Mark Junge: Which means you had to be doing over a hundred miles an hour! 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. Rich Haskell: I sometimes do, but you can't let yourself think about it. Mark Junge: That's a record of all the people we've talked to! Amy Bagaso Williams was a fifth-grader when a couple used a bomb while taking hostages at her Wyoming school on May 16, 1986. He knew what the community was all about. Well, he had went into the bathroom and she was out with the bomb, and they said she was complaining of a migraine headache. The bomb was an improvised explosive device constructed in a small two-wheeled shopping cart with two baskets, one on top of the other. Well, when I arrived and saw that body layin' on the front lawn, I was told that was Doris. We know for a fact that he had tried that device because he did it in Arizona and totally destroyed a school bus. COKEVILLE, Wyo. 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! Returning, David Young shot his wife, then himself. She was on fire! As I sat there and watched him, I could feel he was becoming agitated. And afteryou look in there and you could see little pockmarks all through on the walls, and after we finished with our investigationit took us three days to totally do the whole entire sceneyou could tell where those pockmarks were bullets from the heat had gone off. David, Doris and Princess proceeded to the elementary school and entered the building shortly after 1 p.m. that Friday. Mark Junge: In fact, didn't you say you burned up your engine? In addition, national reporters began arriving within hours of the explosion. Doris developed a headache from the gasoline fumes, and raised her hand to her forehead. David, who dared not risk their reporting him to the authorities, responded by holding them at gunpoint. I know that for a fact! 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. Oral histories, memoirs and drawings began to reveal a narrative of fortune rather than misfortune. In the classroom, David held the gasoline bomb, with the triggering mechanism attached to a string tied around his wrist. Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. And they had practiced how to get out of that building. Yeah, we didn't get a lot of sleep. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. I called back to my dispatcher and they did inform me that the school in Cokeville was being held hostage by two individuals and there was bombs involved. One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. Have there been any lingering psychological effects from going through something so traumatic while so young? This allowed gasoline to drip into the tuna fish cans, turning the aluminum-flour mixture into paste, unable to aerosolize. The tuna fish cans with the two floury would be spread out in the air likehave you ever seen a grain elevator explosion? Meanwhile, police and parents gathered out of sight of the school room where hostages were gathered. 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! What is your assessment of these two people who did this? 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. [4], Prior to the hostage crisis, David had tested a similar bomb in a sealed school bus in Arizona, destroying it.[5]. They do now - ever since the Youngs barged in on the Cokeville Elementary School with guns and a bomb to demand . [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. Mark Junge: And your great-grandkids? Lota, Louinn. 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. So we decided to take some masking tape, and we tapedI think it was an eight-foot square in the middle of the room, right here, and he pushed the cart, the homemade bomb into this, and we told the children this was the magic square. Rich Haskell: I'm Rich Haskell. Rich Haskell: Yeah, there was some people ready to just shoot him right where he was sitting. 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. What did you find out about them? Rich Haskell: Yes, I did. On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in the tiny town of Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a married couple with a bomb. The Cokeville Town Hall is located at 110 Pine St. For more information, visit the website of the Cokeville Chamber of Commerce at http://www.cokevillewy.com or call (307) 459-4195. They messed with the kids and that brought a whole communityin fact, it brought the whole western half of the state all together. As long as that piece of wood was in there to keep those separated, it would not detonate. On May 16, 1986, . "If you can see the bomb, the bomb can see you," an officer shouted. At 1:00 pm, they pulled up to the Cokeville Elementary School and unloaded a gasoline bomb, along with four rifles and nine handguns. Rich Haskell: Not really that often, but every time I think about it I get very emotional. That's a true line in the movie. Rich Haskell: Yeah. So many of 'em thatI don't know. [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. What should people know going into the film? Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. 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." ", All told, 79 of the hostages suffered injuries, mostly second-degree burns, smoke inhalation, and other injuries from the exploding bomb. Chaos ensued. She is a beautiful example of turning tragedy into triumph. Rich Haskell: Absolutely. The only two fatalities were David and Doris Young. All the kids were saved. 