On Monday night a loud boom from the state police range on the former Camp 25 rocked the Stoney Battery Road area. The boom was not a larger meteor exploding as some had reported though a big one did sail over Daleville last week and another one blazed across much of Virginia and North Carolina on Monday night.

Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle said this morning,”The VSP exploded some old military ordnance found in a house  in Salem.”

“A young man in Salem cleaned out his late grandfather’s attic and found unexploded ordnance from WWII. The Virginia State Police bomb squad removed it. We called the military. The 192 Ordnance Battalion from Camp Belvoir in Woodbridge, VA traveled about 8 hours to get here and blow the ordnance,” said Capt. George Austin of the VSP who reported the incident to us. “We are very sorry it happened this way. It won’t happen again. I know people were alarmed by it.” He mentioned it was not unusual for this type of military surplus to be found.

Indeed. About a month ago Priscilla Richardson of the Hollins area discovered a live WWI grenade in her attic. It belonged to her late uncle-in-law who was a WWI veteran. Yes, the first WW, not the second. She called the State Police and the grenade was  subsequently removed by  the Virginia State Police bomb squad. “The WWI grenade has already been exploded by the VSP,” Austin said.

Regardless. A boom was heard, the 192 Ordnance Battalion did it and the case is solved.  It was on the ground and did not come from a meteor. And to be on the safe side…check your attics, people!