I don't know ifI just felt an emptyactually I could just see a hundred-sixty people dead! 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. What stands out in your mind the most, looking back? And you could see that she had been burning by just looking at her out on the front lawn. I actually have a pretty clear memory of the events that day, being 12 years old. 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. By Deseret News. Retro Report took a look back at this episode, with a focus on how Johnson & Johnson and . So he did try that device. I remember seeing the wide eyes on my band teacher as he collapsed with the EMTs afterward. Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. I've been involved with law enforcement since 1977 in Sweetwater County. 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. 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. I knew fairly quickly that he would be the best chance we had at this. Mark Junge: This was a life-changing event. After being fired for misconduct, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he married Doris Young. And then what? Rich Haskell: I did not. You could see that the roof tiles had been lifted out of their brackets. In the classroom, David held the gasoline bomb, with the triggering mechanism attached to a string tied around his wrist. They increasingly spoke about their memories in public with professional psychologists, church officials and community counselors. I think he went in the Marine Corps because of me and served 25 years and retired. Rich Haskell: Yes. 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. Whether or not you believe in God or miracles, show some respect. 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. She is a beautiful example of turning tragedy into triumph. Carbon County School District No. First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School Published: November 8, 2014 Janel Dayton, Wyoming State Archives photo. Rich Haskell: That's my oldest boy, Steven. Debbie Sparks and Steven Moore, both EMTs, discuss on May 9 the elementary school bombing. I certainly enjoy my grandkids a lot more. 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. It has shaped me to know that God is real. Cokeville Public Library. It packed the brute force of twenty-five sticks of dynamite. 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. That's my lucky miracle. When did Cokeville miracle happen? Accessed May 17, 2013, at, Wyoming Horror: A Fiery Schoolhouse Bomb., A 1986 Hostage Event at a Cokeville, Wyoming Elementary School., Jarvik, Elaine. Cokeville Children Held Hostage by Bomber., Cokeville Elementary School Bombing: 25-Years Later. Accessed May 17, 2013, at, Fagg, Ellen. Eventually Doris lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris while David was out of the room. I was literally blown out the door when the bomb went off , and i remember how time slowed down in those seconds. I was a little bit nervous, of course. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Throughout the standoff, David grew increasingly agitated and irritable. He had been aware of above-average achievement scores from Cokeville's education system. The only thing I bristle at is that TC has me suggesting that we say a prayer. 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. He came out of the bathroom, is what we figured. He demanded a ransom of two million dollars per hostage ($308 million, $720 million adjusted for inflation), and an audience with President Ronald Reagan. As long as that piece of wood was in there to keep those separated, it would not detonate. My name is Mark Junge and I'm here at the Hiltonis it the Hilton Hotel? While he was writing his philosophy, Zero Equals Infinity, Doris took part-time jobs including housekeeping and waitressing to support their meager lifestyle. And what happens if they trigger something accidently?" This did, in fact, happen in Wyoming! As I got closer to it I could tell it was a body, and of course, you just start thinking about what took place. I know it is real. The miraculous events that followed have changed many people foreverespecially survivor Amy Bagaso Williams. Where's he running? I saw an early screening of the film and absolutely loved it. P. O. That's a true line in the movie. The Wyoming History one may be the best. Accessed May 28, 2013 at. 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. I do think the key is talking about it often and early. Mark Junge: Had you seen anything like what took place in this classroom before? 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. [5] The leaking gasoline's fumes prompted teachers to open the classroom windows, unknowingly creating vents for the impending explosion. In the movie, it shows the tension building towards the prayer and then shortly after the bomb went off. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. You can check out [CokevilleMiracle.com] (http://www.cokevillemiracle.com/movie.html). They had to come and get my car and get me another one. David had the makeshift bomb attached to his body and housed inside a grocery cart, while Doris and Princess carried an arsenal of rifles, handguns and ammunition, as well as the Zero Equals Infinity handouts. NOTE: Witness to Miracles was published in 2006 by Pronghorn Press, www.pronghornpress.org . President Hinkley, President Monson, and President Faust. 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. 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. 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. Thank you for doing this! Once the wooden piece was removed, the two metal connectors completed the circuit, detonating the bomb. 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. It was a great movie, very well directed and acted. 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. Oral histories, memoirs and drawings began to reveal a narrative of fortune rather than misfortune. where there's only a limited population, that's going to throw the fear of God into everybody. And it was a perfect trajectory up into the ceiling where that bullet was. I was up there as part of his protection team. There was no give in the school bus. 