Honey, That's a Missile In Our Lawn

Jacksonville, North Carolina A homeowner clearing his yard in preparation for hurricane Irene made a startling discovery, a military munition. The homeowner, a sergeant in the Marine Corps based in Camp Lejeune, immediately recognized the item as a training missile. He immediately called the base and reported the find. EOD responded and recovered the missile and the warhead which had separated.

A spokesperson from the 2nd Marine Airwing, released a statement that the ordnance had apparently fallen off an AH-1 Cobra helicopter with New River's HMLA-167 Squadron around 1 am in the morning. The sergeant reportedly heard a loud noise outside his house around that same time which woke up he and his wife up but it wasn't till the following day that he discovered what the source of the noise.

An investigation is underway to determine if the missile release was due to mechanical failure. No injuries or property damage were reported.