did anyone die in the cokeville bombing

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. Rich Haskell: Okay, I'll buy that! 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. 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: With bombs? Parentheses ( ) are used for incidental non-verbal sounds, like laughter. He did it right. Words emphasized by the speaker are italicized.~Transcribed by Russ Sherwin, Feb. 27, 2011. And that was their whole intent of coming to Cokeville. 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. Chaos ensued. 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. The basket, the shelves. [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. He was so open to their input, and feelings. Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. Because of the tiles and the window? Mark Junge: Okay. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. Cokeville officially has only536 people in it and two LDS wards that meet in the same chapel. It would have killed them. Lenita's father Rocky was a fifth grade teacher at Cokeville Elementary School at the time of the bombing, Lenita was a seventh grader. I think he went in the Marine Corps because of me and served 25 years and retired. I actually hadn't thought of doing that, yet. It killed her instantly. 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. [5], "You could see that the roof tiles had been lifted out of their brackets. And we allthere was three of us there. That your life could change just at a blink of an eye. [4], Prior to the hostage crisis, David had tested a similar bomb in a sealed school bus in Arizona, destroying it.[5]. Guys like you have to go and search every corner. 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. Several other survivors were there. The first chapter is titled A Town of Trust.. 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. They do now - ever since the Youngs barged in on the Cokeville Elementary School with guns and a bomb to demand . Mark Junge: And the explosion went straight up? When did Cokeville miracle happen? 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. During the Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis. Go to school and learn how to do it." 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. In the West? We know for a fact that he had tried that device because he did it in Arizona and totally destroyed a school bus. I saw an early screening of the film and absolutely loved it. Cokeville, Wyoming - Wikipedia Welcome to /r/latterdaysaints, a sub for members and friends of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formerly known as Mormons). Survivors shared their stories with each other, investigators, family members, and hospital personnel. Rich Haskell: I don't think that they were planningor David was planning on the ceiling tiles in the school. Rich Haskell: Well, I did learn later that the kids saw the angels. Rich Haskell: No. 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. They feel that it was a positive experience for them. Because it was sittin' low enough and the kids were low enough that it would have done it. Mark Junge: Curious, Rich. The couple corralled a large group of students and teachers into a single classroom. Cokeville Trying to Rebuild A Normal and Secure Life.. Mark Junge: But all of these holes were above the level of the children. Mark Junge: That's a record of all the people we've talked to! One hostage observed a birthday on that day and songs were sung in his honor. 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. And I think it's made me a stronger person. Amy Bagaso Williams with her husband and four children. He shot and killed her. Do you ever think about them? Mark Junge: Oh, really! Mark Junge: Did you help bring the body out? Eventually Doris lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris while David was out of the room. Rich Haskell: Well, I like to think I'm a better person because of it. Carbon County School District No. My name is Mark Junge and I'm here at the Hiltonis it the Hilton Hotel? Rich Haskell: I think it could be a spiritual experience that I have with church, or being around the kids, I don't know. On May 16, 1986, former town marshal David Young and his wife Doris Young took 167 children and adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School. ", All told, 79 of the hostages suffered injuries, mostly second-degree burns, smoke inhalation, and other injuries from the exploding bomb. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. They believed in reincarnation, which probably led, in part, to the creation of Davids Brave New World idea. 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. Rich Haskell: Well, I got a lot of it while I was in the Marine Corps and in the Army National Guard. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." So there's doubt in your mind that there was divine intervention? Returning to the scene, David shot his wife, a teacher, then himself. So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States. The bomb did detonate and fire, thick black smoke and toxi fumes filled the room. Gallery: Cokeville School Bombing, 25 Years Later - Casper Star-Tribune They forget about what happened in Cokeville with a lot more people and the potential of what was there. Mark Junge: Yeah, my brother-in-law worked in the Navy as a chief petty officer and he worked with what they called EOD. This allowed gasoline to drip into the tuna fish cans, turning the aluminum-flour mixture into paste, unable to aerosolize. And what happens if they trigger something accidently?" Rich Haskell: Well, I didn't know a lot about 'em and I still don't know a lot about 'em. I wondered what that was, but then immediately noticed my friends over by the door talking to Doris. Mark Junge: Where at? cokeville bombing | WyoHistory.org Rich Haskell: It's a combustible. 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. P. O. "[6] The two men eventually refused to participate in the event. Rich Haskell: I don't know. The Power of Faith: 25 Years After School Bombing, Town Remembers Story of Survival., Mitchell, Ruth Ann. The two brought in a bomb attached to themselves with a lanyard. Whenever they would come to Wyoming I would be part of their security team. May 12, 2011, 2:30am PDT. Everyone else survived, and many who did recalled the tragedy with memories of the presence of angels. Cokeville Bombing - Wyoming It is a touchy topic for us, and could come across the wrong way. Couple in School Blast Linked to Extremist Group No, this is something that people need to know about. Dr. Clark is the faculty advisor of the Sweet Memories: Research Group at Western. Rich Haskell: I am. And you could see that she had been burning by just looking at her out on the front lawn. 