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Mark Junge: We were worried, Sue and I, that people would take offence, right? The top basket contained a gallon milk jug of gasoline, wired with a blasting cap. Mark Junge: Do you know the names and birthdates of all your grandchildren? Mark Junge: Are you one of the most experienced people in the area? 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." And he didn't even ask me if I wanted to do that. Debbie Sparks and Steven Moore, both EMTs, discuss on May 9 the elementary school bombing. By the people that was the bad folks, they're the only ones that got really hurt. This is actually the first time I have heard of this. Witnesses later testified that just before the explosion David Young had connected the explosive to his wife. No, not at all. Rich Haskell: Oh my goodness! 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. Everyone else survived, and many who did recalled the tragedy with memories of the presence of angels. There are several great resources out there. With fear that David might become unhinged, the teachers decided to make an ~8-foot square of masking tape for his own personal space. You know something about bombs. Rich Haskell: I don't know the birthdates but I know the names. 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. 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 . (Laughs) But as I was passing through Kemmerer I stayed in radio contact. We know he built two of 'em. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals on the history and heritage of Germans from Russia on the Northern Plains. the children began describing things more specifically and that is when the mom was prompted to find the photograph of their grandmother. Rich Haskell: I don't know. He used to work in Cokeville. I actually have a pretty clear memory of the events that day, being 12 years old. I later learned he'd been shot in the back. I mean, Columbine, it wasn't that way. One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. Press J to jump to the feed. At least 74 people, most of them children, suffered second-degree burns when the bomb went off at about 4 P.M. at the Cokeville Elementary School. Dozens. And it burned some children. It was a great movie, very well directed and acted. Why? Returning to the scene, David shot his wife, a teacher, then himself. Now this is just for my own information and it doesn't have anything to do with this case, but whenever I read about a bomb threat in the paper, I think to myself, "Oh, no! Did you see anything? After being fired for misconduct, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he married Doris Young. They feel that it was a positive experience for them. I cannot explain it! 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. Okay? No, this is something that people need to know about. Mark Junge: You had some bullets in the ceiling that you had to investigate, too. He was so open to their input, and feelings. WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. Retro Report took a look back at this episode, with a focus on how Johnson & Johnson and . As time progressed, however, a different story emerged in this highly religious and largely Mormon community. I did open that briefcase remotely like I was taught in school to do. Mark Junge: Do you still think about this? [13], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}420457N 1105719W / 42.08250N 110.95528W / 42.08250; -110.95528. That dead-man switch is a piece of string that goes around your wrist and it's hooked into a clothespin, the other end of it. 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. Even though the majority of the townspeople are LDS, there are lots of people of a variety of faiths in the room that day. Mark Junge: Had you seen anything like what took place in this classroom before? There was nobody killed but the perpetrators. 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! Had a small pin-hole leak in it and it dripped into both containers and they both became paste. 2 Recreation Board, Indigenous People in Wyoming and the West, 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, Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, 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, 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, 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, Casper Chapter, Wyoming Archaeological Society, June Frison chapter, Wyoming Archeological Society. I gathered up some of the equipment that I would need and a change of clothes and proceeded to Cokeville. The kids couldn't have done it. Both hostage takers died, while 79 hostages were wounded. 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. I cannot tell you what happened. P. O. In a May 16, 1986 photo, the body of Doris Young is removed by officials after the Cokeville Elementary hostage situation in Cokeville, Wyo. David Young entered the school with his wife transporting a large gasoline-filled device that appeared to be a bomb. Many children showed signs of distress with sobs, complaining of headaches from the smell of gasoline from the bomb, or simply wanting to go home. Hey, I am not the survivor, but I spent my summers in Cokeville, my family is from there, and I have been helping on publicity for the film. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. Mark Junge: to go through all this? 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: Absolutely. I've got a couple of questions. You can't think, well, maybe something could happen, because yes it could. Amy Bagaso Williams was a fifth-grader when a couple used a bomb while taking hostages at her Wyoming school on May 16, 1986. Rich Haskell: There was a reason I was there for some reason. 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 . Sept. 21, 2010. Where you find brackets [ ] I have added words for explanation or to complete an awkward sentence. Of course, most children were elated by the prospects of an assembly. SHARE Cokeville recollects 'miracle' of 1986. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. Rich Haskell: I am. ITT: people who want to pick a fight with someone who survived an incredible experience. The two brought in a bomb attached to themselves with a lanyard. Unexplained Mysteries: Angel Files. Season 1, Episode 20. Rich Haskell: Sure. Mark Junge: Well, and it burned some of the kids. Students, teachers, visitors, staff who survived the ordeal and bystanders began recounting their memories of this event as it was still unfolding. 