Air Force Responds After Greene County Resident Finds Old Military Shell

GAINESVILLE, Ark. — An unused military shell was found to be inert after being discovered by a resident Tuesday night in Greene County.

Greene County Sheriff Brad Snyder first shared the news on Facebook, saying a Gainesville resident had recently purchased an old truck. When they looked under the seat, they found an old military shell. Due to the age, it could not be identified.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The Arkansas State Police Bomb Squad was contacted for guidance. Due to it being a military ordinance, the Little Rock Air Force Base’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit (EOD) was called in.

After the EOD unit examined the device, they determined it was a Swedish test round from the Vietnam War era. Test rounds do not have explosive material inside, meaning the shell was determined to be inert and safe.

Sheriff Snyder said it isn’t “terribly common” for a large shell like this to be located by a civilian, but it has happened over the years.

“Once every year or two, you’ll come across somebody who has located a shell or some kind of ordinance that a family member acquired during the military, whether they were in a battle somewhere or just on a base,” Snyder told NEA Report. “And a lot of them turn out ot be inert, like this one last night. Maybe they were just practice rounds or mocked up for training purposes, like this was. It looks like the real deal, and they don’t tell other family members they have these things. As they pass on, someone will find them in a barn or a vehicle.”

The sheriff said anytime the public encounters something like this, it is best not to touch it or move it. Instead, contact law enforcement so that the safest course of action can be taken.