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. Because they refused to participate, Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime. Rich Haskell: Yes. Associated Press. We know he built two of 'em. Mark Junge: Where at? How much interaction did you have with the director/producers of the movie? Because of the tiles and the window? This wasn't a pipe bomb. Rich Haskell: Okay, I'll buy that! [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. Rich Haskell: No, it's not. She lifted her hand up to rub her forehead and when she did that pulled the pin out and detonated the bomb. 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. Mark Junge: You had some bullets in the ceiling that you had to investigate, too. Mark Junge: Do you know the names and birthdates of all your grandchildren? And my children. I did open that briefcase remotely like I was taught in school to do. . The Cokeville Town Hall is located at 110 Pine St. For more information, visit the website of the Cokeville Chamber of Commerce at http://www.cokevillewy.com or call (307) 459-4195. Many recalled praying silently, forming prayer circles and seeing angels during the crisis. When the children became increasingly loud, Doris Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. Hi, I am working on publicity for the film, and I will chime in if anyone needs it, or has other questions. Whether or not you believe in God or miracles, show some respect. It was within the first few weeks that the Hartley boy was explaining his witness. I actually created a website knowing that people would wonder what was real and what wasn't. Rich Haskell: Well, I did learn later that the kids saw the angels. Both men were handcuffed in a van outside the school.[1]. He knew it was a predominantly Mormon [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] community. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. I've been involved with law enforcement since 1977 in Sweetwater County. With fear that David might become unhinged, the teachers decided to make an ~8-foot square of masking tape for his own personal space. He was asking large amounts of money. She was a total torch! Go to school and learn how to do it." And I'm sure that that made him very nervous. Okay? In 2006, the Cokeville Miracle Foundation compiled a book of recollections about the day from parents, emergency workers and former hostages. One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. Cokeville Miracle Marking 25 Years.. I got a chance to talk to Jennie Sorensen Johnson, who was seven when David Young rolled a bomb into her first grade classroom. Of course, most children were elated by the prospects of an assembly. Press J to jump to the feed. Everyone else survived, including the injured John Miller. 1 of 7. Then he went to the restroom, which was attached to the classroom. 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. 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. I contacted my sheriff, and that was Jim Stark at the time, and he said, "Definitely! Cokeville Trying to Rebuild A Normal and Secure Life.. Rich Haskell: Well, I got a lot of it while I was in the Marine Corps and in the Army National Guard. Guys like you have to go and search every corner. Rich Haskell: No, I don't think it exited. Edit: Thank you so much for your questions! NOTE: Witness to Miracles was published in 2006 by Pronghorn Press, www.pronghornpress.org . No, we can't do this. The kids could just go to the bathroom right from their classroom. So if the state didn't pay him, he figured the Mormon church would pay him because the Mormon church has money also. What had happenedI can't explain it. Do you ever think about that? Weredo you think it had something to do with angels? I was, and I still am, a certified bomb technician at the time, and I was, as far as I know, the only bomb technician in the southern half of the state of Wyoming. Story: Witness who ran toward marathon bomb 'saw bodies flying' "The death of any child shatters us all,'' Barnicle said. Mark Junge: And you're sheriff in Sweetwater? 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. It was there for a long time, all that support. You know something about bombs. 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? Mark Junge: Well, you've been blessed in a lot of ways. It's just something that you just have to stay on top of. She was totally burned. 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. From Tragedy To Triumph- Talking To A Cokeville Bombing Survivor. Which is hard to believe, but a positive experience in that they learned something. Vengeance for having been fired did not seem to have been the motive, but rather a philosophy recorded in journal entries referring to a Brave New World where he wanted to reign over intelligent children. After being fired for misconduct, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he married Doris Young. Casper Chapter, Wyoming Archaeological Society, June Frison chapter, Wyoming Archeological Society. Twenty-five years ago on Monday, a man and his wife pushed a homemade gasoline bomb into Cokeville's sole elementary school and demanded $300 million in ransom. Yeah. She fled the building and drove the Youngs vanwith Deppe and Mendenhall still insideto the town hall, where she reported her fathers plan. Even though the majority of the townspeople are LDS, there are lots of people of a variety of faiths in the room that day. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries, the majority of which were severe.[3][2]. I don't know what. 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 &. 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. Wyoming has a lot of money as far as the state is concerned. