EOD Irony: School Closed Due to WWII Bomb Discovery

Eglin Air Force Base, Florida The Navy's EOD school was evacuated after an unexploded 500-pound bomb was discovered near the property earlier this week. The WWII-era bomb was found about 150 yards from the school's property line, said Lois Walsh, a spokeswoman for Eglin Air Force Base.

The bomb was reportedly found by a hunter in the woods, and according to Walsh, posed no threat to the community. Although there are many experienced EOD technicians at the joint-operations school, the Eglin 96th EOD flight unit was called in to handle the situation, because it is tasked with responding to UXO found in the area.

Walsh said, "With so many test ranges around here -- and this has been a test range for so many years -- it's not unusual to find munitions." A one-mile area was cordoned off to secure the site during the disposal operation. The EOD school was re-opened shortly after the proper disposal.