Kirkuk, Iraq The 506th Air Expeditionary Group based at Kirkuk Regional Air Base in Iraq received a call to respond to a suspicions munition item. EOD responded and found what appeared to be a live rocket pointed towards the Coalition Forces Base Camp. EOD was unable to identify the exact type of rocket but had at least enough information to perform a basic render safe procedure on the rocket so they could safely transport it back to Base Camp for further analysis.

When EOD returned to Base Camp with the rocket, two EOD Airmen set up an x-ray system against the rocket in order to identify its contents. As the Airmen were walking away from the x-ray system, the rocket exploded sending a massive shock wave and fragmentation toward them. Luckily for the Airmen, several pieces of equipment (reported as a pressure washer and grill) blocked some of the frag. Other pieces of frag hit the two Airmen in their legs, arms and backs.

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Albertville, Alabama Workers at the Progress Rail Services metal recycling facility found a 500-pound bomb mixed in with a load of scrap metal sent to the facility for processing. The workers called the police who referred the call to the Marshal County Emergency Management Agency (EMA). EMA in turn referred the call to Redstone Arsenal who referred the call to Fort Benning. Fort Benning dispatched EOD to respond. EOD identified the bomb as an inert MK 80 series training bomb. Since the bomb was inert, it did not pose any explosive safety hazard. EOD transported the bomb back to Fort Benning for proper disposal. The origin of the bomb is unknown and Authorities are trying to establish how the bomb ended up at the recycling facility in the first place.

Celle, Germany An estimated 15,000 residents were evacuated from their homes when Authorities responded to a UXO uncovered in an industrial property during construction and renovation activities. The UXO (pictured below) was identified as a WWII era U.S. MK 84 bomb. The response took less than an hour and residents were allowed to return to their homes. No injuries or property damage were reported.

Farah Province, Afghanistan Staff Sgt Daniel L. Hansen (24) a Marine EOD Technician was killed while supporting combat operations. Sgt Hansen was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. He reportedly lost his life to a roadside IED. He deployed to western Afghanistan in October as an individual augmentee to support EOD operations. Sgt Hansen leaves behind a twin brother who is also a Marine and a fiancé. He joined the Marines in 2002 after graduating high school.

Ohatchee, Alabama workers at the Taylor Road Recycling Center got an unexpected surprise when they opened a crate marked "empty" and found what was reported as a "15-foot missile" inside. The workers called police who responded with EOD teams from Anniston Army Depot and Fort Benning. Upon examination of the item, EOD determined the ordnance was inert and harmless. Authorities are trying to trace back the origin of the missile to determine how it ended up at the recycling facility.

Hanoi, Vietnam construction workers building a 4-star luxury hotel discovered two unexploded rockets while digging the foundation. The workers called the police who responded with a local bomb disposal unit. The rockets identified as WWII era U.S. 2.75 inch rockets with high explosive warheads were removed from the construction site and taken to a nearby rifle range where they were safely disposed of through open detonation.

Washington, D.C. Congressman McGovern (D-Massachusetts) introduced a Bill in the House of Representatives to limit the use of cluster munitions (i.e. submunitions). HR 981 known as the 'Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2009' only allows the use of submunitions to be deployed against defined military targets that have less than a 1 percent failure rate.

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Cushing, Oklahoma Workers renovating an old National Guard armory building came across several boxes marked "TNT" during lead paint and asbestos removal operations. The workers reported to find to police who responded with support provided by an Oklahoma State Bomb Squad. Testing conducted by the bomb squad confirmed that the substance believed at first to be TNT was actually flour and baking powder. Reportedly, the flour and baking powder were used to simulate explosives during previous National Guard training events. It is unknown exactly how long the boxes labeled TNT have been in storage or why they were left in the building. The building is owned by the State but will be transferred to the City after the lead paint and asbestos removal is complete.

Miyazaki, Japan Flights at the Miyazaki airport were disrupted for several hours while Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) EOD personnel rendered safe an unexploded WWII era U.S. Bomb. The bomb was initially discovered over a week ago during construction activities. Japanese EOD personnel reportedly removed the bomb's fuzes in a render safe operation so that the bomb could be safely handled.

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San Diego, California a U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) found a suspicious object floating eight miles off-shore. The drifting box had wires protruding from it with an abandoned fish net wrapped around it. Concerned that that the item was an IED, the MSST established a security perimeter around the object while a Bomb Disposal Team from San Diego was called in for technical support.

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