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. They're the ones that died from the whole thing. As long as that piece of wood was in there to keep those separated, it would not detonate. Where's he running? But everything was black, like you had gone in there with a flamethrower and just torched everything inside there. In 1986 , 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. Returning, David Young shot his wife, then himself. And that's exactly what took place in Cokeville. Of course, most children were elated by the prospects of an assembly. No, this is something that people need to know about. Rich Haskell: There was a reason I was there for some reason. Mark Junge: Do you know the names and birthdates of all your grandchildren? I cannot explain it! On May 16, 1986, . A quarter of a century later, Williams can still vividly recall the chaotic scene following the explosion. Everyone else survived, including the injured John Miller. results in the deaths of perpetrators David and Doris Young; 154 hostages survive. In the West? They were sitting out across the fence with scopes on their rifles just ready to shoot until the sheriff went out and said, "No. If you are interested in seeing the film, theaters are listed here. The Youngs both died that day. David went to the school office, handing out a manifesto titled "ZERO EQUALS INFINITY" and announcing "This is a revolution!" Do you think this is a historical event? I have given that some thought. I actually have a pretty clear memory of the events that day, being 12 years old. Rich Haskell: Okay, I'll buy that! New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. [5] The leaking gasoline's fumes prompted teachers to open the classroom windows, unknowingly creating vents for the impending explosion. The bomb did detonate and fire, thick black smoke and toxi fumes filled the room. Rich Haskell: Yeah. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. One hostage observed a birthday on that day and songs were sung in his honor. And I think that these people actually thought that they could start another world. Whenever they would come to Wyoming I would be part of their security team. I do think the key is talking about it often and early. Rich Haskell: I think it could be a spiritual experience that I have with church, or being around the kids, I don't know. Nobody come inside this circle." There was no give in the school bus. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. I did open that briefcase remotely like I was taught in school to do. Is there a news article that I could read to get a better idea of what happened? When Columbine took place, it was such a big deal, and I mentioned to a couple people, "You know, Columbine wasn't the first school to have anything happen." David had also sent a copy of the manifesto to Reagan. Because it was sittin' low enough and the kids were low enough that it would have done it. Sue Castaneda: Carla said that some people were mad that we were there. So timelines and characters may be switched up, but the overall spirit of it and the facts are laid out true to witness testimonies. Oral histories, memoirs and drawings began to reveal a narrative of fortune rather than misfortune. But David refused to reveal his plans entirely until moments before they unfolded. No, not at all. They had a circle of tape around the device itself and they said, "Do not come inside of this circle. She was on fire! Rich Haskell: I don't know the birthdates but I know the names. 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. Ahntastic Adventures in Silicon Valley They have a lot of first-person histories of the actual event, teachers, investigators and students. That's what David Young forgot to realize just how important families were. the children began describing things more specifically and that is when the mom was prompted to find the photograph of their grandmother. Cokeville Recollects Miracle of 1986: Hostage Survivors, Town Residents Compile Book, ________. Certified Bomb Technician. Mark Junge: This bomb was designed to do what? Mark Junge: How many actual bombs have you had experience with? 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. Rich Haskell: Uh, I can understand that. We had people from ATFAlcohol, Tobacco and Firearmsand there was another bomb technician that came up from Evanstonhe was studying to be a bomb technicianand we all looked at that and said, "That wire's been cut." 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. David and Doris both returned to Cokeville on May 16, 1986. Mark Junge: And you know, in Sue and I's conversation with these dozen people we've talked to now, seems like they also feel the same way you do. Reporters from all the regional news outlets were on the scene by the time of the explosion or shortly thereafter. COKEVILLE, Wyo. 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. When they asked pointed questions like "what did the angels look like?" I know it is real. With fear that David might become unhinged, the teachers decided to make an ~8-foot square of masking tape for his own personal space. She's an avid genealogist, so maybe get involved with that, and maybe go on a mission for the church. Edit: Thank you so much for your questions! [7] Geography [ edit] During the Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis. 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. 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. Of course, I can imagine the noise that it made. I cannot tell you what happened. David emerged from the bathroom to find his wife in excruciating pain. 154 of us were held hostage for almost 3 hours in a 30x32 room when the bomb actually detonated - all 154 hostages survived. Accessed May 17, 2013, at, Wyoming Horror: A Fiery Schoolhouse Bomb., A 1986 Hostage Event at a Cokeville, Wyoming Elementary School., Jarvik, Elaine. Eventually Doris lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris while David was out of the room. But I know that, well, I'll just be quite frank. "If you can see the bomb, the bomb can see you," an officer shouted. The gasoline bottle was leaking. Mark Junge: And the explosion went straight up? 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. She is a trained rural historian who specializes in oral history, childhood history and memory studies. Rich? Cokeville Elementary School teachers and staff tried to keep kindergarteners through sixth graders calm and entertained. Both hostage takers died, while 79 hostages were wounded. But I walked up to the window and looked inside the window and didn't hardly see anything out of the ordinary except it was all black inside. May 24, 1986 12 AM PT. 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. I know there's angels. [T]rust is big here youngsters grow up knowing they can turn to many other members of the community with confidence, write Hartt and Judene Wixom in Trial by Terror: The Child-hostage Crisis in Cokeville, Wyoming. Rich Haskell: I took pictures of it. Hi MadreDeUnMono! 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. They lived in a mobile home with Princess, Davids youngest daughter from his first marriage. Rich Haskell: There was also ayou look through the ceiling and there was a bigger hole up there. TC, I think, saw it the same way. Lenita's father Rocky was a fifth grade teacher at Cokeville Elementary School at the time of the bombing, Lenita was a seventh grader. And what happens if they trigger something accidently?" I went from within two feet of the bomb to right near the door within ten minutes before the bomb went off. Throughout the standoff, David grew increasingly agitated and irritable. Rich Haskell: Well, I got a lot of it while I was in the Marine Corps and in the Army National Guard. The explosion engulfed her in flames and burned many nearby children. 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. Where you find brackets [ ] I have added words for explanation or to complete an awkward sentence. I don't know. A compilation project by the Cokeville Miracle Foundation, a 501(c) (3) charity. WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. (Laughs) But as I was passing through Kemmerer I stayed in radio contact. First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School Published: November 8, 2014 Janel Dayton, Wyoming State Archives photo. Mark Junge: Okay. Rich Haskell: The bullet in him was in the bathroom. May 16, 1986, will never be forgotten by the residents of Cokeville, Wyo. The device was set up on afor lack of a better word, I call it a shopping cart. That's what it was designed to do was to go out and be particles and that gasoline was gonna ignite it and blow it up. Trent Toone, Mormon Times. How much interaction did you have with the director/producers of the movie? So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States.