Minot Air Force Base Now Missing a Machine Gun

Senior Airman Kendrick Woodson, 919th Special Operations Security Forces Squadron, fires the M240. (Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force)

Earlier in the week, I wrote about the fact that Air Force personnel lost a belt full of ammunition for a grenade launcher near Parshall, North Dakota. Eventually they called off a search for the missing explosives and are now offering a $5,000 reward to anyone that can offer information leading to their recovery.

On the heels of that story comes news reports yesterday that the Minot Air Force Base is now in search of another missing item— more specifically, a M240 machine gun. The 7.62 caliber weapon turned up as being lost during an inventory that was conducted on Wednesday, but all ammunition for it was accounted for.

As was pointed out by Say Anything Blog this week, these aren’t the first problems the Minot Air Force Base has experienced over the years. In 2007, it was the case of missing nuclear warheads. In fact, there’s a Wikipedia page devoted to that incident alone. And the snafu wasn’t without consequence. As a result, 70 airmen were punished and a very blunt statement was made by the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Major General Richard Newton:

“There has been an erosion of adherence to weapons-handling standards at Minot Air Force Base…”

Ouch.

On the whole, these events don’t reflect well on the base and its personnel. The military is typically known for a strict code of conduct, attention to detail, and discipline. Given the circumstances surrounding these recent events, I’m guessing that those at the Minot Air Force Base may expect a visit from higher authorities. In fact, a command-wide inventory has been ordered as a result of the missing items.

Everyone makes mistakes, but I’d imagine that recognition won’t be good enough for the powers that be, because they believe in accountability too.

 

Sources:

1. https://theminutemanblog.com/2018/05/14/notice-air-force-explosives-lost-near-parshall-north-dakota/

2. http://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/Minot-Air-Force-Base-investigating-missing-machine-gun-482974661.html

3. https://www.sayanythingblog.com/entry/at-least-it-wasnt-a-nuke-this-time/

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_United_States_Air_Force_nuclear_weapons_incident

5. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/19/AR2007101901590_pf.html

6. http://www.minotdailynews.com/news/headlines/2018/05/air-force-global-strike-command-directs-commandwide-inventory-of-weapons-m240-machine-gun-missing-at-minot-afb-also-mk-19-grenade-rounds-missing-in-parshall-area/

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About T. Arthur Mason 883 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.