August 2019 UXO E-Newsletter Released
Click the banner above to view the August 2019 edition of the UXO E-Newsletter brought to you by Ordnance Holdings, Inc. (OHI).
Grenades Left Behind at Vacant House
Fort Walton Beach, Florida The Fort Walton Beach Police Department wascalled to a vacant home on where they discovered an abandoned vehicle with weapons, munitions and grenades. A caller had reported seeing rifles and two suspected grenades inside the car which had been left behind by tenants vacating the home.
The grenades were reportedly in a safe inside the car. The area was cordoned off until personnel from the Eglin Air Force Base 96th Civil Engineers Squadron EOD responded to safely recover the grenades. The two items were identified as a military grenades including one riot control-type grenade and one illumination grenade (specific types not reported). Police are investigating to determine the source of the grenades.
FLIRs Unmanned Ground Systems
About FLIR's Unmanned Ground Systems
A unit of FLIR Systems, Inc., FLIR Unmanned Ground Systems is the world's leading provider of battle-tested Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs). We partner with U.S. and international military, law enforcement and industrial users to design and build technologically advanced robots that support a wide range of missions. Whether it's a roadside bomb on the battlefield, a suspicious package on the subway, or a potential hazmat situation, our robots help keep troops, first responders, and the public safe.
Garden Variety Ordnance
Basingstoke, United Kingdom A couple made a shocking discovery when they unearthed a munition item while digging in their garden. The couple told a neighbor about the discovery who recommended that they contact the police to report the find.
Man Finds Projectile in Attic
Janesville, Wisconsin a man cleaning out the attic of his mother's house reportedly found a projectile. Instead of calling the police to report the find, the man decided to load the ordnance in his car to drop it off at the Rock County Sheriff's Office.
USAF EOD Responds To 40mm Round
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina Horry County police responded to an ordnance call near Waccamaw Drive. The police requested support from the USAF EOD based out of Shaw AFB. EOD responded and identified the ordnance as a 40mm round.
Former Army Range Manager Pleads Guilty For Accepting Bribes
Story from ABC News
A former U.S. Army civilian employee pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to accept tens of thousands of dollars worth of bribes and disclose sensitive Army procurement information.
Franklin Raby, 67, of Greeneville, Tennessee, received items of value from a company hoping to get "sensitive internal U.S. Department of Defense procurement information" while he was working as a civilian range operations manager at Hawaii's Schofield Barracks from March 2015 through May 2018, according to court documents.
The company, REK Associates, allegedly sent Raby high-value items, including a 1969 Ford Galaxie, custom H&H rifle, and $2,300 diamond earrings "meant for the defendant's wife," documents said. In total, the government estimates Raby received between $40,000 and $95,000 worth of items from REK Associates. However, he did not properly fill out financial disclosure forms, including gift and travel reimbursements over a five-year period.
According to court documents, Raby used his "position of influence" to assist REK Associates in receiving a government contract by tailoring the contract's language so that the company had a better chance of getting it, the government said.
Raby would ultimately go on to leave the Army, accepting a position as a program manager with REK Associates in June 2018.
Congress Tries To Stop Humanitariuan Demining Program Cuts
Washington, D.C. Congressmen TJ Cox (CA) and Brad Sherman (CA) led a letter signed by 89 of their Democratic and Republican colleagues in defense of The USAID demining program in the Republic of Artsakh. The letter was sent in response to the USAID's recent decision to end all support for humanitarian landmine clearance in the traditional boundaries of Artsakh at the end of 2019. The development is a reversal of the testimony USAID Administrator, Mark Green offered on April 9, 2019, during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in which he stated on the record, that USAID is committed to completing the clearance of landmines and UXO within the traditional boundaries of Nagorno Karabakh.
Army EOD Brassard Changes
Article Source - Army Times.
Army EOD soldiers are now permitted to wear their EOD brassard full-time. The change was made in a memo signed by Lt. Gen. Thomas Seamands, the Army G-1. The memo authorized full-time wear of the EOD brassard by all qualified EOD techs beginning with its signing. Previously, the brassard was authorized for wear only while actively engaged in the duty associated with the brassard and identification of personnel was required, such as field operations and event response.
