Welcome to UXOInfo.com's free monthly E-Newsletter on Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). UXOInfo.com is the largest site on the Internet for UXO related news and information. If you have not checked out the UXOInfo.com website, we encourage you to do so at www.uxoinfo.com.

In addition to bringing you the latest UXO news and information, the UXOInfo.com website also provides the following:

• UXO Resume Response Line
• Ordnance / UXO Photo Gallery
• Documentation Sharing

• UXO News Wire Service
• UXO Site Inventory
• Questions and Answers

The UXO E-Newsletter is issued monthly to provide the industry with important news and information related to UXO. For information on how to advertise in future UXO E-Newsletters please email the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Ms. Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com.

The UXO E-newsletter is a free service brought to you by the Center for Ordnance Research & Education (CORE). If you do not wish to receive the UXO E-Newsletter in the future, simply use the un-subscribe link provided at the bottom of this newsletter. If you have any questions or comments on CORE, UXOInfo.com or the UXO E-Newsletter, please email them to information@uxoinfo.com. The UXO E-Newsletter and UXOInfo.com are the copyright of CORE, Inc. This UXO E-Newsletter may be copied and distributed.

Exciting News for the New Year

I would like to wish all of our readers Happy Holidays and warm wishes especially the EOD and UXO Technicians serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. I would also like to thank our Corporate Sponsors for their continued support to UXOInfo.com.

I have some great news about UXOInfo.com. I am happy to report that UXOInfo.com is going Non-Profit for 2008. Officially starting in 2008, UXOInfo.com will be managed by the Center for Ordnance Research & Education (CORE) (a new non-profit organization). I am very excited about this new organizational structure. I know that it will lead to increased participation and involvement from both industry and government and as a result provide more data sharing opportunities within the community. The CORE logo and mission statement are shown below.

CORE will continue to issue the monthly UXO E-Newsletter and run the UXOInfo.com website and UXO News Wire Service (i.e. Blog). I will continue to serve as the Marketing (and Membership) Coordinator during and after the transition. As CORE's mission statement reads, the organization will do more than just manage and run UXOInfo.com. The ultimate goal is for CORE to become the equivalent of a "professional society" for UXO. The UXO industry has experienced explosive (pardon the pun) growth over the past decade and the future suggests that the industry will continue to grow at a rapid pace given the scope and magnitude of the UXO problem. We believe that the critical mass has been reached in the UXO, ERW and Demining industries such that a professional non-profit organization such as CORE will be well received and have a tremendous impact that will benefit all.

In addition to CORE Corporate Partners (i.e. Corporate Sponsors), CORE will also be offering membership opportunities for individuals. The UXOInfo.com website will continue to be free to all users regardless of CORE membership but additional features and networking opportunities will only be available to members. As the plans for CORE firm up, we will be looking for industry volunteers to support the organization as well as thoughts and ideas on how the organization can best serve the UXO industry as a whole.

I want to also thank those who donated images / photos for posting to the website during the UXOInfo.com "UXO Photo Donation Challenge". We received many great photos and images and were able to expand the library. Unfortunately we fell about 250 images short of the goal of 2,000 images in the photo library. I hope that you will continue to send images and documents for posting in the UXOInfo.com library for all to share through the upcoming year and beyond. I truly believe we can all benefit when data and information is shared and the free photo and document library is a great platform to help promote data sharing.

If you have any questions about CORE or UXOInfo.com in general, please don't hesitate to call me or send me an email at jenna@uxoinfo.com.

Hazwaste Permit Application for Routine UXO Disposal Sought

Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) millions of UXO are scattered throughout the Marianas from the heavy bombing and fighting that occurred throughout the area during WWII. Over the past six decades, thousands of UXO like the ones shown to the right have been recovered and destroyed with the assistance of Navy military EOD assets. When the Munitions Rule was implemented several years ago, it required an emergency disposal permit be issued each time a UXO item was reported and subsequently disposed of. This resulted in hundreds of emergency permits being issued over the years which was time consuming and cumbersome to manage.

Over the past couple of years, the CNMI Department of Public Safety (DPS) has been working to streamline (i.e. remediate) the process associated with the collection, handling, storage, transportation and subsequent treatment (i.e. disposal) of WWII era UXO found throughout the Marianas. For starters, an organic Explosive Response Team (XRT) was formed in 2004 under the DPS to serve as lead responders in addressing WWII era UXO finds. An OB/OD site was setup at the Marpi landfill site located in Saipan to dispose of the WWII UXO that was safe to transport by the XRT.

Story continued on the UXO News Wire Service - Marianas OB/OD Haz Waste Permit

Landscapers Hit UXO

Key West, Florida Landscapers working on property once owned by the Navy unintentionally hit and subsequently broke open a mortar round. The munition did not explode but it did put an immediate halt to the landscaping activities. The Landscape crew then notified the local police. The Monroe County Sheriff's office responded and evacuated the area. The bomb squad was brought into to investigate. The bomb squad did not disclose the exact types of munitions recovered but did report that 30 munitions were found in all. The bomb squad is working closely with the Navy to ensure that the munitions are safely destroyed and to find out more information on the property itself. It appears that the area may have been a former munitions burial pit.

USACE Puts RCWM Excavation on Hold

Spring Valley, Washington, D.C. the USACE has put a temporary hold on digging activities at the Spring Valley recovered chemical warfare materiel (RCWM) site. The reason for the temporary restriction on digging is due to concerns that the safety precautions and engineering controls currently in place may not be adequate enough. Engineering controls and safety plans are based in part upon the Munition with the Greatest Fragmentation Distance (MGFD), which is usually (not always) the munition with the largest quantity of explosives.

