UXO Threat in a post fan scenario

[festus]

UXO...unexploded ordinance

This is a very real threat on any modern battlefield. I am not just talking about BONO and land mines. Any morter, howitzer,shell, grenade, landmine, bomb, bomblet, missile, rocket or IED can pose a very real threat.
In a post fan environment you may need to be fairly smart about UXO's and how best to deal with them/mark them. I doubt that there will be much in the way of infrastructure in a post fan environment.(no EOD units)
There are a lot of military manuals dealing with this issue. Find them and use them. The prior military and retired military veterans have a small leg up on this issue but the average civilian does not. Lets see what we can come up with for this subject.

 

[AR Hammer]

Korea, late '70s.
We found fences made of unexploded Ordnance where the local farmers stacked up mines, rockets, bombs, grenades, mortars, ect. turned up in the fields...

After the war, the farmers used to put their Daughters out front of the oxen with a stick pounding the ground to 'Find' unexploded ordnance.
Daughters were worth less than oxen or sons were, so they got the job to 'Find' the ordnance!

Fences chest high bordering a road the military wanted to widen and improve.
Ordnance had to go...

On a scale of 1 to 10, this was one of those "Pucker Factor 5,000" jobs!

Since villages were close to the 'Fences' we couldn't detonate in place with catastrophic damage and potentially scattering unexploded ordnance everywhere again, and being back to 'Square One' with a bunch of damage.

We tried a big hole in the ground.

This is were the 'Pucker Factor' of around 5,000 comes in!

You are a MORON for moving unexploded ordnance!
Even if it is 30 years old and has been exposed to the elements for several of those years!

Russian, Chinese, every manner of American/NATO ordnance...
Just a REAL nightmare!

Started by digging a LARGE hole, MOVED the ordnance into said hole, and used a PILE of Thermite on it.
Producing the occasional high order detonation,
PROVING that the hardware was STILL VERY LETHAL even after 30 years of freezing, thawing, summer heat, ect.

--------------------------------------

SO, after having TWO of the EOD guys in the rubber room from 'Nervous Conditions',
The powers that be decided to let us use magnesium flairs to burn through the cases and burn out the explosives.

That worked REALLY WELL, and we didn't have to move the stuff,
Flairs right on them where they lay, and push the button!

Now they have little magnesium flairs that look like model rocket motors you aim at the offending ordnance and it does the same job with setting EVERYTHING on fire like we did.

---------------------------------------

If I find something that can be 'Disarmed' and reused, it's going home with me in an emergency situation!

If I can't disarm it and it's in 'Friendly' territory, mark it well and leave it alone.
("Can't Disarm", that means you don't have the know how or don't want to deal with something severely damaged),

If it's in open space, build a fire around/over it and get the hell away!

Let the fire do it's work to either detonate it or burn it out and neutralize the threat.
Don't forget to mark the location if it's not obviously destroyed (like detonated or laid open/melted down)!

 

[festus]

Yikes...

Korea, late '70s.
We found fences made of unexploded Ordnance where the local farmers stacked up mines, rockets, bombs, grenades, mortars, ect. turned up in the fields...

After the war, the farmers used to put their Daughters out front of the oxen with a stick pounding the ground to 'Find' unexploded ordnance.
Daughters were worth less than oxen or sons were, so they got the job to 'Find' the ordnance!

Fences chest high bordering a road the military wanted to widen and improve.
Ordnance had to go...

On a scale of 1 to 10, this was one of those "Pucker Factor 5,000" jobs!

Since villages were close to the 'Fences' we couldn't detonate in place with catastrophic damage and potentially scattering unexploded ordnance everywhere again, and being back to 'Square One' with a bunch of damage.

We tried a big hole in the ground.

This is were the 'Pucker Factor' of around 5,000 comes in!

You are a MORON for moving unexploded ordnance!
Even if it is 30 years old and has been exposed to the elements for several of those years!

Russian, Chinese, every manner of American/NATO ordnance...
Just a REAL nightmare!

Started by digging a LARGE hole, MOVED the ordnance into said hole, and used a PILE of Thermite on it.
Producing the occasional high order detonation,
PROVING that the hardware was STILL VERY LETHAL even after 30 years of freezing, thawing, summer heat, ect.

--------------------------------------

SO, after having TWO of the EOD guys in the rubber room from 'Nervous Conditions',
The powers that be decided to let us use magnesium flairs to burn through the cases and burn out the explosives.

That worked REALLY WELL, and we didn't have to move the stuff,
Flairs right on them where they lay, and push the button!

Now they have little magnesium flairs that look like model rocket motors you aim at the offending ordnance and it does the same job with setting EVERYTHING on fire like we did.

---------------------------------------

If I find something that can be 'Disarmed' and reused, it's going home with me in an emergency situation!

If I can't disarm it and it's in 'Friendly' territory, mark it well and leave it alone.
("Can't Disarm", that means you don't have the know how or don't want to deal with something severely damaged),

If it's in open space, build a fire around/over it and get the hell away!

Let the fire do it's work to either detonate it or burn it out and neutralize the threat.
Don't forget to mark the location if it's not obviously destroyed (like detonated or laid open/melted down)!

yikes!!!!!!!

 

[AR Hammer]

Guess you missed the 'EOD' part...
Worked in coal mines with explosives, Military EOD,
Not hard to figure out that if you don't have any training, then DON'T TOUCH!

Mark and move on...

 

[Ropadope]

When and where did you recieve your EOD Crab ??

 

[AR Hammer]

Getting kind of personal,
Basic EOD, Great Lakes in '79, 'A' school in Aberdeen Proving grounds in '80
Why do you ask, trying to track me down?

 

[Ropadope]

If your going to announce it in an open forum then it's not "personal" anymore.

Fairgame.

Oh, and thanks for your service.

 

[AR Hammer]

I'm a farm kid and 'Old School', I figured it was my 'Duty' to serve,
But thanks the the recognition.

Virtually everyone in my family were in the military somewhere, some Army, some Navy, some Air Force, some Marines...
I was 17 years and one day old when I joined, and it was one hell of a good time for a 17 year old farm kid to get to travel and see things I would have never done if I'd stayed on the farm!

I probably wouldn't do it again, but I wouldn't take a million dollars for the experiences I had!
Just wish I had that 20 something body back again! Getting old SUCKS!
50 now, and feeling about 75 some mornings!

--------------------------------------

E-Harmony Reject! That's GOOD!
They don't have a 'Farmer' or 'Firearms Enthusiast' section do they?