. 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. 1 of 7. Mark Junge: Had you seen anything like what took place in this classroom before? over there. He had tried this deviceand they were designed tothat it would be a delayed explosion. Im living proof.. 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. Then he went to the restroom, which was attached to the classroom. Mark Junge: Did you help bring the body out? Mark Junge: Oh, really! Hi MadreDeUnMono! Sue Castaneda: Which is the son who is also running for sheriff? There was nobody killed but the perpetrators. President Hinkley, President Monson, and President Faust. Throughout both baskets were chain links, gunpowder, and boxes of ammunition acting as shrapnel. It would have killed them. Now, 28 years later, Conger and more than a dozen other survivors are reliving . Mark Junge: to go through all this? SHARE Cokeville recollects 'miracle' of 1986. I don't know ifI just felt an emptyactually I could just see a hundred-sixty people dead! Welcome to /r/latterdaysaints, a sub for members and friends of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formerly known as Mormons). David, Doris and Princess proceeded to the elementary school and entered the building shortly after 1 p.m. that Friday. He was the father of two, but was estranged from his elder daughter. Mark Junge: Do you think he took up thatwanted to take that up because of you? You'd had experience? This did, in fact, happen in Wyoming! After being fired for misconduct, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he married Doris Young. Okay? As time progressed, however, a different story emerged in this highly religious and largely Mormon community. Chaos ensued. The device was set up on afor lack of a better word, I call it a shopping cart. Mark Junge: Well, what do you think would cause two people like this to do this? One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. 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. "We could tell that he was becoming very nervous. The incident was detailed in the book The Cokeville Miracle: When Angels Intervene[12] by Hartt Wixom and his wife Judene, published by Cedar Fort, Inc., which formed the basis for a CBS made-for-TV movie titled To Save the Children. Rich Haskell: Well, after I arrived it took probably three to four hours to make sure everything was neutral and everything was not going to be a threat any longer. He was asking large amounts of money. Well, when I arrived at Cokeville, of course they had the roads all blocked off and there was not a lot of people around the school at the time. 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. Some of them believed the assembly was about weapons; others began realizing something was seriously wrong. 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. On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a couple with a bomb. In Cokeville, Nowhere, Wyo. Kameron Wixom, son of Hartt and Judene Wixom, writes a childlike faith saved us. In his contribution to the Witness to Miracles book, Kameron writes: I didnt have to see angels, hear them, or even think that their presence might be required that day. The top basket contained a gallon milk jug of gasoline, wired with a blasting cap. David saw John Miller, the music teacher, trying to escape and shot him in the back. I received a telephone call from my dispatcher informing me that an incident had taken place up in Cokeville and they were requesting me to drive to Cokeville for assistance. But I know that, well, I'll just be quite frank. On May the 16th , 1986, 1 was in Rock Springs at a basketball game. In most cases I have deleted redundant ands, ers, uhs, buts, false starts, etc. Mark Junge: But all of these holes were above the level of the children. Encircled it. 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. When the children became increasingly loud, Doris Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. 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.". Sue Castaneda: Where did you get your training for that? 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. Some of the children just sat right all around and just watched him. Rich Haskell: I was cookin' right along, yes I was! 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 . I actually hadn't thought of doing that, yet. As I sat there and watched him, I could feel he was becoming agitated. And I'm sure that that made him very nervous. Because they weren't in a gun, the pressure wasn't chambered enough to where you could direct it. With the explosionwhat occurred? Mark Junge: They weren't big enough, in a way. You know their names but not their birthdays. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals on the history and heritage of Germans from Russia on the Northern Plains. Many of the children who stated they saw angels were of various faiths. 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. When they asked pointed questions like "what did the angels look like?" It is a touchy topic for us, and could come across the wrong way. Thank you for doing this! Dr. Clark is the faculty advisor of the Sweet Memories: Research Group at Western. [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. who wins student body president riverdale. By Deseret News. He just said just go do it. In 1986, 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. 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. Kind of a synopsis of what they were going to do and what their plans were and the whole thing. So there's doubt in your mind that there was divine intervention? It was cut. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. She's an avid genealogist, so maybe get involved with that, and maybe go on a mission for the church. The wire was cut. But shortly after entering the school, Princess decided to rebel. The circuit was powered by a 9-volt lantern battery. We're in a conference room here on the main floor. Rich Haskell: There was also ayou look through the ceiling and there was a bigger hole up there. 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 Well, he had put wooden shelves for layers. 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. Either way, right after my joke is about when David excused himself from the room. Rich Haskell: And fourteen and a half great-grandchildren. The Cokeville hostage crisis began the afternoon of May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took 154 children and adults hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. Cokeville officially has only536 people in it and two LDS wards that meet in the same chapel. Mark Junge: With bombs? A compilation project by the Cokeville Miracle Foundation, a 501(c) (3) charity. So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States. They had a circle of tape around the device itself and they said, "Do not come inside of this circle. 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. I actually created a website knowing that people would wonder what was real and what wasn't. Is that morbid thinking on my part? Rich Haskell: Yes, I did. Mark Junge: And what happened? I went from within two feet of the bomb to right near the door within ten minutes before the bomb went off. Guys like you have to go and search every corner. "If you can see the bomb, the bomb can see you," an officer shouted. 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. Unexplained Mysteries: Angel Files. Season 1, Episode 20. These are designed to just spread out the particles all over the air. And that's what we in this country have that these other fanatics or whatever is the family is the import factor. There are some survivors that couldn't believe how accurate much of it was. Lenita's father Rocky was a fifth grade teacher at Cokeville Elementary School at the time of the bombing, Lenita was a seventh grader. During the chaos, Doris' burnt body was expelled through a window, and left lying on the front lawn. Both David and Doris had ties to white supremacist groups, including the Posse Comitatus and the Aryan Nations. How did you determine how everything looked when this went up in smoke itself. I don't think that they were planningor David was planning on the ceiling tiles in the school. Press J to jump to the feed. He did it right. Wyoming has a lot of money as far as the state is concerned. WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. I didn't look at the speedometer, I was just kind of watchin' for animals and everything else. I remember watching that when I was a younger kid, and when they were interviewing the witnesses, I remember several of them referencing "Heavenly Father " instead of "God," and I knew immediately they were LDS. Throughout the standoff, David grew increasingly agitated and irritable. This allowed gasoline to drip into the tuna fish cans, turning the aluminum-flour mixture into paste, unable to aerosolize. Rich Haskell: I took pictures of it. Because they refused to participate, Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime. I think it was still in his body. Eventually Doris lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris while David was out of the room. According to survivor accounts, Doris enticed many into the first grade room by announcing that their presence was required for a school assembly. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries, the majority of which were severe.[3][2]. This wasn't a pipe bomb. 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: Well, by none of the kids bein' hurt that was supposed to be hurt. I think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. You can see what's happening in the world today. . And they had trouble keeping people away from the building. Edit: Also, were you at that early screening? Rich Haskell: I am. On that Friday afternoon in their quiet, rural town, a deranged couple entered the community's elementary school, took those inside hostage and detonated a bomb in a first grade classroom. Mark Junge: That's a mighty powerful gun!