Bomb Squad Disposes Of Military Mine Found At Bratt Home

October 8, 2012

The bomb squad was called to dispose of a military anti-personnel mine found Sunday  in Bratt.

Gary Gibson said he found what appeared to be a military-style metal ammunition box under some items on the edge of his property on Hall Road, just north of Breastworks Road. Unable to open the box, he took it back to his shed and proceeded to “beat it open” with a hammer. What he found inside surprised him.

“It said ‘Front Toward Enemy’ on it,” he said. “I got out of there and called for help.”

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and a member of the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Bomb Squad responded to the scene, while the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was put on a precautionary standby.

Bomb Technician Patrick Roush was quickly able to determine that the mine was inert — rendered incapable of exploding. He said it was perhaps a training device.

Roush took custody of the mine for disposal, and Gibson was left with the ammo box and a story to tell.

“I don’t think I’ll ever beat a box like that open with a hammer again,” he said.

The type of mine found Sunday in Bratt was first used in the 1960’s and is still currently in us by the U.S. military. The age and origin of the Bratt mine were not known.

For more photos, click here.

Pictured top: The Florida State Fire Marshal’s Bomb Squad responded to a Bratt home Sunday morning after the resident discovered a mine. Pictured inset: Resident Gary Gibson speaks with Bomb Technician Patrick Roush. Pictured below: Gibson said he found the mine in this box, which he “beat” open with a hammer. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

14 Responses to “Bomb Squad Disposes Of Military Mine Found At Bratt Home”

  1. Henry Coe on October 10th, 2012 9:48 am

    That ammo box (or what ever came in it originally), doesn’t look very old.

  2. Geocacher in the area on October 9th, 2012 9:30 pm

    OLD TOM….it is not the geocaches on Hanks Road or Pine Barren Rd. I have found both of them and they don’t look like that.

  3. Wilma Gibson on October 9th, 2012 9:19 pm

    My father, who was 95 when he died and knew the history of this area always said Breastworks got it’s name during the fight between Jackson and his men and the Indians. When he was a boy their was remains of the camps and the forts.

  4. Becky on October 9th, 2012 2:04 pm

    William,
    Breastworks Road was named for the breastwork . We, the local residents, were not asked for our opinion when it was named and were quite surprised when this name was chosen…LOL

  5. William on October 9th, 2012 7:30 am

    >> If it was blue, it was a training device.

    It was not blue. It was green like an active one.

  6. Scott Teal on October 8th, 2012 8:09 pm

    Old Tom, what you wrote is exactly what I was thinking. I have found, after seeing the piks of what it looked like, a number of times. I never thought twice, I guess like an idiot, about openeing it. I mean, it fell into the numbers on my GPS. I will think twice the next time I find one of the munitions boxes. Thanks for the wake up call.

  7. savannah on October 8th, 2012 4:23 pm

    William,

    thanks for commenting on the possible history of the name of that road! I have always wondered what in the world that could mean.

  8. Rick Baker on October 8th, 2012 3:47 pm

    Sounds like it was a claymore mine training device. 700 steel balls packed into about a pound of C4 explosives. If it was blue, it was a training device.

  9. William on October 8th, 2012 3:10 pm

    For thos asking/commenting about the name “Breastworks Road”, I don’t know the definitive answer, but will off a theory.

    Local history says Andrew Jackson camped on what is now Breastworks Road in the early 1800’s when fighting the Indians. He later became provisional governor of Florida and then the 7th president of the United States.

    A breastwork was a temporary fortification use during the time period. It was often earthwork constructed to beast height to protect people in a standing position.

    The two parts together would explain the name of Breastworks Road, but it’s not 100 percent certain.

  10. rob on October 8th, 2012 2:56 pm

    Thats a funny street name. Its even funnier to think that someone put that up there without thinking… “gee, do you think this sounds like an OK name?… eh.. It will be fine”

  11. sam on October 8th, 2012 9:47 am

    if memory serves me, sounds like a claymore to me. bunch o buckshot imbedded in c4 type explosive thats exploded in one direction. sure glad it was inert.

  12. Ben Thar on October 8th, 2012 9:14 am

    Breastworks Road? Does anybody know the history behind that street name?

  13. Old Tom on October 8th, 2012 7:57 am

    LOL !!! This looks to me like a empty ” Geocaching Box ” !!!!! There is one listed just West of N.Pine Barren on Hanks road . Another on Pine Barren Rd. just North of Hanks road. These are used to hide treasures a lot of times that you find the by GPS and take a prize and leave a prize of equal value , except looks like someone took and did not replace ! Go to the “Geocaching” site and type in zip code 32535 and you get the GPS Corr. of the other boxes in this area and all over the County and Country .

    Old Tom

  14. Jane on October 8th, 2012 6:17 am

    Maybe this is why they have that saying “curiosity killed the cat”?

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News