Live Bombs Litter Hope, AR
By: Mario Boone
Updated: September 1, 2009
Defense contractors have been brought in to clear left over World War II explosives from what used to be known as the Southwest Proving Ground. The 50,000 acre section of land in Hempstead County is now home to unsuspecting residents who regularly stumble across the bombs. The sheriff's department says it gets 911 calls frequently about the problem.
During the 1940's the Army tested missiles, rockets, and other projectiles here to prove weaponry worked before shipping explosives to soldiers on the front lines. Sometimes the bombs landed outside the target area or simply didn't explode on impact.
Zapata Engineers is an explosives company hired by the Defense Department to find and blow up the bombs before someone is hurt or killed. PJ Spaul with the Corps says the bombs are still very dangerous. Spaul warns their age doesn't lessen their destructive power. "They were designed to kill, and they will," Spaul told NBC 6.
The Hempstead County Sheriff's Department urges anyone who finds a bomb to call 911 immediately. The Corps calls it the Three R's: Recognize, Retreat, and Report. It could save your life.
During the 1940's the Army tested missiles, rockets, and other projectiles here to prove weaponry worked before shipping explosives to soldiers on the front lines. Sometimes the bombs landed outside the target area or simply didn't explode on impact.
Zapata Engineers is an explosives company hired by the Defense Department to find and blow up the bombs before someone is hurt or killed. PJ Spaul with the Corps says the bombs are still very dangerous. Spaul warns their age doesn't lessen their destructive power. "They were designed to kill, and they will," Spaul told NBC 6.
The Hempstead County Sheriff's Department urges anyone who finds a bomb to call 911 immediately. The Corps calls it the Three R's: Recognize, Retreat, and Report. It could save your life.
