The two died after the bomb. You can check out [CokevilleMiracle.com] (http://www.cokevillemiracle.com/movie.html). Rich Haskell: There was a reason I was there for some reason. Encircled it. [7][5] The reason for the wire cuts are so far unexplained. We know for a fact that he had tried that device because he did it in Arizona and totally destroyed a school bus. I mean, we're talking about from kindergarten kids up to 10-, 11-, 12-years old. ", About 2 1/2 hours into the standoff, David transferred the triggering mechanism of the bomb to Doris' wrist, and went to a small bathroom that connected the first and second grade rooms. And I think it's made me a stronger person. In the movie, it shows the tension building towards the prayer and then shortly after the bomb went off. He still needed to tell it to his parents though, and that's basically what you see in the movie. I don't know. I believe there was a hundred-and-sixty-plus people involved that was being held. David saw John Miller, the music teacher, trying to escape and shot him in the back. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. David was a diabetic. 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. Rich Haskell: I sometimes do, but you can't let yourself think about it. 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. Virginia Tech, it wasn't that way. And he didn't even ask me if I wanted to do that. Mark Junge: And you're sheriff in Sweetwater? It is a touchy topic for us, and could come across the wrong way. Rich Haskell: Pretty sophisticated guy is what he was. So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States. I did see the lighting had changed in the room, and it was right in the same timeline as everyone else's witness. So timelines and characters may be switched up, but the overall spirit of it and the facts are laid out true to witness testimonies. They increasingly spoke about their memories in public with professional psychologists, church officials and community counselors. Sue Castaneda: Where did you get your training for that? Mark Junge: What's been your experiences since then? I think it was still in his body. Rich Haskell: Well, I like to think I'm a better person because of it. I have given that some thought. The bomb did detonate and fire, thick black smoke and toxi fumes filled the room. Do you ever think about them? I said, "What on earth happened there?" Mark Junge: This bomb was designed to do what? Cook, the school's secretary and the first person taken hostage, could tell Young's threats were serious. Rich Haskell: It's a combustible. As time progressed, however, a different story emerged in this highly religious and largely Mormon community. 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. The detonation didn't do it, it was cut. If you are interested in seeing the film, theaters are listed here. Mark Junge: You'd been tested, though. He shot and killed her. Ahntastic Adventures in Silicon Valley 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. 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! Peterson, Carol. The Youngs both died that day. I was a little bit nervous, of course. Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime because of their refusal to participate.[6]. The jug of gasoline had a pinhole-sized leak on its bottom. Cokeville Public Library. They feel that it was a positive experience for them. Accessed May 28, 2013 at. 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. Survivors shared their stories with each other, investigators, family members, and hospital personnel. [6] With permission, the teachers brought in books, art supplies and a television to help keep the children occupied. Rich Haskell: Absolutely. I later learned he'd been shot in the back. 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. 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. WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. They believed in reincarnation, which probably led, in part, to the creation of Davids Brave New World idea. David returned to the restroom and killed himself, ending the hostage crisis. You know their names but not their birthdays. A compilation project by the Cokeville Miracle Foundation, a 501(c) (3) charity. Mark Junge: Okay. Mark Junge: Today is the 23rd of September, 2010. On May 16, 1986, David Young, Cokeville's former town marshal, and his wife, Doris, carried five rifles, five handguns and a "dead man's bomb" into the elementary school. They lived in a mobile home with Princess, Davids youngest daughter from his first marriage. "Move!" At about 9:30 a.m., the bomb disposal squad used a robotic device to shoot out the end caps of the device, remove the . You HAVE to find the positives or the negatives can eat you up the rest of your life. Cokeville Elementary School teachers and staff tried to keep kindergarteners through sixth graders calm and entertained. Young met his second wife, Doris Waters, while in Cokeville. For me, what has impressed me about the film is not necessarily the story of Angels (which are remarkable), but that the majority of the 154 hostages chose to see God's hand in their lives that day. Can you describe this? 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. Current students at Cokeville Elementary School aren't taught about the '86 bombing, but most know the general story. 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. 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. The windows had been knocked outhad been blown out. 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 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. Returning to the scene, David shot his wife, a teacher, then himself. (before I see Hollywood's version). 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. 96 views, 2 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from J.Cano: Law & Order: SVU - Best Episode Everything was blackened. Survivor is my Name: Voices of the Cokeville Elementary School Bombing. Produced by Wyoming State Archives for Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, the package includes interviews with 14 people about the events of May 16, 1986. On that Friday afternoon in their quiet, rural town, a deranged couple entered the community's elementary school, took those inside hostage and detonated a bomb in a first grade classroom. David went to the school office, handing out a manifesto titled "ZERO EQUALS INFINITY" and announcing "This is a revolution!" He came out of the bathroom, is what we figured. 