May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took an entire elementary school hostage in Cokeville, Wyoming. Armed with firearms and a home made bomb, the couple demanded a vast sum of money for the hostages release or everyone would die.
When the bomb was accidentally triggered many believe a miracle took place - angels saving the lives of the innocent.
Hostages and Manifesto
Just after 1pm on May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young entered the Cokeville Elementary School, Wyoming, carrying a large number of firearms and a home-made gasoline bomb. They went into the schools office, claimed it was the beginning of a revolution and took the staff hostage.
The Youngs then chose one of the classrooms to be the staging area from which to carry out "the Biggie". They then proceeded to take hostage all of the students, teachers and staff, gathering all 154 people (some sources state up to 167) into a small classroom that normally held 30 students.
David Young set himself up in the middle of the classroom, heavily armed with the home-made bomb sitting next to him. A shoelace ran from the bomb to his arm, so that if he pulled it the bomb would go off.
He had sent off letters carrying his manifesto "zero=infinity" to President Ronald Reagan, several media outlets and the head of Chadron State College. Young also demanded a audience with the president and $2million dollars per hostage taken (amounting to a bit over $300million).
Angels in the Classroom
Once set up the stand-off began. To keep the children busy and attempt to keep their mind off of what was happening teachers sought permission to gather books, art supplies, a television and some movies. This was granted but failed to work, the children were still worried. Doris Young even tried to calm them down herself, telling them to think of it as an adventure.
About two hours in, some of the teachers and students joined one another for silent prayer and it was about here that something strange began to happen. Some students began to hear disembodied voices tell them that something big was about to happen but not to be afraid. Others saw beautiful figures in white move about the room. A few got glimpses of dead relatives telling them not to be afraid and one radiant lady in white appeared, told the gathered people to start moving towards the windows and that they would all be spared.
David Young began to be agitated, some say it was the praying, some say maybe he caught fleeting glimpses of what the children and some staff were seeing. Whatever the reason, he removed the bombs trigger mechanism from his wrist and attached it to his wives. He then went into the adjoining bathroom.
Shortly thereafter and about two and a half hours into the hostage situation, Doris Young suddenly jerked her arm and the bomb detonated. Fire and scorching black smoke quickly filled the room and the teachers quickly decided to act. With the windows blown out they helped students leave the building and then quickly followed. John Miller, the music teacher, took a bullet to the back as David Young re-entered the room.
Doris Young was writhing in agony on the ground so David put her out of her misery - a gun shot killing her instantly. He then took his own life.
The Miracle
Explosives experts said that the size of the bomb should have completely destroyed the classroom at the very least but only one of the five detonators went off. Although 79 of the teachers and students went to hospitals with flash burns all recovered, even John Miller who had been shot made a full recovery.
The only two people to lose their lives that day were the two hostage takers. Both were highly spiritual people, believing in reincarnation so maybe their last thoughts were they were to be reborn.
Media and news photographs of the scene soon surfaced and it was one such photograph that many believe reinforces just what happened that day. With students and teachers giving corroborating stories of angels seen in that classroom just before the bomb went off, not many were surprised with what was found.
On the north wall of the classroom, where the radiant woman in white had been seen was a scorched outline — many believe to be a human figure with wings imprinted on the wall.
Does this photograph show the image of one of the angels that saved the lives of all the innocent that day?
Was it a miracle, as so many have called it, that caused the bomb to malfunction?
