War Trophies and Souvenirs

UXO mishaps that have seriously injured service members show that possession of these types of items can be dangerous. Ordnance items are designed to do one thing, kill the enemy! When ordnance items, whether they are U.S. or foreign, are taken off the battlefield or range, supposedly inerted, and given/kept as a souvenir, the potential for disaster is ever present. It can be the most benign item for many years and one day, BOOM! If the inerting process is not done properly, or not at all, then through some sort of environmental influence (e.g., rolling off a desk or coffee table) they can function as designed and injure or kill you, your family, or your guests. The color codes blue and green cannot be used as a reliable means to determine if they are safe!

Is it worth it to have these items with all that can happen? NO!!! Not only is there the potential to cause serious harm or injury, there are legal concerns as well. Importing (bringing back) ordnance items has U.S. legal restrictions as well as DoD, unified command, and combined or joint task force regulations and orders prohibiting the collection/keeping of ordnance war trophies/souvenirs. As an example, Combined Joint Task Force-180 prohibits this with few exceptions for those assigned to the Afghan theater. In Iraq, it was General Order 1A. If you have this type of item, you should contact your local EOD unit to have it evaluated.

Bottom Line: These items are designed to kill! You never know when they will do what they are designed to do!

For more information on explosives safety visit https://safety.army.mil/ON-DUTY/Explosives-Safety.