The current safety procedures and engineering controls in place were based upon a 75mm chemical round with a burster charge (see munition item of the month below for a general description). However, an artillery round uncovered from the site about three weeks ago that is still under investigation is suspected of being a high explosive (HE) filled round. Because the amount of explosives and fragmentation distance is much higher in a HE round vs. a chemical round with a burster of the same caliber, the safety precautions and engineering controls for the site may need to be increased. Once the explosive safety analysis is completed and the associated plans and controls have been updated, the temporary halt in digging is expected to be lifted so that the cleanup can continue.

Army Protects Cultural Resources During UXO Detonation

Makua Military Reservation, Hawaii the Army successfully detonated in place several UXO that were located within close proximity to an ancient petroglyph. The UXO were discovered during a recent range sweep conducted along the leeward coast of the reservation to make the area safe for a native Hawaiian group to conduct cultural observances in the area.

Under a 2001 settlement agreement, the Army has to provide access to the range area for select groups for cultural and religious purposes. At least three UXO items were discovered and destroyed including a fused World War II-era 250 pound bomb (shown right), a 106 mm recoilless rifle round and a high explosive 81 mm mortar round.

Story continued on the UXO News Wire Service - Hawaii BIP - Cultural Resource Protection

Schonstedt Instrument Company is the world's leading manufacturer of hand-held Fluxgate magnetometers for UXO and weapons detection. Schonstedt magnetic locators find ferrous metal targets used in landmines, buried ordnance, other munitions and explosives of concern (MEC), and hidden weapons. They have been tested and proven by the US military, private contractors and NGOs in military and humanitarian de-mining operations around the globe. For a 1-page overview of the company's magnetic locator product line, go to www.findordnance.com

Schonstedt Instrument Company
100 Edmond Road
Kearneysville, WV 25430
USA
Contact: Tylee Ulmer

DynCorp International is a multifaceted, global enterprise that provides innovative solutions to the diverse technology and professional services needs of government and commercial industry worldwide. DynCorp International has been selected by the United States government for the important work of removing deadly landmines and other conventional weapons from former areas of conflict around the world.

Information on Corporate Sponsorships can be found in the UXO Opportunities Brief. If you have any questions on Corporate Sponsorships or want to sign up, please contact the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Ms. Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com or 267.295.8010.

Navy Conducts Mine Countermeasures Exercise

Persian Gulf - The U.S. Navy conducted a mine countermeasures exercise (MCMEX) to demonstrate its ability to counter and clear sea mines to ensure open sea lanes and anchorages in the Persian Gulf region.

During the training exercise, helicopters towed MK-105 Magnetic Influence Minesweeping Systems, better known as "sleds", into a notional sea mine threat area. The sleds are configured as high-speed catamaran hydrofoil platforms. The sleds are equipped with an electrically-charged cable that creates a large electromagnetic field, thus tricking the sea mines into thinking it is a ship which causes the mines to detonate.

Live Grenade Found with Remains of WWII German Soldier

Tallinn, Republic of Estonia a hunter reportedly noticed a pair of old boots sticking out from beneath a pile of moss growing on the ground. When the man approached the moss covered boots he discovered that they were still attached to human bones. The hunter then called the local police to report his gruesome find.

The police arrived and secured the area. After an investigation of the scene, authorities determined that the remains were that of a German Soldier killed during WWII. Along with a dog tag and other personal items recovered at the site, investigators also found a live hand grenade and a cartridge belt of ammunition. A bomb disposal unit was called in to remove and safely dispose of the munitions.

The fallen soldier was identified as a member of the 68th regiment of the 23rd infantry division. The remains are scheduled to be reburied in a military cemetery.

UXOInfo.com is proud to announce the UXO Resume Response Line - an on-line employment referral service specifically designed for the UXO industry. Through the UXO Resume Response Line, the skills of UXO professionals are matched with the needs of UXO remediation and consulting companies.

Simply fill out a UXO profile and to submit your resume on-line: UXO Profile Entry Form From temporary part-time positions to full time permanent placements, let the UXOInfo.com resume response line find a job for you. There is no fee to complete a UXO Profile.

Browse the UXO Resumes on-line: UXO Profile Viewer and request resumes that best match your needs.

For more information about the referral service or to post a help wanted ad please email uxojobs@uxoinfo.com

3 Contractors Supporting the Coalition Munitions Clearance Program Killed

Iraq - Three contractors working as security specialists for the Coalition Munitions Clearance program were killed when then the vehicle they were in hit an IED. The military identified the deceased as: Micah Shaw (32) of Vancouver, Washington; Michael Doheny (35) of Omaha, Nebraska; and Steven Evrard (36) of Arlington, Texas. A fourth contractor was injured in the attack who remains in serious but stable condition.

One Worker Discovers UXO in Blueberry Field, Another Tries to Dismantle It

Cherryfield, Maine a worker installing an underground irrigation system in blueberry field in eastern Maine discovered a WWII era UXO. The worker brought the bomb to a Cherryfield Foods warehouse where it sat for a day or so. Another worker curious about the find, decided to investigate the item himself. According to the worker "after taking the end plate off", he became concerned and called the police.

Story continued on the UXO News Wire Service - UXO Found in Blueberry Field