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(Laughs) Yeah, I understand what you're saying, but it was. Encircled it. You just do whatever you have to do and get up there." When Deppe and Mendenhall finally got wind of his plans moments before the hostage crisis unfolded, they refused to participate. And you could see that she had been burning by just looking at her out on the front lawn. When you say what cut the wire? On May the 16th , 1986, 1 was in Rock Springs at a basketball game. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries, the majority of which were severe.[3][2]. Mark Junge: You also mention in your written article in Witness to Miracles [See Note] , the book, that you found a briefcase and you had to open it remotely? Of course, most children were elated by the prospects of an assembly. Shortly after their wedding, David and Doris left Cokeville and headed to Tucson, Ariz. During their time in Tucson, according to Doris daughter Bernie Petersen, David became increasingly reclusive, focusing on his philosophical readings and writings. I contacted my sheriff, and that was Jim Stark at the time, and he said, "Definitely! 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. Rich Haskell: I don't know. Carbon County School District No. She lifted her hand up to rub her forehead and when she did that pulled the pin out and detonated the bomb. David emerged from the bathroom to find his wife in excruciating pain. 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. How much interaction did you have with the director/producers of the movie? Cokeville Elementary School is located at 205 N. Sage St. in Cokeville. Hi MadreDeUnMono! Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, Repanshek, Kurt J. We know for a fact that he had tried that device because he did it in Arizona and totally destroyed a school bus. And that was their whole intent of coming to Cokeville. The bomb did detonate and fire, thick black smoke and toxi fumes filled the room. Virginia Tech, it wasn't that way. Doris accidently triggered the bomb by motioning to her hostages with her arms. So many of 'em thatI don't know. (Laughs) But as I was passing through Kemmerer I stayed in radio contact. Rich Haskell: Not really that often, but every time I think about it I get very emotional. Welcome to /r/latterdaysaints, a sub for members and friends of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formerly known as Mormons). This allowed gasoline to drip into the tuna fish cans, turning the aluminum-flour mixture into paste, unable to aerosolize. Recording and transcription by Wyoming State Archives. [7] Geography [ edit] Rich Haskell: I don't think that they were planningor David was planning on the ceiling tiles in the school. Mark Junge: Well, what do you think would cause two people like this to do this? In the classroom, David held the gasoline bomb, with the triggering mechanism attached to a string tied around his wrist. Cokeville officially has only536 people in it and two LDS wards that meet in the same chapel. Upon entering the classroom, children saw an arsenal of weapons, a grocery cart and an unfamiliar manDavid Young. Everyone else survived, including the injured John Miller. Yeah. Yeah, we didn't get a lot of sleep. As I sat there and watched him, I could feel he was becoming agitated. Mark Junge: And when you went into the classroom you saw holes in the walls? 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. Don't go past this square. Mark Junge: That's a record of all the people we've talked to! I had the chance to watch the pre-screening of the film and it was very emotional. Rich Haskell: I'm Rich Haskell. Mark Junge: Which means you had to be doing over a hundred miles an hour! Of course, I can imagine the noise that it made. He shot and killed her. On May 16, 1986, a man and his wife with a bomb took . I mean, Columbine, it wasn't that way. 1 of 7. This all happened about 8 months after the bombing. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals on the history and heritage of Germans from Russia on the Northern Plains. I'm proud of all my children. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. Current students at Cokeville Elementary School aren't taught about the '86 bombing, but most know the general story. David set himself near the center of the room with the grocery cart bomb nearby, as Doris went from room to room rounding up people. Oral histories, memoirs and drawings began to reveal a narrative of fortune rather than misfortune. over there. (before I see Hollywood's version). It's just something that you just have to stay on top of. 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. 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. Rich Haskell: Yes, I did. Carbon County School District No. You see the bag ladies pullin' them around behind them when they go to the store and they can put their groceries in or whatever else. It was a great movie, very well directed and acted. ", All told, 79 of the hostages suffered injuries, mostly second-degree burns, smoke inhalation, and other injuries from the exploding bomb. 