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 don't think that they were planningor David was planning on the ceiling tiles in the school. 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. The top basket contained a gallon milk jug of gasoline, wired with a blasting cap. Returning, David Young shot his wife, then himself. The miraculous events that followed transformed the lives of hundreds of people, including many who witnessed angels or received heavenly help from deceased ancestors. There are some survivors that couldn't believe how accurate much of it was. When they asked pointed questions like "what did the angels look like?" Hi, I am working on publicity for the film, and I will chime in if anyone needs it, or has other questions. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News. They learned to trust in their God, the kids were healed for the most part, and they value life more now. All the kids were saved. 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. Davids writings reveal that he hoped life would be better for him and Cokevilles children in this imaginary place. He instructed Doris and Princess, by now a young adult, to handcuff them inside his van. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. But it still sent flames all over in the room and you can see where all the flames were in that room. It was within the first few weeks that the Hartley boy was explaining his witness. who wins student body president riverdale. 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. Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. 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 entered the school with his wife transporting a large gasoline-filled device that appeared to be a bomb. Because of the experience and the different classes that I've attended, I know what bombs do to people, to buildings and to all kinds of structures. Even though the majority of the townspeople are LDS, there are lots of people of a variety of faiths in the room that day. 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. Associated Press. I mean, okay, you lose the Twin Towers, you might get the Pentagon damaged, but if somebody's town hall or school is blown up in Star Valley [Wyo.] Immediately following the detonation, the teachers started to shove children into the hallway, and through two open windows onto the grass outside the school, causing chaos as panicked parents tried to break through police lines. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. On that Friday afternoon in their quiet, rural town, a deranged couple entered the communitys elementary school, took those inside hostage and detonated a bomb in a first grade classroom. Im living proof.. It just embedded into the walls from the ammunition from the heat. This significantly mitigated the explosive power of the bomb. Cokeville Elementary School is located at 205 N. Sage St. in Cokeville. I believe there was a hundred-and-sixty-plus people involved that was being held. 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. 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. 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. This can, the aluminum powder, never went off. I actually have a pretty clear memory of the events that day, being 12 years old. If I deleted an entire phrase, I have inserted ellipses . I cannot tell you what happened. Cokeville seems like a pretty small town. Rich Haskell: Absolutely! 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. I think it's because of the ages of the kids, to start with. Cokeville Public Library. Okay? I don't know how many people under the age of 35 know about the Chicago Tylenol murders, but for a few weeks in 1982, it was a national news sensation. Both men were handcuffed in a van outside the school.[1]. On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a couple with a bomb. It was just shootin' everywhere. The kids could just go to the bathroom right from their classroom. Rich Haskell: Not really that often, but every time I think about it I get very emotional. There are several great resources out there. David, Doris and Princess proceeded to the elementary school and entered the building shortly after 1 p.m. that Friday. On May 16, 1986, . They increasingly spoke about their memories in public with professional psychologists, church officials and community counselors. The man and woman who took an elementary school here hostage Friday, injuring 70 children when their homemade gasoline bomb exploded, had ties to the Posse Comitatus and other white supremacist. One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. She is a trained rural historian who specializes in oral history, childhood history and memory studies. ITT: people who want to pick a fight with someone who survived an incredible experience. 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. Mark Junge: EOD. Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. Interesting stuff to me! Encircled it. Learn from Cokeville's miracle of '86 - The Spectrum 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. I really did not even want to walk inside that building because I was just afraid that I'd see kids all over the place. 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. If you are interested in seeing the film, theaters are listed here. The hostage takers took part in the singing. 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. I contacted my sheriff, and that was Jim Stark at the time, and he said, "Definitely! Cook, the school's secretary and the first person taken hostage, could tell Young's threats were serious. As time progressed, however, a different story emerged in this highly religious and largely Mormon community. 