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. Even though the majority of the townspeople are LDS, there are lots of people of a variety of faiths in the room that day. Everybody that was inside that room, they just started throwin' them out the windows, out the doors, just anyand she happened to be one they threw out the window. When David emerged, he shot his nearly-dead wife before shooting wildly into the surrounding smoke. Nobody come inside this circle." Survivor relives the Cokeville hostage crisis - YouTube cokeville miracle debunked. We just focused on being grateful. Speaking about PTSD, Jennie knows what her triggers are. During his six months in that position, he met and married local waitress and singer Doris Waters. Rich Haskell: I don't know the birthdates but I know the names. This wasn't a pipe bomb. The couple corralled a large group of students and teachers into a single classroom. Mark Junge: Do you still think about this? Rich Haskell: Yes, absolutely. It's just something that you just have to stay on top of. 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. It is something that is not supposed to happen according to the current laws. I contacted the dispatch up in Kemmerer to get firsthand information as to having second- and third-hand information and they informed me that the school indeed had been taken hostage. I was up there as part of his protection team. He instructed Doris and Princess, by now a young adult, to handcuff them inside his van. Mark Junge: Are you one of the most experienced people in the area? There are parallels and significant differences worth taking a look at, guided by accounts from four survivors who graciously shared their stories with me. Carbon County School District No. So there's doubt in your mind that there was divine intervention? Mark Junge: Where at? When authorities arrived, he demanded to speak to President Reagan, to whom hed sent a copy of his manifesto, and then asked for the ransom. Cursed by Spirits: The Strange Tale of the Winchester Mystery House, Inferno: 7 People Who Claim Theyve Been to Hell and Back, Divine Suffering: 7 People Who Claimed to Have the Stigmata. By Liz Carlston, Contributor Author, Traveler and Culture Observer I mean, we're talking about from kindergarten kids up to 10-, 11-, 12-years old. How the Historic Persecution of Witches Led to the Infamous Salem Horrifying Old Hag Ghost Caught on Camera at Fort Worth Museum, Nightmare Fuel: 7 Strange and Creepy Demons From Around the World, In the Blood: 19 People Confess their Deepest and Darkest Family Secrets, 10 Strange and Sinister Sance Pictures from the Turn of the 20th Century, 6 Strange Supernatural Events Witnessed by Police Officers. For me, the choice to believe in God, seek His hand and learn from the experience seemed the obvious choice. The Power of Faith: 25 Years After School Bombing, Town Remembers Story of Survival., Mitchell, Ruth Ann. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. I had the chance to watch the pre-screening of the film and it was very emotional. Investigators found that the bomb had been - perhaps miraculously - broken. Reporters from all the regional news outlets were on the scene by the time of the explosion or shortly thereafter. They attempted to crowd 154 people into one of the two first grade classrooms, a room with a total capacity of 30 students and a teacher. Rich Haskell: I am. They did a good job telling this story. Read 40 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Mark Junge: And your great-grandkids? And what happens if they trigger something accidently?" The explosion engulfed her in flames and burned many nearby children. Mark Junge: Do you think you've taken more joy out of life because of it? Rich Haskell: No, it's not. In the meantime, David and Doris Young gathered children, teachers, staff and visitors in the elementary school into one central location. 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. Cokeville Elementary School teachers and staff tried to keep kindergarteners through sixth graders calm and entertained. As the dire nature of their situation became apparent, children began sobbing and complaining of headaches or wanting to go home. I do think the key is talking about it often and early. David emerged from the bathroom to find his wife in excruciating pain. 2018 The Occult Museum.com | All Rights Reserved. SHARE Cokeville recollects 'miracle' of 1986. I have guns and this is a bomb. I believe a presence was entering the room at about that time. Do you ever think about that? 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.". Kind of a synopsis of what they were going to do and what their plans were and the whole thing. 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. It was unexpected and they didn't recognize this woman, but who doesn't love a surprise? There are several great resources out there. People who had guns! But I know that, well, I'll just be quite frank. They had a circle of tape around the device itself and they said, "Do not come inside of this circle. It became a story of a miracle rather than a tragedy. 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. Sept. 21, 2010. "My brother came over and told my sister and me to go sit by the window. As Davids youngest child, Penny, still lived with them, they quickly sought a new home in a trailer park. While David and Doris Young were not involved in an organized religion, both were deeply spiritual. Flipboard. Several other survivors were there. At that time, about 500 people lived in Cokeville, and there were slightly more than 100 students attending the elementary school. Mark Junge: Do you think he took up thatwanted to take that up because of you? "I learned that His tender mercies are everywhere--you just have to look for them," she said. I knew fairly quickly that he would be the best chance we had at this. I have given that some thought. So if the state didn't pay him, he figured the Mormon church would pay him because the Mormon church has money also. I've spent many, many hours and many days with the leaders of the Mormon church, with the Prophet of the Mormon church. So many of 'em thatI don't know. With Columbine, one clear pattern I noticed in the tragedy's aftermath is that half the community turned to God, choosing to learn from the incident while others buried their hurt, embittered by the pain and senselessness. 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. And I didn't know about the angel thing comin' to the kids until many days later. Mark Junge: to go through all this? And if I had been a little less of a jokester I may have seen something in that strange light. Dr. Clark is the faculty advisor of the Sweet Memories: Research Group at Western. Many of the children who stated they saw angels were of various faiths. 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: Yeah, I think I did. Play trailer 2:15 1 Video 6 Photos Drama Family History Children who were held hostage in their elementary school tell stories of miraculous things, but many adults are skeptical that the Cokeville Miracle ever truly happened. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. And the bathroom was off to the side of it because it was the kindergarten class. Then he went to the restroom, which was attached to the classroom. I cannot tell you what happened. Where you find brackets [ ] I have added words for explanation or to complete an awkward sentence. Jennie Sorensen Johnson was a first grader at Cokeville, but cautious about sharing her experience because of potential ridicule from others. Cokeville Children Held Hostage by Bomber., Cokeville Elementary School Bombing: 25-Years Later. Accessed May 17, 2013, at, Fagg, Ellen. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. But it didn't. 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. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News. Have there been any lingering psychological effects from going through something so traumatic while so young? 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. Because they refused to participate, Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime. I didn't see angels in white, but I saw and listened to who I needed to. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. For me, what has impressed me about the film is not necessarily the story of Angels (which are remarkable), but that the majority of the 154 hostages chose to see God's hand in their lives that day. David, who dared not risk their reporting him to the authorities, responded by holding them at gunpoint. I want to really live and make a positive difference in the lives of others.". Even lead investigator Ron Hartleys son pointed to an image of his grandmother as the angel whod protected him in the fire. The only two fatalities were David and Doris Young. Accessed May 17, 2013, at, Wyoming Horror: A Fiery Schoolhouse Bomb., A 1986 Hostage Event at a Cokeville, Wyoming Elementary School., Jarvik, Elaine. It has shaped me to know that God is real. As reporters converged on Cokeville, another story emerged. David Youngs journals and writings reveal that he was a troubled man who spent many years grappling with deep philosophical questionsabout mans existence, the afterlife and spirituality. 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