CWM Mortar Round Found During Range Clearance

Schofield Barracks, Hawaii UXO clearance workers clearing an area for a Stryker battle area complex found a WWI era CWM filled 4 inch stokes mortar (see below). The UXO clearance team alerted the Army once they discovered the mortar round was liquid filled. The Army notified Aberdeen Proving Grounds who dispatched an Army Tech Escort team to investigate the discovery.

Using a portable neutron spectroscopy device, Tech Escort identified the contents as phosgene. The mortar round was in the same area where 71 other CWM filled munitions were found during previous UXO clearance activities. The newly discovered round was transported to a secure ammunition storage facility pending destruction by the Army.