EP 447 - Cokeville School Miracle and Miyuki Ishikawa

Okay, so this story is not completely departing from what I normally do.

I've covered something kinda like it, but also at the same time it's completely different.

Okay?

Mm-kay.

So picture it: Cokeville, Wyoming, 1986.

It's this little ranch town in southwestern Wyoming.

Had a population of about 500 people, and the elementary school practically held an entire generation of the community under one roof because it was kindergarten through sixth grade.

Everyone knew everyone, that type of community.

I mean, honestly, the teachers knew the parents, parents knew the teachers, and a lot of the children were related to each other.

On Friday, May 16th, the day started like any other school day.

You know, not wanting to get out of bed, maybe miss the bus, all the things.

Car wouldn't start.

[laughs] But it was just a regular, degular day.

However, by that afternoon, 136 children and 18 adults would be trapped together in a first grade classroom with guns pointed at them-

[gasps]

... and a homemade bomb sitting in the middle of the room.

And somehow, every single hostage would make it out alive.

And so this is the Cokeville Elementary School miracle.

Dang, I was trying to make a joke about Atlanta being mad 'cause they're Coke and, you know, the Coke plant's in Atlanta, and then you had to go bring in kids.

Wow, you were really stretching it there with those [laughs] jokes.

Well, it was, it was my first thought when you said...

I was like...

Well, my first thought when you said Cokeville, I was like, "Ooh, I bet Atlanta was mad." And then I was like, "Nobody's gonna get that."

[laughs] No.

Nobody.