VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Air Force explosive experts removed a World War II-era artillery rocket that was being used as a garden decoration in a Florida neighborhood.
TCPalm.com reports the Army Corps of Engineers were working in a Vero Beach neighborhood Thursday when they noticed the 2-foot (0.6-meter) training rocket. They notified the explosives team at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Members examined the rocket and said while it appeared to be disarmed it may still contain explosives.
The Vero Beach area was a major military training site during World War II and the Air Force believes the rocket came from that era. Contractors have mapped a 20,000-acre area they're searching for buried World War II training ordnance.
Last year, a construction crew unearthed a large rocket. It was towed out to sea and detonated.