UXO discovered, destroyed at Yokota

Published April 10, 2012
By 347th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- An unexploded ordnance was destroyed by controlled detonation here at approximately 10:30 a.m. April 10, 2012.

The UXO, a World War II-era white phosphorous grenade, was found April 9 on Yokota's east side during construction renovation.

Once discovered, base officials established a safety cordon and requested assistance from an explosive ordance disposal team from Commander Fleet Activities, Yokosuka. The team arrived by helicopter Tuesday morning and proceeded to transport the UXO to a secure location on the flight line before destroying it.

"Safety was paramount for us in responding to today's events," said Col. Bill Knight, 374 Airlift Wing commander. "You never know when something like this can happen, so it is important for all of us to remain alert and report anything suspicious, however small."

This is the second UXO discovered at Yokota since December 2011. The device destroyed April 10 was significantly smaller in comparison, however, and therefore had minimal impact on base residents or operations.

The off-base community was not affected by either incident.

"I'm grateful for the combined efforts of Yokosuka and Yokota servicemembers to secure the area and safely resolve the situation," Knight said.