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. That much I know. Cokeville Recollects Miracle of 1986: Hostage Survivors, Town Residents Compile Book, ________. COKEVILLE, Wyo. The hostage takers took part in the singing. This all happened about 8 months after the bombing. Carbon County School District No. Because of the tiles and the window? Either way, right after my joke is about when David excused himself from the room. In 1986 , 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. And my children. Even though the majority of the townspeople are LDS, there are lots of people of a variety of faiths in the room that day. AN EXPLOSION of vapors, resultLing from a combination of circumstances at the Kearney, N. J., plant of the Koppers Coke Company, on May 17, 1948, resulted in the death of ten men and started a . Educated at Chadron State College in Nebraska, he had earned a degree in criminal justice, and was hired as Cokevilles town marshal in the 1970s. He demanded a ransom of two million dollars per hostage ($308 million, $720 million adjusted for inflation), and an audience with President Ronald Reagan. Rich Haskell: The bullet in him was in the bathroom. Of course, most children were elated by the prospects of an assembly. Im living proof.. It was just shootin' everywhere. That's what David Young forgot to realize just how important families were. Associated Press. 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. It was perfect! According to survivor accounts, Doris enticed many into the first grade room by announcing that their presence was required for a school assembly. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries, the majority of which were severe.[3][2]. In the meantime, David and Doris Young gathered children, teachers, staff and visitors in the elementary school into one central location. Reporters from all the regional news outlets were on the scene by the time of the explosion or shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, Doris went from classroom to classroom, luring 136 children, six faculty, nine teachers, and three other adults, including a job applicant and a UPS driver, into a first-grade classroom for a total of 154 hostages. When I arrived I could see out on the lawn, there was a black object laying out on the grass. My name is Mark Junge and I'm here at the Hiltonis it the Hilton Hotel? Both men were handcuffed in a van outside the school.[1]. They had a circle of tape around the device itself and they said, "Do not come inside of this circle. As long as that piece of wood was in there to keep those separated, it would not detonate. This significantly mitigated the explosive power of the bomb. I've got to get back to work now! Some of the children just sat right all around and just watched him. Now you've got problems. She is a trained rural historian who specializes in oral history, childhood history and memory studies. I guess I should say I am only speaking as a child, the adults were probably tense the entire time! He was so open to their input, and feelings. Then when I became a deputy, Sheriff Stark says, "You know, we're going to start finding a bunch of old explosives, dynamite and things. He just said just go do it. Young was a former Cokeville town marshal who had been living in Arizona for several years. 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. But we knew what our story was, and that it could help offer hope. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. When were you satisfied that there were no more bombs? So many of 'em thatI don't know. 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. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. Now, 28 years later, Conger and more than a dozen other survivors are reliving . They attempted to crowd 154 people into one of the two first grade classrooms, a room with a total capacity of 30 students and a teacher. 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. It would have killed them. After being fired for misconduct, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he married Doris Young. "[6] The two men eventually refused to participate in the event. Seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide. I don't know. Mark Junge: And your great-grandkids? Cokeville Bombing. Undated scrapbook. Sue Castaneda: Carla said that some people were mad that we were there. Rich Haskell: Not really that often, but every time I think about it I get very emotional. Rich Haskell: Uh, I can understand that. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Transcriber's notes: I have added some reference footnotes to this transcript where I thought appropriate. 1 of 7. I'm currently the Sheriff of Sweetwater County. When you say what cut the wire? He was dismissed, however, from this position shortly after his six-month probationary period. Rich Haskell: I was cookin' right along, yes I was! 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. The explosion engulfed her in flames and burned many nearby children. Witnesses later testified that just before the explosion David Young had connected the explosive to his wife. "The sadness that comes with the death of an 8-year-old, you can . David and Doris both returned to Cokeville on May 16, 1986. Weredo you think it had something to do with angels? 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. Eventually Doris lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris while David was out of the room. Mark Junge: Yeah, my brother-in-law worked in the Navy as a chief petty officer and he worked with what they called EOD. The Power of Faith: 25 Years After School Bombing, Town Remembers Story of Survival., Mitchell, Ruth Ann. Because it was sittin' low enough and the kids were low enough that it would have done it. He was in high fevers until the therapist allowed him to speak openly. In 2006, the Cokeville Miracle Foundation compiled a book of recollections about the day from parents, emergency workers and former hostages. 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 &. Recording and transcription by Wyoming State Archives. And he had to defuse bombs. 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? Mark Junge: Do you still think about this? The woman who died with her husband as they held an elementary school hostage with a gasoline bomb last week was not killed by the . I've spent many, many hours and many days with the leaders of the Mormon church, with the Prophet of the Mormon church. Chalkboards andwhat do they call those?whiteboards, I think they are, along the walls. By Jamie Armstrong May 22, 2015 09:35 AM MDT. I know that for a fact! Rich Haskell: Absolutely! and detonated a bomb inside. He listened so well, so patiently. 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 I cannot tell you what happened. You know something about bombs. Rich Haskell: And fourteen and a half great-grandchildren. . The bomb did detonate and fire, thick black smoke and toxi fumes filled the room. A quarter of a century later, Williams can still vividly recall the chaotic scene following the explosion. Rich Haskell: Well, you know, that's a really good question. Mark Junge: And the explosion went straight up?