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. I think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. According to survivor accounts, Doris enticed many into the first grade room by announcing that their presence was required for a school assembly. They messed with the kids and that brought a whole communityin fact, it brought the whole western half of the state all together. And I didn't know about the angel thing comin' to the kids until many days later. Over the course of time he did various things to get our input from script readings early on, to being there on set, etc. Sue Castaneda: Which is the son who is also running for sheriff? Many of the children who stated they saw angels were of various faiths. Doris developed a headache from the gasoline fumes, and raised her hand to her forehead. I'd like to think so. And my children. This wasn't a pipe bomb. the children began describing things more specifically and that is when the mom was prompted to find the photograph of their grandmother. Amy Bagaso Williams with her husband and four children. And he didn't even ask me if I wanted to do that. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." Do you ever think about that? Associated Press. Some of them believed the assembly was about weapons; others began realizing something was seriously wrong. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I believe a presence was entering the room at about that time. 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. Mark Junge: What's been your experiences since then? Mark Junge: to go through all this? Well, you know how fine that dust is. So if the state didn't pay him, he figured the Mormon church would pay him because the Mormon church has money also. Dozens. Mark Junge: That's a record of all the people we've talked to! David Young entered the school with his wife transporting a large gasoline-filled device that appeared to be a bomb. Rich Haskell: Well, I did learn later that the kids saw the angels. Just like with a pair of pliers, pair of snips. Also, how long was it before the kids started talking about seeing angels? 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. At that time, about 500 people lived in Cokeville, and there were slightly more than 100 students attending the elementary school. They were sitting out across the fence with scopes on their rifles just ready to shoot until the sheriff went out and said, "No. You know this is going to sound morbid, but I always thought if the Muslims, the radical Muslims were smart, they would take their jihad to local communities because that would scare the hell out of 'em like it did in Cokeville. Mark Junge: EOD. results in the deaths of perpetrators David and Doris Young; 154 hostages survive. He just said just go do it. TC, I think, saw it the same way. What is your assessment of these two people who did this? No need to troll. As well as I can. Mark Junge: Okay. Mark Junge: And your great-grandkids? Many recalled praying silently, forming prayer circles and seeing angels during the crisis. We're in a conference room here on the main floor. I just stayed right there and we processed the scene and did the scene. I mean, we're talking about from kindergarten kids up to 10-, 11-, 12-years old. Windows were opened to rid the room of gasoline fumes, and prayers were offered in small groups among the children. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. 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. 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. Then he went to the restroom, which was attached to the classroom. Rich Haskell: Yes. Students, teachers, visitors, staff who survived the ordeal and bystanders began recounting their memories of this event as it was still unfolding. People who had guns! 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. A compilation project by the Cokeville Miracle Foundation, a 501(c) (3) charity. (Laughs) Yeah, I understand what you're saying, but it was. How has that experience shaped your life? #TodayInHistory: Today in 1986, The Cokeville Elementary School crises happened. 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. 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. Rich Haskell: Because of the response and because of the emails and everything that took place. [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. When the thing went off, when the bomb exploded, they just started chuckin' people out the windows. Sue Castaneda: Carla said that some people were mad that we were there. Mark Junge: In fact, didn't you say you burned up your engine? Doris accidently triggered the bomb by motioning to her hostages with her arms. But shortly after entering the school, Princess decided to rebel. Story: Witness who ran toward marathon bomb 'saw bodies flying' "The death of any child shatters us all,'' Barnicle said. Young was a former Cokeville town marshal who had been living in Arizona for several years. Current students at Cokeville Elementary School aren't taught about the '86 bombing, but most know the general story. I don't know. The kids couldn't have done it. She is one of the survivors whose story has become a part of The Cokeville Miracle. 1 of 7. Rich Haskell: There was a reason I was there for some reason. 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. But we knew what our story was, and that it could help offer hope. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. On May 16, 1986, a man and his wife with a bomb took . Mark Junge: And you're sheriff in Sweetwater? The detonation didn't do it, it was cut. Interesting stuff to me! Rich Haskell: Well, by none of the kids bein' hurt that was supposed to be hurt. I contacted the dispatch up in Kemmerer to get firsthand information as to having second- and third-hand information and they informed me that the school indeed had been taken hostage.
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