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! I think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. Man Decapitated by Exploding Pipe Bomb - NBC Chicago Mark Junge: Well, what do you think would cause two people like this to do this? And they had trouble keeping people away from the building. I don't know. On May the 16th , 1986, 1 was in Rock Springs at a basketball game. He was dismissed, however, from this position shortly after his six-month probationary period. [7] Geography [ edit] [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. And it burned some children. How much interaction did you have with the director/producers of the movie? I don't know ifI just felt an emptyactually I could just see a hundred-sixty people dead! Boston columnist: 'This was an attack on family' - Today David Young. Where to watch cokeville miracle? Explained by Sharing Culture 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. And it was a perfect trajectory up into the ceiling where that bullet was. He came out of the bathroom, is what we figured. I did open that briefcase remotely like I was taught in school to do. SHARE Cokeville recollects 'miracle' of 1986. She was totally burned. . The tuna fish cans, if you can imagine, here's two tuna fish cans sittin' here like this, and a gallon jug of gasoline sittin' above it. 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. Angelic Intervention save all 153 in bomb blast - Cokeville Wyoming Rich Haskell: Well, you know, that's a really good question. Don't go past this square. I mean, Columbine, it wasn't that way. Cokeville Bombing: Two Powell residents reflect on 1986 tragic event (before I see Hollywood's version). I just stayed right there and we processed the scene and did the scene. Flipboard. Of course, I can imagine the noise that it made. 'Amityville Horror' killer dies in prison at 69 - NBC News Well, he had went into the bathroom and she was out with the bomb, and they said she was complaining of a migraine headache. In their minds they could start another world. Rich Haskell: Approximately three and a half days. I'd like to think so. Mark Junge: This was a life-changing event. The detonation didn't do it, it was cut. On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in the tiny town of Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a married couple with a bomb. Rich Haskell: And fourteen and a half great-grandchildren. 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 . Mark Junge: Had you seen anything like what took place in this classroom before? Young met his second wife, Doris Waters, while in Cokeville. Kind of a synopsis of what they were going to do and what their plans were and the whole thing. I know there's angels. They lived in a mobile home with Princess, Davids youngest daughter from his first marriage. Some of them believed the assembly was about weapons; others began realizing something was seriously wrong. Rich Haskell: Were above the level of the kids, yeah. There were plenty who opposed this from Cokeville, not a majority, maybe, but they were vocal and raw with feelings. I didn't look at the speedometer, I was just kind of watchin' for animals and everything else. When the children became increasingly loud, Doris Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. Rich Haskell: No, I don't think it exited. Cokeville survivors relive school bombing for film Mark Junge: You'd been tested, though. I later learned he'd been shot in the back. There was no give in the school bus. And knew what they could do? Cokeville Elementary School Explosion - Unsolved Mysteries Wiki 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 . . I'm currently the Sheriff of Sweetwater County. You know their names but not their birthdays. Details: At 1:20pm on Friday, May 16, 1986, forty-three-year-old David Young and his forty-seven-year-old wife, Doris, wheeled a shopping cart containing a homemade gasoline-filled bomb into Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyoming, just after the lunch hour recess. Cokeville Elementary School Bombing | WyoHistory.org I remember seeing the wide eyes on my band teacher as he collapsed with the EMTs afterward. So I went to Huntsville, Ala., to Redstone Arsenal. You can ask me anything about this today between 1-2pm. 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. And I didn't know about the angel thing comin' to the kids until many days later. Rich Haskell: Yeah, there was some people ready to just shoot him right where he was sitting. Audio/Video Recording. Below the jug in the bottom basket were two tuna fish cans filled with a mixture of aluminum powder and flour meant to aerosolize and deflagrate following detonation, each with its own blasting cap. I was a little bit nervous, of course. "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 . 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. 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. When were you satisfied that there were no more bombs? We're in a conference room here on the main floor. Cokeville Bombing. Undated scrapbook. The town has worked to be as respectful as possible to the multitude of experiences that day. David Youngs journals and writings reveal that he was a troubled man who spent many years grappling with deep philosophical questionsabout mans existence, the afterlife and spirituality. the children began describing things more specifically and that is when the mom was prompted to find the photograph of their grandmother. 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. and detonated a bomb inside. Some of the children just sat right all around and just watched him. Is there a news article that I could read to get a better idea of what happened? What is the LDS population of the town and how big was your school? All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries, the majority of which were severe.[3][2]. She tied the string around her wrist. But I know that, well, I'll just be quite frank. 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. On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville www.wyohistory.org 25 years after school bombing, Wyoming town remembers the . Hi MadreDeUnMono! He did deliver our salvation that day. I was still trying to make sense of it all! cokeville miracle hoax Students, teachers, visitors, staff who survived the ordeal and bystanders began recounting their memories of this event as it was still unfolding. I have no doubt about my friends witness testimonies - even though I saw or heard nothing such as they did. 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.