The death of a family member can be a sad event, made even more so by having to go through the items they left behind. For one Florida man, however, the experience of cleaning out his deceased relative’s garage nearly turned into a life-threatening situation when he discovered a live military round dating back to the Vietnam War era.
Word of the discovery was announced on Facebook by the Alachua County Sheriff, who wrote, “Most of the time, we get sent to emergencies. Today, it came to us,” before adding that the man put his life in danger by transporting the military round in his vehicle to the Sheriff’s Office in Gainesville, Florida.
Realizing the danger, the local Bomb Squad “responded immediately and was able to safely secure the round” before it could hurt someone. Speaking with The Miami Herald, an official revealed just how dangerous the situation could have been, saying, “If that shell would have rolled around in the person’s vehicle and the primer was struck it could have been a catastrophe.”
According to The Miami Herald, the 30 mm round, which is capable of stopping a tank, was likely used by Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II‘s Gatling gun-style GAU-8 Avenger. The aircraft, which entered service in the final years of the Vietnam War, first experienced combat during the Gulf War and continues to be flown by the US Air Force.
It’s unknown how the military ammunition wound up in the Florida garage, but it wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to bring home souvenirs – including rounds – following deployments.
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The Alachua County Sheriff ended their post by reminding citizens “to not transport live ordinance” and to, instead, contact the area’s non-emergency line, adding, “We will respond to the scene and render it safe or safely remove it. We don’t want you trying to transport it.”