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." Ronald DeFeo Jr., the convicted killer whose 1974 murders spawned the "Amityville Horror" franchise, died last week while serving a 25 years-to-life prison term, officials said Monday . Kind of a synopsis of what they were going to do and what their plans were and the whole thing. Rich Haskell: I did not. Trauma is trauma and everyone deals with it differently. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. Family is the most important thing in a Mormon family. And they had trouble keeping people away from the building. There was no give in the school bus. 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. I believe there was a hundred-and-sixty-plus people involved that was being held. And the bathroom was off to the side of it because it was the kindergarten class. Rich Haskell: Well, run fordo another term as sheriff and then retire, and my wife and I are going to doshe loves genealogy. They increasingly spoke about their memories in public with professional psychologists, church officials and community counselors. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Because it was sittin' low enough and the kids were low enough that it would have done it. The timelines of some events are fuzzy Its hard to nail down what stands out the most, there were a LOT of crazy things I'd never seen before then, or since really. 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. Cokeville Recollects Miracle of 1986: Hostage Survivors, Town Residents Compile Book, ________. 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. He was so open to their input, and feelings. It would have killed them. Mark Junge: Well, and it burned some of the kids. Rich Haskell: I don't think that they were planningor David was planning on the ceiling tiles in the school. Mark Junge: How many actual bombs have you had experience with? I know there's angels. 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. As time progressed, however, a different story emerged in this highly religious and largely Mormon community. Both David and Doris had ties to white supremacist groups, including the Posse Comitatus and the Aryan Nations. Mark Junge: Why do you think that God chose Cokeville to save? 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. The explosion engulfed her in flames and burned many nearby children. And knew what they could do? He used to work in Cokeville. TC is one of my heroes. results in the deaths of perpetrators David and Doris Young; 154 hostages survive. 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. Cokeville seems like a pretty small town. And screaming, I can't imagine the screams that she was making. I later learned he'd been shot in the back. Mark Junge: What do you want to do with the rest of your life? So you got that and you got the flour and the gasoline and that's what it was all designed to do in millisecond delays. There are a select number of people that would do this, so thank you. 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? 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. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News. And, then, shortly after 4 p.m., the bomb exploded. You just do whatever you have to do and get up there." Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. Cokeville Elementary School teachers and staff tried to keep kindergarteners through sixth graders calm and entertained. 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. Mark Junge: Curious, Rich. Only the man and his wife, who accidentally detonated the bomb, died that day in 1986. Rich Haskell: And fourteen and a half great-grandchildren. I think he went in the Marine Corps because of me and served 25 years and retired. He instructed Doris and Princess, by now a young adult, to handcuff them inside his van. [10][2][3] The injured were triaged to several area hospitals in Wyoming and Idaho.[2][3][11]. She was a divorce who earned money working as a waitress and singer in a local bar. I was up there as part of his protection team. It is a touchy topic for us, and could come across the wrong way. It has shaped me to know that God is real. Many of the children who stated they saw angels were of various faiths. We're in a conference room here on the main floor. Young met his second wife, Doris Waters, while in Cokeville. You HAVE to find the positives or the negatives can eat you up the rest of your life. Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, Repanshek, Kurt J. 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. What stands out in your mind the most, looking back? Cokeville Public Library. David's youngest daughter from his first marriage, Princess, entered the elementary school with David and Doris, but refused to carry out the plan, leaving to report the incident at the town hall. Of what you would picture an angel, with the wings and, Mark Junge: Well, if I'm a skeptic, I could say, "Well, that's just the way the flames shot up.". I've got to get back to work now! Sue Castaneda: Did you look at (unintelligible). Eventually Doris lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris while David was out of the room. [5] The wooden piece was tied to Doris' wrist by a string. Virginia Tech, it wasn't that way. 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. Now you are a bomb technician. TC, I think, saw it the same way. ", 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 couple corralled a large group of students and teachers into a single classroom.