Mark Junge: Had you seen anything like what took place in this classroom before? You HAVE to find the positives or the negatives can eat you up the rest of your life. Rich Haskell: That's my oldest boy, Steven. And it burned some children. Rich Haskell: And fourteen and a half great-grandchildren. I had just cracked a little joke with a toy tank of legos as I drove it "across the death line" or the masking tape square on the floor. May 16, 1986, will never be forgotten by the residents of Cokeville, Wyo. Rich Haskell: Well, by none of the kids bein' hurt that was supposed to be hurt. Mark Junge: EOD. Rich Haskell: I'm Rich Haskell. Throughout both baskets were chain links, gunpowder, and boxes of ammunition acting as shrapnel. 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! Rich Haskell: It's a combustible. He was so open to their input, and feelings. I think it was still in his body. Everyone else survived, including the injured John Miller. You should also know that TC basically just wove a storyline into and between the facts and witness testimonies. cokeville miracle hoax This narrative was perpetuated in many publications and productions. How did it affect your family long-term? One teacher was shot when he tried to flee,. Go to school and learn how to do it." 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. 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 . The Cokeville Miracle - Was It Angels? | Light Force Network Mark Junge: Are you one of the most experienced people in the area? Rich Haskell: I don't know the birthdates but I know the names. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. It was cut. And they had trouble keeping people away from the building. I didn't touch the body at all. Recording and transcription by Wyoming State Archives. It brings back lots of memories but it doesn't hurt because actually it was a positive experience. Personally I gave him 17 pages of journal notes! Upon entering the classroom, children saw an arsenal of weapons, a grocery cart and an unfamiliar manDavid Young. He knew what the community was all about. As well as I can. Nobody come inside this circle." But shortly after entering the school, Princess decided to rebel. Then, several years later, Jennie Sorensen identified what she thought was a teacher who led her out of the building after the blast. 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. #TodayInHistory: Today in 1986, The Cokeville Elementary School crises happened. 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. Rich Haskell: Well, I got a lot of it while I was in the Marine Corps and in the Army National Guard. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. Associated Press. This did, in fact, happen in Wyoming! David and Doris Young took 167 hostages (150 children, 17 adults and one unlucky UPS driver) at the elementary school. 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. Both men were handcuffed in a van outside the school.[1]. Mark Junge: Yeah, my brother-in-law worked in the Navy as a chief petty officer and he worked with what they called EOD. Then he went to the restroom, which was attached to the classroom. cokeville bombing | WyoHistory.org 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. I know that for a fact! Audio/Video Recording. Cokeville Trying to Rebuild A Normal and Secure Life.. 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. [7] Geography [ edit] COKEVILLE, Wyo. On one hand people didn't want money to be made off of suffering, but on the other hand it felt ungrateful to not share it in the way that TC would or could. Mark Junge: Well, what do you think would cause two people like this to do this? . There was no give in the school bus. Cook, the school's secretary and the first person taken hostage, could tell Young's threats were serious. 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. Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis - Wikipedia The miraculous events that followed transformed the lives of hundreds of people, including many who witnessed angels or received heavenly help from deceased ancestors. Amy Bagaso Williams was a fifth-grader when a couple used a bomb while taking hostages at her Wyoming school on May 16, 1986. In the tiny classroom, they watched movies, played games, prayed. The circuit was powered by a 9-volt lantern battery. The Youngs both died that day. Well, when I arrived and saw that body layin' on the front lawn, I was told that was Doris. I don't know. I knew fairly quickly that he would be the best chance we had at this. Meanwhile, police and parents gathered out of sight of the school room where hostages were gathered. Have you seen the Unsolved Mysteries episode that had a segment on this? I think it's because of the ages of the kids, to start with. If you are interested in seeing the film, theaters are listed here. First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville I know there's angels. Healing will come Slowly From Within a Wounded Cokeville. 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. Rich Haskell: Yes. 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. Were you portrayed in the movie at all? Windows were opened to rid the room of gasoline fumes, and prayers were offered in small groups among the children. My name is Mark Junge and I'm here at the Hiltonis it the Hilton Hotel? David Young entered the school with his wife transporting a large gasoline-filled device that appeared to be a bomb. 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. This is not a Mormon film it is more of an inspirational film. One hostage observed a birthday on that day and songs were sung in his honor. One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. 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. 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? Of course, most children were elated by the prospects of an assembly. Rich Haskell: Yeah, I think I did. ", Mark Junge: So it took you three days, three and a half days. It packed the brute force of twenty-five sticks of dynamite. I'm currently the Sheriff of Sweetwater County. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. 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. 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. Mark Junge: Which means you had to be doing over a hundred miles an hour! Cokeville officially has only536 people in it and two LDS wards that meet in the same chapel. 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. 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. And knew what they could do? Excerpt from the book "On This Day In Wyoming History": David young 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. She is a trained rural historian who specializes in oral history, childhood history and memory studies. They just didn't let it die out. When they asked pointed questions like "what did the angels look like?" Mark Junge: And when you went into the classroom you saw holes in the walls? Mark Junge: This was a life-changing event. And you could see that she had been burning by just looking at her out on the front lawn. Mark Junge: Do you think you've taken more joy out of life because of it? Rich Haskell: Approximately an hour and ten, hour and fifteen minutes. Rich Haskell: I think it could be a spiritual experience that I have with church, or being around the kids, I don't know. I had the chance to watch the pre-screening of the film and it was very emotional. Rich Haskell: No, I don't think it exited. The two brought in a bomb attached to themselves with a lanyard. And I think it's made me a stronger person. TC, I think, saw it the same way. And screaming, I can't imagine the screams that she was making. Casper Chapter, Wyoming Archaeological Society, June Frison chapter, Wyoming Archeological Society. 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. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. This wasn't a simple bomb. I think I made it there in record timeI'm not sure. results in the deaths of perpetrators David and Doris Young; 154 hostages survive. Have you had anything like this, anything close to this happen? "The sadness that comes with the death of an 8-year-old, you can . Whether or not you believe in God or miracles, show some respect. Box 37, Cokeville, Wyoming 83114. First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School Published: November 8, 2014 Janel Dayton, Wyoming State Archives photo. I absolutely have. Davids writings reveal that he hoped life would be better for him and Cokevilles children in this imaginary place. Mark Junge: We were worried, Sue and I, that people would take offence, right? In most cases I have deleted redundant ands, ers, uhs, buts, false starts, etc. Carbon County School District No. There was nobody killed but the perpetrators. I cannot explain it! 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. Everything was blackened. Cokeville survivors relive school bombing for film Mark Junge: Why do you think that God chose Cokeville to save? The blasting cap in the gasoline jug functioned properly, initiating the explosion. Rich Haskell: I don't know. Rich Haskell: No. I mean, Columbine, it wasn't that way. 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 . When the children became increasingly loud, Doris Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. Best Large Suv Consumer Reports, The Crucible National Theatre Cast, Articles D