Fergus Falls, Minnesota The Otter Tail County Recycling Center was evacuated after somebody left an artillery round in their hazardous waste removal area. Police said they were called out after the artillery round was dropped off in the morning. The Crow Wing County Bomb Squad was called in to remove and properly dispose of the item identified on as an artillery round.

Although the round was dropped off anomalously, police are investigating to see if they can determine who dropped off the round.

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An overview of the Advanced Explosives and Ordnance Training Seminar held in Cambodia, 2018.

Author: Tom Gersbeck, MFS and GySgt. Jorge Rivero, USMC
Oklahoma State University (OSU), Arson-Explosives, Firearms & Toolmarks Investigation Graduate Program

Summary:

The Oklahoma State University (OSU), School of Forensic Sciences, CENFEX Program teamed with Golden West Humanitarian Foundation to provide another one-of-a-kind training opportunity in Cambodia, January 15 through 19, 2018. Those in attendance included people from corporate security, 3rd Marine Division, military EOD technicians, Public Safety Bomb technicians, the legal profession, as well as the OSU School of Forensic Sciences and School of Medicine. The details of the five training seminar are outlined below.

The Seminar:

The first day provided an overview of the issues to be addressed throughout the week, including advanced technical concepts covered in a crawl, walk, run perspective. In the morning, everyone met in the hotel lobby, boarded the bus and traveled to the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), Ordnance and Weapons Museum. Upon arrival, we were met by Len Austin from Golden West HF. Len provided a brief on the history of warfare within Cambodia over the last 90 years, which resulted in unimaginable amounts of landmines, UXO and ERW still contaminating large portions of the country. With the depth and scope of the problem laid out, the guided tour of the museum began.

The majority of the ordnance displayed in the museum was inerted by Golden West personnel working under Len's supervision. As such, the details provided by Len throughout the tour offered tremendous technical and tactical insight. The group then traveled to Golden West's headquarters in Phnom Penh to tour the Advanced Ordnance Training Materials (AOTM) shop. Guided by Golden West's chief design engineer, John Wright, attendees were treated to hands-on demonstrations of the 3D printed,100%, 200%, and 400% sized fuzes, landmines, submunitions and other ordnance items. The group then moved to the Virtual Reality (VR) room and afforded an opportunity to experiment with ordnance-based VR training equipment. The images shows Len working with an attendee wearing a VR headset.

After watching the VR presentation of a munition, Len then handed a cutaway version of the same munition to the attendee and explained how the item functions. The level of understanding achieved though this multifaceted approach to training cannot be replicated through other conventional methods. Following the tours, the group traveled to a very nice restaurant for a traditional Khmer lunch before the final stop of the day.

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Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan Sgt. James G. Johnston (Army EOD Technician) from Trumansburg, NY was killed in a small arms fire during combat operations. The 24-year-old entered active-duty military service in July 2013 as an EOD specialist. He was assigned to the 79th Ordnance Battalion EOD, part of the 71st Ordnance Group at Fort Hood, TX and was deployed in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel in March 2019.

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MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina With the increase in recreational boat traffic in Pamlico sound, officials at MCB Camp Lejeune are reminding the public of the no trespassing policy in effect at Browns Island, a former bombing target.

A press release issued by the Base reiterates the waterway restrictions for creeks and tributaries leading to and around Browns Island due to frequent live-fire exercises conducted near the area as well as UXO in and around Browns Island.

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Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina A beachgoer was lucky to escape disaster after bringing home a live ordnance item filled with white phosphorous (WP). After discovering the item on Pine Knoll Shores, the resident picked it up and took it home as an ornament for a flower garden. When the munition started smoking, it was brought to the local fire department. A USMC EOD unit was called in to safely dispose of the military ordnance.

Okinawa, Japan A dredging company uncovered a bomb from the seabed Tuesday while dredging reclaimed soil at Naha Airport. According to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, EOD responded and relocated the U.S. WWII era bomb 3-miles from the military port. EOD weighed the bomb down with weights to prevent it from moving in the current before setting up an underwater demo charge to dispose of the item.

Flagstaff, Arizona The U.S. Forest Service is trying a unique approach to monitor the Maroon Fire burning in the Coconino National Forest through the use of a drone equipped with an infrared camera and other high-tech sensors. Officials opted for the drone approach over explosive safety concerns from UXO in the area.

Currently, drones cannot be flown over or near wildfire or prescribed fires, because they can cause hazards to other aerial operations like helicopters and airplanes. In order to navigate the restriction, operators had to obtain a waiver approved by the FAA and coordinate their flights with local aircraft towers.

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Tokyo, Japan Workers at offices near a construction site for a new apartment building in Koto Ward were evacuated after a UXO found. A member of the construction crew notified local authorities after the 4 ft-long ordnance was unearthed at the site near the Ariake Tennis Park.

Officials determined it was a 500-lb incendiary bomb, dropped by the U.S. during WWII. Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force arrived at the scene to render bomb safe to transport from the site for disposal.

Devon, England A man, his wife and two-year-old daughter were walking along the Devon coast when they discovered what may have been a WWII Canadian mortar.

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