Brandon Twp.-At about 7 p.m., June 23, a township woman and Port Austin man arrived at the township substation in a pickup truck with a military ‘pineapple? style grenade in a box on the back seat with the pin still in place.
The man told deputies the grenade was discovered by the wife of a Marine who had recently died. The ordnance was found in the attached garage of the couple’s Oakwood Road home. The Marine had likely acquired the grenade from his military days and his widow wanted to get the grenade in the hands of the right people. In addition, old ammunition including a couple small kegs of black powder, several .22 rounds, shotgun shells, as well as a loaded .44 magnum handgun were also in the vehicle. The man provided a permit for the weapon.
Oakland County Sheriff Office Substation Sergeant Greg Glover said a perimeter around the Mill Street substation was established.
‘We closed down Mill and South streets and evacuated some of the downtown occupied businesses,? said Glover. ‘We advised the man not to transport military ordnance and to leave it in place and call 9-1-1 in the future. Rather than picking the bomb up it’s best to never handle it at all, especially that old.?
Michigan State Police Bomb Technician Scott Reynolds responded and secured the grenade.
Ordnances such as grenades are common, said MSP Bomb Squad Lt. Joshua Collins, who for the past 15 years has disposed of hundreds of leftover munitions.
‘Many times it’s a U.S. Military MK II’it’s very a collectible war item,? he said. ‘It’s a pretty common war relic and we see a lot of military people who hold onto them for sentimental reasons. About 25 percent of them are really live grenades. Sometimes the ordnances are from the Japanese or Germans, just depends on the war.?
Collins recalled a live WWII rocket inside a resident’s home.
‘We had a live functional Japanese mortar from World War II that a veteran brought home and it sat on the family’s mantel for 50 years,? he said. ‘The lady dusted around it everyday. Finally, when her husband died, she called the MSP Bomb Squad to come and get it.?
The type and design differ, he added
‘Often they are practice rounds, which uses a very small amount of explosives,? he said. ‘But that can be dangerous, too? it comes with some black powder. People have family heirlooms that are handed down from their grandfathers such as cannonballs’especially the Civil War ones are very dangerous and still can function today.?
Collins said the combination of sulfur, potassium nitrate and charcoal inside the cannonball ignited by friction is a devastating ordnance.
Still, there’s not a lot of control over where these ordnances go from the military, he added.
‘They are legal to own’the ordnance was put in a box and shipped home when the service was over,? he said. ‘There have been some after the first Iraq War, more from WWII, Korea and Vietnam. There have not been a lot of modern ordnances. The other problem is the shelf life is very long’this is military and they are made to last long after the war is over.?
The grenades often contain picric acid and can be very sensitive.
‘Sometimes people find the ordnances near Camp Grayling or some other military base,? he added. ‘They may have misfired and are still armed, especially the big artillery shell or rocket. People find them and they end up in their house or garage. Just give the police a call and we’ll come get it, there’s no charge.?