Modern Pocket Spill

[RFrady]

I got a few minutes to swing as I was on my home from work today. I have been having some modern coin luck around some old 1940s buildings here on the base. I spent 5 minutes out of the car and hit this loud signal. I looked and found the dime on top of the ground. I checked again and the signal was still there. I cut a plug and it fell apart. inside was this pile of modern coins. These buildings are used for training exercises and so far I have checked 4 buildings and pulled about $4 in change. About a foot away from the spill was this Army Distinctive Unit Insignia. I don't recognize the unit, but it appears to be either a signal or MI unit. After looking it up online, it came from the 325th MI Battalion. I will ber spending more time around these old buildings. With their age, I have to hit silver sooner or later. Oddly enough I found no trash todday.

 

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[DD-777]

A day with no trash is a good day indeed...

Nice digs today - I especially like the pin. Is that something that is a few years old or a newer piece?

 

[RFrady]

I did a little more research. I have been here at Fort Lewis for around 13 years and I cannot remember them ever being assigned here. It is a Reserve unit out of Hartford Connecticut. They may have mobilized from here for deployment to Iraq, or the insignia may date to any time in the last 52 years. My suspicion, however is that it was a mobilization either for Desert Storm or the more recent Iraq deployments. I found a 1st Armor Division DUI last week that dated back to WW II.

 

[tlf67]

Nice finds.

 

[Goes4ever]

cool finds!

 

[pookie3520]

....try this if you can: In 1954-56, my dad was the NCOIC of the Service Club, Gym, Library and Theater on an air base. After school, 5th grade, I would look under the wooden stairs of the Service Club and always find spare change the airmen would drop and not even try to retrieve lying on the ground. If you can find where the entrances of these old buildings are on base, you might score mightly.....good luck.......

 

[RFrady]

Pookie,

I actually tried that. The 1940s-70s era NCO an officer club were within a few hundred yards of this find. I saw them in the process of being dismantled in the late '90s and early 2000's and got the chance to go inside. So I knew where the entrances were. With one of the clubs they buldozed and levelled the ground. The other they basically carried awqy all of the materials. I drove by the area a couple weeks ago and there were stakes on the ground there. I decided it was now or never and swung by after work and went through the area. I found 3 memorial cents and a ton of trash from the deconstruction. I went back today and there was a construction fence up and the ground has been again bulldozed into big piles. They are building a big brick building there and getting ready to pour a concrete foundation. Any hope of finding anything at that site is gone. I am hitting these barracks because there is a throughput of several thousand ROTC Cadets every year and eventually they will go away as well. I know with their age, there has to be silver here.

 

[Bank Runner]

Pookie,

I actually tried that. The 1940s-70s era NCO an officer club were within a few hundred yards of this find. I saw them in the process of being dismantled in the late '90s and early 2000's and got the chance to go inside. So I knew where the entrances were. With one of the clubs they buldozed and levelled the ground. The other they basically carried awqy all of the materials. I drove by the area a couple weeks ago and there were stakes on the ground there. I decided it was now or never and swung by after work and went through the area. I found 3 memorial cents and a ton of trash from the deconstruction. I went back today and there was a construction fence up and the ground has been again bulldozed into big piles. They are building a big brick building there and getting ready to pour a concrete foundation. Any hope of finding anything at that site is gone. I am hitting these barracks because there is a throughput of several thousand ROTC Cadets every year and eventually they will go away as well. I know with their age, there has to be silver here.

I stayed in those barracks as a cadet and I agree there are probably lots of things to be found there. I would also check the STX lanes if you are aware of their locations. With all of the high crawling, low crawling, getting down and up there has to be a good bit of modern stuff lost there (ie knives and multi-tools).

HH,
Bank Runner

 

[Bugsterx2]

Not bad for 5 minutes worth of work! Congrats on the finds.

 

[VWandSTUDEBAKER]

Has anyone ever given you problem for searching on base or do you have the OK from someone ?

Thanks,
David

 

[Damon64]

Good digs there!

 

[traverdog]

Nice finds!!

 

[RFrady]

BankRunner and David,

Regulations prohibit the searching of training areas (where the STX lanes are located) because of UXO and range regulations. The cantonment areas fall under the purview of the MWR facilities and therefore are allowed. I ran squad STX lanes as one of the OPs NCOs in the late 90's along East Range Road and as a retiree, still have access to all of the cantonment area. I have seen a lot of the old barracks come down and new stuff go up. The area between the airfield, the Education Center and the Main Shoppette was, for years, the location of a state scout Jamboree. I want to search the area not under parking lots and new sports fields. The only prerequisite I know of is an active or retired ID card.

 

[vanoldschool]

GOT MY BLUE CARD!!

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Congrats on the pocket spill, no doubt silver will eventually come up! Check the areas where they do/did physical training. HH, Mike