When I was in the USAF Security Police I had a supervisor in 1983, a buck sergeant, who forgot his M-16, with a 30-round magazine inserted, left it back at the guardhouse at the alert fighter-interceptor area way on the other side of the airfield after our shift was over. We had driven several miles back to the armory when he realized his mistake. He was later caught for doing drugs and discharged.
I did a number of rotations to NTC/Ft. Irwin while I was in 1st ID. On one of them, our rotation was pushed back a few days because the 4th ID brigade in front of us spent a few days walking the desert at one arm intervals looking for an M9 pistol that had crawled out of its holster.
Early to mid 1980’s, USAF security police were in western Nebraska, about 100 miles east of the main support base (Cheyenne, WY) providing security to the missile complex. “Someone” removed an M-60 machine gun from the armored vehicle that it was in, and placed it loosely atop the same vehicle. Said vehicle departed field location and returned to main base. SPs went to secure the M-60 at the armory and, surprise, surprise, it was nowhere to be found.
Next day, there were “lines” of SPs, walking the 100 miles of I-80 in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming, from fence to fence in the medians and side areas, to retrace the route taken by the vehicle, looking for the missing weapon which had fallen off somewhere. I’d heard that anyone who was an SP and not on leave got called out for the search.
It was later found outside a fenced area of I-80; they surmised that someone had initially found it, then realizing “what” they’d found, got scared and dumped it. I think the JAG’s office was busy processing separations from the Air Force too.
Sounds like the SP’s at Homestaed.