Posted on 01/05/2008 1:14:49 PM PST by stainlessbanner
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Officials said they have unearthed more than 400 pounds of World War II-era bombs and munitions from the grounds around Odyssey Middle School in Boynton Beach over the holiday break.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned to detonate them Saturday, and warned residents they would be hearing several large blasts.
Among the items found since Dec. 27 were about 50 bombs, several rockets, a rocket booster and a cannon. sponsor
Part of the school grounds was used by the Army in the 1940s to train bombardiers for combat. The Army Corps announced its clean-up of the area during the summer.
No, I had not seen that. Thanks very much!
One thing I had heard of was a B52 crash in 1972. Fully loaded with fuel and weapons it went down in the housing area just west of McCoy. That housing area is still there (in modified form) with civilian housing. The Navy Commissary and Class VI store are still there and operating :).
Here is a good link about that B52 crash. About halfway down the page
This story has been ongoing for over a year but just keeps getting better. WESH finally corrected their online story from Boynton Beach to Orlando. Today they announced they have found "pits" on the property that hold anything from buried ordinance to a WWII tank!
Excerpt:
The engineers also did not mention what has just been learned about pits being dug on the property with bombs left inside them.
"A World War II tank is physically located in one of these pits," one engineer said in reference to the size of the pits.
"The best of the experts tell us that it is safe," Sen. Bill Nelson said.
Officials said that because the explosives are buried six feet or more underground, it is not a danger.
Tubender, great insight from your brother. Wonder if he let those practice bombs go near MacDill (which is still there) or Orlando/Ocala?
I know this story isn't of national importance but folks that live there are already blaming the goverment and the military. I think the whole thing is just a tad on the funny side :-)
He made a remark to me last year that he was thinking about buying a computer and when I hung up and I called Apple and ordered a 20” iMac and had them drop ship it to his door. By the time it got there he had run a new outlet, phone and cable lines and had called Comquest for service and was on line in 2 days.
That’s great - he sounds sharp as a tack!
Any information on any school administrators wetting themselves when learning of evil military armaments being found close by?
“I bet that government school is full every day.
Free babysitting is a powerful opiate of the masses.”
You couldn’t make a more ignorant statement if you tried.
“Any information on any school administrators wetting themselves when learning of evil military armaments being found close by?”
Don’t know about wetting themselves, but wouldn’t you be at least a tad concerned?
I've been around weapons and munitions for a significant portion of my life. As long as you don't "abuse" them, they're not really going to leap up and attack you.
“Not many people know it but there is a B52 that sits in front of OIA. It’s part of a memorial park that sits out front of the airport...”
By golly you’re right! Here it is:
Here is a shot of the middle school with a street view inset. Not a good street view but it gives one an idea of the land. Close the street view and the sat photo is very good. I see a couple trails I may take my jeep down that are near some of the new developments. Close to the school.
And you are doing 'what' at the moment????
I think it's great he's still sharp and please remember to tell him thank you next time you talk to him.
I offered but he said he couldn't afford me. We do have a sister in FResno area and she has offered to transcribe for him and he has a grand daughter nearby who could do it but he refuses to let them. He needs someone experienced in oral histories.
I have thought of buying him a voice recorder but I don't know if he would use it. I guess I should just send him one but I'm not really sure what to buy...
I think he probably needs someone to prompt him a little. I know some of the oldtimers I talk to tend to dismiss much of what they did, sort of along the lines of "it needed doing". Without someone to push them a bit, they tend to gloss over many things we would find very interesting AND important.
In 1985 while at the Presidio of Monterey, I had the opportunity to talk to Jimmy Doolittle at his home in Carmel for about an hour. It was an interview for our little company newspaper. We could have talked for days and he still wouldn't have told me all that he'd been involved with.
Sad thing is I recorded it and lost the tape several years ago {sigh}. Tubebender, you need to figure out a way to have him do it. It would be something your family will be able to cherish for decades to come. I know from a genealogy point of view something like this would be invaluable to future decendants.
Agreed totally.
They just showed a video, on our local news, that showed them setting off the old explosives. They looked pretty busy.
The school doubtless failed to post a “No Bomb Zone” sign on the property.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Students returned to Odyssey Middle School on Monday even though there are piles of explosives sitting right behind the building.
Superintendent Ron Blocker was on campus trying to assure parents that their children are safe. He told them their children wouldn't be there if he didn't think it was safe and said the staff is keeping a close eye on students to make sure they stay away from the munitions behind the school.
Two days after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blew up 49 explosives at Odyssey Middle School, Blocker was on campus to welcome students back to class.
"Good morning, welcome back," Blocker said Monday morning, greeting students as they got off the bus and talking to parents who were uneasy dropping off their children.
"It is a big concern. I just pray to God they hurry and clean this up," said parent Ada Muniz.
"I don't think they would let them come back to school if they weren't safe. Everybody would sue them back into the stone age," said parent Michael Sitro.
Blocker even reassured students their school is safe again during the morning announcements.
"We're here to guarantee that Odyssey is as safe as it's ever been," Blocker said during the announcements.
During winter break, the Corps of Engineers dug deep around the school and found rockets, canons and even a gun that used to part of the Pinecastle Jeep Bombing Range. The bombs they didn't blow up are still sitting behind the school, three piles of them, and the only thing keeping them from students is a fence.
"They found quite a bit more than I expected them to find and that's what gives me the additional confidence, is that they dug deeper and they were very thorough," Blocker said.
Blocker said the district was aware that it was an old bombing range when they built the school in 2000, but they were assured it was safe. He also said that, if munitions were found as the school was being built, the district was not notified.
The remaining munitions will be blown up on weekends over the next month. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also started surveying the land in the nearby Tivoli Gardens subdivision to check for bombs.
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Tubebender, check out this slideshow of some stuff here. Some closeups of some of the bigger stuff.
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