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. Unexplained Mysteries: Angel Files. Season 1, Episode 20. David was a diabetic. Cokeville had so little crime that many folks didn't bother to lock their doors. David Young was the only police officer in Cokeville for six months in 1979. I certainly enjoy my grandkids a lot more. On May 16, 1986, when former town marshal David Gary Young and his wife Doris Young took 154 children and thirteen teachers hostage at Cokeville Elementary school in Wyoming and kept them at bay with a shopping-cart sized bomb attached to five hairpin-trigger blast caps, it should have ended in great tragedy - one of the worst in American history. Excerpt from the book "On This Day In Wyoming History": David young But it still sent flames all over in the room and you can see where all the flames were in that room. Rich Haskell: No. Rich Haskell: No, I don't think it exited. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. She was on fire! 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! "The sadness that comes with the death of an 8-year-old, you can . Hi, I am working on publicity for the film, and I will chime in if anyone needs it, or has other questions. Only the man and his wife, who accidentally detonated the bomb, died that day in 1986. Rich Haskell: You walk into the door, and I don't know if you got to go into the classroom, but you walk into that door and it opens up into the whole thing. I believe a presence was entering the room at about that time. Press J to jump to the feed. This sub is dedicated to faithful discourse on church topics. From Tragedy To Triumph- Talking To A Cokeville Bombing Survivor. How did it affect your family long-term? 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. Trent Toone, Mormon Times. As I got closer to it I could tell it was a body, and of course, you just start thinking about what took place. Over the course of time he did various things to get our input from script readings early on, to being there on set, etc. Rich Haskell: Yes, absolutely. In the days and weeks immediately after this event, most accounts focused on the horrors of the day. My name is Mark Junge and I'm here at the Hiltonis it the Hilton Hotel? 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. P. O. I don't know what. You know something about bombs. How has that experience shaped your life? Mark Junge: How many actual bombs have you had experience with? And then what? So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States. A compilation project by the Cokeville Miracle Foundation, a 501(c) (3) charity. ", Mark Junge: So it took you three days, three and a half days. 96 views, 2 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from J.Cano: Law & Order: SVU - Best Episode According to survivor accounts, Doris enticed many into the first grade room by announcing that their presence was required for a school assembly. Cokeville Children Held Hostage by Bomber., Cokeville Elementary School Bombing: 25-Years Later. Accessed May 17, 2013, at, Fagg, Ellen. We know he built two of 'em. The story was also featured on Unsolved Mysteries, Unexplained Mysteries, and I Survived A movie about the incident, The Cokeville Miracle, was made by filmmaker T. C. Christensen and released on June 5, 2015. Family is the most important thing in a Mormon family. Rich Haskell: Yes. So there's doubt in your mind that there was divine intervention? 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. It was there for a long time, all that support. 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. And the bathroom was off to the side of it because it was the kindergarten class. 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 think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. Mark Junge: Today is the 23rd of September, 2010. And then he shot himself. 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. He listened so well, so patiently. There was no give in the school bus. [4], Prior to the hostage crisis, David had tested a similar bomb in a sealed school bus in Arizona, destroying it.[5]. No, we can't do this. She tied the string around her wrist. I know there's angels. The device was set up on afor lack of a better word, I call it a shopping cart. Meanwhile, police and parents gathered out of sight of the school room where hostages were gathered. On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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. Rich Haskell: Absolutely! Returning, David Young shot his wife, then himself. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. David, who dared not risk their reporting him to the authorities, responded by holding them at gunpoint. It killed her instantly. I didn't touch the body at all. I wondered what that was, but then immediately noticed my friends over by the door talking to Doris. 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 . "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 . Rich Haskell: I am. First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School Published: November 8, 2014 Janel Dayton, Wyoming State Archives photo. The windows had been knocked outhad been blown out. Rich Haskell: Yep. David became increasingly agitated, and decided to leave the room. I cannot tell you what happened. Journal entries also indicate that he saw opportunity in the close-knit community; he wrote, "Threaten one and all are at your mercy." Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. Personally I gave him 17 pages of journal notes! Survivors began to tell their stories through a spiritual lens.