Here are two short tales from a friend of mine that worked in Army EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal -- aka "the Bomb Squad").  Brad was with the 51st EOD Detachment (now disbanded) at Ft. Sheridan, Illinois.  Both stories involve the 40mm grenades fired by the M79 and M203 grenade launchers.  EOD has a healthy respect for 40mm grenade duds because they can detonate at the slightest movement and that is why instructions say to blow them in-place when found.  Both incidents occurred when Brad was in training at Ft. Stewart, Georgia, where we pickup the story . . .

 

One day a recruit from one of the training companies found a 40mm grenade dud.  Not knowing what to do with it, he brought it to his company commander.  He reported in, and placed the silver aluminum projectile on the Captain's desk.  The poor officer nearly had a heart attack, but recovered his composure quickly and called EOD. 

 

EOD arrived at the company adminstrative office with lights and siren.  The EOD team entered the office and surveyed the situation.  Because the round had been exposed to the weather for as long as it had, it could not be determined whether it was a dud high explosive grenade (gold anodized color) or an inert practice grenade (blue anodized color).  Instead, the grenade was its natural silver aluminum color.  The EOD technicians informed the Captain that they'd have to follow standard procedure and that was to blow the projectile in place; he had 30 minutes to clear out whatever he wanted to save from his office.

 

Thirty minutes later, EOD placed a 2-inch by 2-inch by 2-inch chunk of C-4 explosive next to the grenade, inserted a blasting cap with a fuze lighter attached, pulled the pin -- and blew up the Captain's office!  Brad said that it was really neat to walk past the building with the big hole in its wall.

 

Another time at Ft. Stewart, they had a random security check at the gate.  A civilian in a new Cadillac was stopped and asked to open the trunk.  He did and the Military Police (MP) found a bushel basket full of silver 40mm grenade projectiles that had been gathered-up from the range.  The civilian owned a surplus store and intended to sell them.

 

The MP's called EOD.  EOD arrived and surveyed the grenades in the trunk and announced that they'd have to blow them up.  The Cadillac was towed (carefully) to the ordnance disposal range on the post, the basket primed with C-4 blocks, and blown up -- along with the Cadillac.  Brad didn't know whether charges were pressed against the owner of the vehicle, but perhaps watching his Cadillac blown up, a car that he'd not even made his first payment on, was punishment enough.