Marines make millions off ammo casings and bomb fragments. Is this being done throughout DOD?

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Sun, 17 May 2015 11:30:19 -0400

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2015/05/16/ammo-casings-bomb-fragments-millions/70958236/

Marines make millions off ammo casings, bomb fragments

Twentynine Palms, Calif. — On a stretch of California desert the size of Rhode Island at the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center,

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made May 17 at 2015 11:40 AM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Sun, 17 May 2015 11:40:29 -0400

Got no problem with this. What I'd have a problem with is if this isn't being done!!

Response by SrA Daniel Hunter made May 17 at 2015 12:16 PM

SrA Daniel Hunter — Sun, 17 May 2015 12:16:20 -0400

Please send me your 7.62x51 and .45ACP brass. :)

Response by SFC Mark Merino made May 17 at 2015 5:30 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Sun, 17 May 2015 17:30:16 -0400

I remember Aug and Sep going on recons througout the desert of Fort Irwin (NTC) looking for all sorts of stuff we could use for turn in credit just to make it to the next fiscal year. We had it down to a science. We would hit the blue force log sites from the years previous rotations looking for drive sprockets, road wheels, track shoes, broken torsion bars, etc. The beauty of it was that we were still using Sheridan tanks for BMP-1's and T-72's, M113's for BMP-2's, Huey's for HIND-D's, etc. That meant that practically everything in the Army inventory going back decades could be used. Back then we lived in the desert and had one 4-day off a month.....that's it. If we didn't stomp BLUEFOR on the last attack of the rotation (every rotation ended in us having a defense), our one 4-day was in peril. We would retrain all day and then go on our collections bacross the desert. We also found NVG's 9mm's, 45's M16's, pluggers, and enough TA-50 to start our own army.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made May 17 at 2015 8:55 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Sun, 17 May 2015 20:55:55 -0400

Honestly, it's a "Green Initiative." I remember this as far back as 1995. I imagine we had to do something with our spent brass as long as 29 Palms and every other range has been open.

We've got the DRMO program, this seems less convoluted.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made May 17 at 2015 10:45 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Sun, 17 May 2015 22:45:54 -0400

This is not new. Scrap metal and range residue is part of a larger recycling effort at every Army installation.