Hanover, Germany Construction workers excavating near the barracks of a German military installation uncovered a large aerial bomb. Workers called the police to report the find who in turn responded with technical support from a German military EOD team. EOD identified the bomb as a WWII era 250-kg British aerial bomb. The bomb was determined unsafe to move and render safe procedures could not be performed due to the corroded state of the bomb's fuze. The only option left to EOD was to blow the item in place.

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Belgrade, Serbia The European Commission and the Serbian Government are developing a plan and jointly funding an effort to clear UXO from the Sava and Danube rivers. The underwater UXO river clearance project is designed to address the UXO in the river beds and along the river banks to make the area safer for maritime transit. The source of the UXO was from bombing that occurred in 1999 when a 78-day bombing campaign was conducted by NATO forces to remove Serb troops from the then province of Kosovo. Due to history of the area, the potential exists for WWI and WWII era UXO to be in the area as well.

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Front Range Training and Consulting is proud to offer a Department of Defense Approved Unexploded Ordnance Technician I course in response to the rapid growth in the Munitions Response programs worldwide. This challenging four week course prepares students for an exciting career in the UXO field, studying subjects such as safety, explosives, unexploded ordnance from around the world, range clearance operations, and more. Front Range Training also offers students certification in an OSHA approved 40 hour Hazardous Waste Operator (HAZWOPER) course.

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Guadalcanal Island Four fishermen were hospitalized with serious injuries when a UXO item they were dismantling exploded. Police are still investigating the accident but reports indicate that the men were trying to dismantle a WW II era UXO in order to extract the explosives out for use in a practice known as "Dynamite Fishing". Dynamite Fishing involves setting off an underwater explosive charge in an area which stuns nearby fish. When the fish float to the surface they are gathered up. The men are reported to be in serious but stable condition.

Garden City Beach, South Carolina A beachgoer walking in the shallow surf came across a strange canister floating in the water. After scraping several barnacles off the item, the letters "USA DoD" stenciled on the canister became visible. Concerned that the item was potentially dangerous, the beachgoer called the police who responded with technical support from the Horry County Bomb Squad. Police cordoned off an area of 100 yards in all directions as the bomb squad investigated the item.

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Schonstedt Instrument Company announces the formation of the Munitions Response Group. The Group's function is two-fold:

• To encourage and focus communication with users of Schonstedt demining tools

• To foster collaboration with industry partners to advance UXO/IED detection capabilities

Visit the group's website at www.findUXO.com or email us at mrgroup@schonstedt.com We welcome your input.

Bob Ebberson
Manager, Munitions Response Group

Army Staff Sgt. Edmond L. Lo, 23, of Salem, New Hampshire died in Samarra City, Iraq, when an IED that his EOD team was acting to neutralize detonated. He was assigned to the 797th Ordnance Company, 79th Ordnance Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq and is survived by five siblings and his mother.

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Washington, D.C. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released testimony that was presented to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives covering "Lessons Learned from the Cleanup of FUDS and Military Munitions Sites". While the testimony focused on the Spring Valley site as the primary example, the lessons learned summarized and presented were applicable to the FUDS munitions program as a whole. The lessons learned were broken down into four themes including:

• Impacts that shortcomings in available information and guidance can have on decision-making.

• Impacts that incomplete data on site conditions and emerging contaminants can have on the development of cost estimates and schedules.

• How funding may be influenced or impacted by overall program goals and other priorities.

• How better coordination is needed among regulators and property owners to increase public confidence in the program.

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Afghanistan Marine EOD Warrant Officer Ricky Richardson died in the line of duty in the western region of Afghanistan. The military has not released specifics about the cause of his death but unverified reports indicate that he was responding to an IED call when the incident occurred.

Ricky Richardson was based from the 9th Engineer Support Battalion in Okinawa, Japan before his deployment to Afghanistan on his sixth combat tour back in February. The 13 year veteran of the Marine Corps was 33 years old and a native of Sullivan, Missouri. He leaves behind a wife and an 8-year old son.

Jasper County, Oklahoma a construction crew digging a trench for a natural gas pipeline uncovered a small cache of WWII era UXO. The construction crew reported the find to the local emergency management agency that responded with a bomb squad from the Mississippi Department of Homeland Security. The 704th Ordnance Detachment EOD based in Camp Shelby also provided technical support.

EOD identified the munitions as WWII era practice bombs. 20 UXO were found in all. Several of the heavily rusted bombs reportedly contained live white phosphorus spotting charges. EOD safely disposed of the UXO without incident and the construction crews were allowed to return to work.

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