Munition Mania on Martha's Vineyard

Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts Police bomb squad technicians responded to a remote section of a barrier beach at Cape Pogue on Martha's Vineyard when two WWII practice rounds were discovered.

Three-pound AN-MK-23 practice bombs were found on the beach at Little Neck, part of the Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge. The 62-acre refuge area has been closed to the public for years because of frequent discoveries of ordnance.

Several Vineyard beaches were used as part of bomb target practice during WWII. Bombs are often unearthed by erosion along beach embankments. From 2008 to 2014, over 602 munitions were found at Cape Pogue, 88 of which contained explosives.

The Massachusetts State Police bomb squad determined that the items were inert and removed them from the beach.

The USACE has announced plans for a major cleanup of WWWII-era ordnance on Chappaquiddick next spring.

Artillery Shell Discovered at Florida Landfill

Interlachen, Florida The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office's (SJCSO) bomb squad was called in when a front-end loader operator spotted an artillery round on top of a pile of debris.

Sheriff's Deputies secured the area and emailed photos of the item to the bomb squad. After verifying with military personnel and taking an x-ray of the shell, it was determined the object was a shrapnel shell that did contain shrapnel.

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Parts of Vero Beach Closed for UXO Disposal

Vero Beach, Florida Federal officials plan to close parts of some beaches and neighborhoods in the south part of Indian River County to clean up dozens of munitions unearthed along the coast of Vero Beach. The USACE will order evacuations of nearby homes for about six hours each day during the operations.

Contractors for the Army Corps found five, 500-pound bombs, four warheads, and two rockets more than 100 yards offshore while they were removing military-associated debris from the coastal waters. The contractors will lift the items from the sea bed and transport them one mile offshore to a designated disposal area for underwater detonation.

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Lethal Laundry Situation Averted

Bournemouth, United Kingdom Hanging laundry out to dry may be tedious housework but seldom is it life-threatening. This was not the case for a Bournemouth family whose clothesline pole was inadvertently placed directly on top of a WWI hand grenade.

The man who made the discovery while pushing a wheelbarrow across his back garden noticed the "potato-sized" device when the front wheel of the wheelbarrow turned up the soil around the pole. He was alarmed to find the dangerous UXO buried directly beneath the pole, which his wife regularly hammered down into the soil.

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Grid Medicine (Homeopathic Solutions)

Article by Guest Author: Jack Imber
Author of the book DEMINER available from Amazon

DISCLAIMER: These homeopathic remedies are suggested to assist the UXO worker when encountering various ailments and conditions in the field. These remedies are not intended to replace the professional advice of a licensed physician especially during times of serious injury sickness, and prolonged discomfort.

Listed below are certain actual situations with a suggested treatment. If at any time the problem becomes worse or has not been resolved in a reasonable time frame seek professional medical advice.

GENERAL ITCHY INSECT BITES: Carry a small bottle of white vinegar and a paper napkin or tissue. Wet the tissue with vinegar and apply to the irritated skin area. Leave on for several minutes. Usually the discomfort diminishes or disappears completely. Keep vinegar away from the eyes. White vinegar has been used for decades to neutralize toxins and organisms from jellyfish stings and scrapes caused by coral. If you have swelling or discoloration especially with tick bites seek medical attention.

EYE IRRITATION: Dry dusty conditions as well as pollen and other irritants can cause very uncomfortable situations for your eyes. Soak two chamomile tea bags in clean water. Tilt your head back and place each tea bag on the eyes. Warm (not hot) works better but normal water temperature will also help soothe the irritation. Definitely seek medical attention if this condition persists or you suspect something may be in your eye.

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EOD Respond to "Deserted Desert" UXO

Alamogordo, New Mexico New Mexico State Police called in members of Holloman Air Force Base EOD when a man reported a potential old military UXO in the back of his pickup truck. The unidentified item was approximately one foot long and a few inches in diameter.

The man reported the munition, which his friend found in the desert, after he became concerned that it may still be live. Officers responding to the truck owner's place of work, and removed the item for safe disposal.

Authorities remind people that just because an ordnance is laying in the open in the desert doesn't mean it is not dangerous.

Families Seek Shelter in School During UXO Removal

London, England A 500 pound WWII era bomb forced the evacuation of 150 people in east London. According to the London Fire Brigade, the bomb was uncovered by construction workers in the basement of a building site in Bethnal Green.

Army bomb disposal experts were called to assess the device while several families were forced to spend the night in an area school. The UXO was safely removed from the scene for off-site disposal.

Would You Like to Super-Size That Grenade?

Thurmont, Maryland Some 50 customers at a Maryland McDonalds got more than a Big Mac as they visited the fast food restaurant. They got an evacuation and a front row seat to the extraction of a live military-grade grenade from the asphalt of the parking lot.

The UXO was uncovered by a landscaping company operating a shovel machine. According to the bomb technician who responded from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the grenade was live and if hit with the machine, the operator would likely have been killed.

The munition had been in the parking lot for some time and is likely a relic of a military base which was located in Thurmont several decades ago. It was extracted and safely removed from the site for disposal.

Munition Collection Blown Up in Owner's Front Yard

Palo Alto, California A son cleaning out the basement of his deceased father's home, found eight hand grenades and Japanese "knee" mortar. At least one of the munitions was reported to be live.

His father, an airline pilot and retired U.S. Marine, had been a Civil War and WWII history buff with an extensive collections of war memorabilia. His ex-wife was unaware that live UXO was being stored in the home, however.

The local bomb squad responded to the call and buried all of the devices in the front yard of the residence, covered them with 40 sandbags and blew them up after advising the neighbors to stay indoors.


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