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TOP STORY OF THE DAY, brought to you free by WICU: Clay County family just wants return of stolen test bombs
The search continues for two stolen World War II test bombs taken from a Brazil property in early January.
Although it’s not an official historical monument, the display of three test bombs is ingrained as a part of the community’s memories for a long time.
Ed Deakins said his father, Gerald Everett AKA “Deak” Deakins, who served in the Navy at the end of World War II, bought the three bombs from an auction more than 30 years ago. Being a military buff and proud of his service to the country, he wanted to display them on the family property near Water Works and White Rock roads.
“I’m really not sure how long it’s been there,” said Ed, who admits the age of the display is determined by all of the family photos taken at the location. “All my nephews and nieces have had their pictures taken there, and they are in their 30s now. I’m not exactly sure when it was put up, but I know it’s well over 30 years. All of our family, we’ve taken pictures on it forever.”
The test bombs were also used for gas tanks for aircraft, according to information “Deak” told the family. The three non-viable bombs and the special rack have set on bricks at the intersection for years, allowing for many photo opportunities. Not only does the Deakins family have fond memories of the display, but many community members also remember it.
“I didn’t realize how many people knew about it,” said Ed, about the hundreds of responses on social media about the missing display. “Our entire family was flabbergasted by the response of the community.”
However, several years ago, there was an earlier attempt to steal the test bombs while Deak was still alive.
“My dad said they got one about 50-100 yards down the road before they realized the 200 pound bombs weren’t so easy to take,” said Ed. “They kind of just lost the fight and left them. So he was able to get them back that time.”
Sometime at the end of December or the first of January – the family is not sure exactly when it happened – someone loaded up two of the bombs and drove away.
“Dad loved that memorial. World War II was a huge thing to him,” Ed said about his father’s WWII memorabilia, including newspaper articles about his ship: The USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, the second of three Midway-class aircraft carriers commissioned in 1945. “He did a lot of research into the war. He attended naval reunions. He thought the test bombs were amazing.”
The Deakins family is big, including Ed, his sisters Janie Ehrlich, Tracy Lumsdon, Cindy Harris, Evelyn Vansickle, Monica Smith, Paula Stultz, and their brother Gary Deakins, who passed away last year. Each of them, along with their family members, have a special connection to the memorial.
“Since he passed away, the memorial was an extension of our dad,” said Ed, who admitted the family is heartbroken. “I would have been upset if it was just mine, but the fact that it’s our dad’s, it’s really bothered me, and all of our family.”
It’s unknown what the monetary value of the display is because of the uniqueness of the items. Ed said there aren’t very many of the test bombs out there.
He worries that someone out to make a few dollars took the two missing test bombs from the display.
“We live in a strange time right now. I don’t know if someone took it to cut up and just sell them,” he said, adding local scrap yards have been notified. “But they are worth way more together because they are so unique.”
The sentimental value to the family is huge, but Ed said the community has also shown they care about what happened. There have been many posts on social media offering tips and help in locating the missing historical items.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Department has taken the theft report and is investigating the case.
Officials hope that now the story is out, and many people are looking for the historical items, whoever took them will dump them somewhere just to be rid of the items.
Ed said the two missing test bombs are weathered silver with red tips. If anyone locates them, call the Clay County Sheriff’s Department at 812-446-2535, extension 5.
“If this was kids who did this: Our hope is someone will be walking in the woods one day and stumble across them,” said CCSD Chief Deputy Josh Clarke, who hopes they don’t end up at a scrapyard in the area. “These items are not only priceless but are not easily hideable.”
The one test bomb left behind will not be there much longer, according to Ed. The family will remove the display to have the frame welded for better security and cleaned up before returning it to a much more secure site in the future.
Ed said he would try to locate two more test bombs to put the display back to what his father intended.
“It’s going to be hard to find them, but I want to put the display back together,” said Ed. “In the end, all we want is to get them back. Obviously, they mean a lot more than just to us.”