Disarmed grenade found buried in Blue Town chicken coop

Chasing chickens around a grandparents’ home is one of the “perks” of living in a rural community. Finding a 60-year-old hand grenade in the chicken coop is more like the stuff of little boys’ dreams.

Caleb Roy, 12, of Spring Bayou was visiting his step-grandfather Cleveland Lachney on Blue Town Road, just chasing chickens, when he saw a partially buried metal object. He picked it up and brought it inside.

Luckily, the “pineapple” had been disarmed many years ago before somehow finding a burial place in the yard.

Caleb’s other grandfather, VFW Post 3139 Commander Nulen Moses, was very familiar with the object. He thought it was what the Army designated as an MK2, but soldiers nicknamed it a “pineapple” because of its shape and rough-ridged exterior.

This design of grenades was adopted in 1918 and was last used in 1969. Production hit its peak during World War II.

It was made of cast iron with a grooved surface of 40 knobs -- five rows of eight columns -- which was supposed to enhance the effectiveness of its fragmentation and provide a better grip when handling and throwing the grenade.

Moses said he threw more than a few of the grenades during his time in the Army, which included service in the Vietnam War.

He researched it on the internet just to make sure it was “the real deal” and not just a replica. He determined from the markings on the casing that it was -- or had been -- an actual hand grenade that was probably issued to soldiers during the Korean War (1950-53) or Vietnam War (1961-72).

It was most likely manufactured during the WWII era or immediately after the war. The military started to phase out the MK2 for a more modern version in the early 1950s.

Due to a massive stockpile, the MK2 was issued by the Army and Marines throughout the Korean War and well into the Vietnam War years.

Moses said the grenade’s owner had drilled it out so that it was no longer a threat.

At some point in its history, the grenade also lost its lever, which was held down until the soldier threw it.

The grenade will find a new home in a display case at the VFW Post in Marksville.