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. Sue Castaneda: Which is the son who is also running for sheriff? The basket, the shelves. Young met his second wife, Doris Waters, while in Cokeville. Carbon County School District No. Mark Junge: Well, yes. I wondered what that was, but then immediately noticed my friends over by the door talking to Doris. I got a chance to talk to Jennie Sorensen Johnson, who was seven when David Young rolled a bomb into her first grade classroom. Too many of 'em to try to remember their birthdays. The hostage takers took part in the singing. There are some survivors that couldn't believe how accurate much of it was. Rich Haskell: Well, I got a lot of it while I was in the Marine Corps and in the Army National Guard. 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. They believed in reincarnation, which probably led, in part, to the creation of Davids Brave New World idea. Cokeville had so little crime that many folks didn't bother to lock their doors. 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. and detonated a bomb inside. Rich Haskell: That's my oldest boy, Steven. This wasn't a simple bomb. Mark Junge: Do you think he took up thatwanted to take that up because of you? And I'm sure that that made him very nervous. 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. Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. Used with permission and thanks. In addition, national reporters began arriving within hours of the explosion. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. How did it affect your family long-term? Rich Haskell: Well, run fordo another term as sheriff and then retire, and my wife and I are going to doshe loves genealogy. By Deseret News. 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. 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. One teacher was shot when he tried to flee,. What is your assessment of these two people who did this? So if the state didn't pay him, he figured the Mormon church would pay him because the Mormon church has money also. 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. 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. So there's doubt in your mind that there was divine intervention? David had also sent a copy of the manifesto to Reagan. Words emphasized by the speaker are italicized.~Transcribed by Russ Sherwin, Feb. 27, 2011. This sub is dedicated to faithful discourse on church topics. I guess I should say I am only speaking as a child, the adults were probably tense the entire time! It just embedded into the walls from the ammunition from the heat. 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. On May the 16th , 1986, 1 was in Rock Springs at a basketball game. On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a couple with a bomb. . [5] The wooden piece was tied to Doris' wrist by a string. Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, Cheyenne. Well, when I arrived and saw that body layin' on the front lawn, I was told that was Doris. Just like with a pair of pliers, pair of snips. (Laughs) Yeah, I understand what you're saying, but it was. Go to school and learn how to do it." May 16, 1986, will never be forgotten by the residents of Cokeville, Wyo. The gasoline bottle was leaking. She is one of the survivors whose story has become a part of The Cokeville Miracle. The Hilton Garden Suites in Laramie, Wyo. Thank you for doing this! Well, you know how fine that dust is. [7] Geography [ edit] I was literally blown out the door when the bomb went off , and i remember how time slowed down in those seconds. But everything was black, like you had gone in there with a flamethrower and just torched everything inside there. It was not a teacher, but her ancestor. 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. To go off to the side? Rich Haskell: No. 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. 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. This did, in fact, happen in Wyoming! The town has worked to be as respectful as possible to the multitude of experiences that day. 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. When I walked inside of the classroomit was a kindergarten classroom which meant that the desks were smaller, everything was smaller because of the smaller children. Journal entries also indicate that he saw opportunity in the close-knit community; he wrote, "Threaten one and all are at your mercy." I think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. Edit: Thank you so much for your questions! There was no give in the school bus. 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. Hi MadreDeUnMono! The children and adults escaped after the bomb exploded. In the meantime, David and Doris Young gathered children, teachers, staff and visitors in the elementary school into one central location. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. My name is Mark Junge and I'm here at the Hiltonis it the Hilton Hotel? Rich Haskell: Well, I didn't know a lot about 'em and I still don't know a lot about 'em. 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. Certified Bomb Technician. TC (the director) also worked incredibly hard to make this a story that can be widely appreciated by members of all faiths. Now you are a bomb technician. His fever broke within minutes of getting it off his chest. There was no give in the school bus. Rich Haskell: Absolutely! 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. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. Whether or not you believe in God or miracles, show some respect. Virginia Tech, it wasn't that way. She was on fire! When you say what cut the wire? Mark Junge: So it would have gone upward, but would it have killed the kids? Upon entering the classroom, children saw an arsenal of weapons, a grocery cart and an unfamiliar manDavid Young. Mark Junge: Well, what do you think would cause two people like this to do this? Who died in the Cokeville bombing? Go to their hands and knees and crawl out. Chaos ensued. Mark Junge: How many actual bombs have you had experience with? ", 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. The windows had been knocked outhad been blown out. Mark Junge: This was a life-changing event. During my years here in Wyoming I have refereed both basketball and football on the high school and the junior high school level, and I was watching the ball game at that time. How did you determine how everything looked when this went up in smoke itself. Family is the most important thing in a Mormon family. Casper Chapter, Wyoming Archaeological Society, June Frison chapter, Wyoming Archeological Society. Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships.