Explosive ordnance disposal Airmen with the 16th Civil Engineer Squadron destroyed a World War II-era explosive device found in Pensacola.

The 100-pound photo-flash bomb, common to the World War II or Korean War period, was found by construction workers Feb. 14 clearing storm debris in the waters of Santa Rosa Sound on Pensacola Beach.

When they found the rubble, they dug it up with a backhoe. But, when they realized they found unexploded ordnance, the workers dropped the bomb onto the sand and notified the state fire marshal, who in turn requested military assistance.

“When we got there, it was laying on the ground near the water where the workers had dropped it,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Wilburn, EOD team leader for the response.

Originally, the team planned to detonate the bomb on the beach.

“When we first got there, we didn’t know what we were dealing with,” Sergeant Wilburn said. “Once we knew what it was, we determined it was safe enough to transfer back to Hurlburt Field.”

The team then loaded the bomb onto the response truck.

The Airmen performed an emergency detonation of the device using 10 pounds of explosives on the EOD range Feb. 14.

This wasn’t the first time 16th CES EOD has been asked to perform such a task in the local area. Even though the response was off base, EOD’s mission remained unchanged.

“It’s our job no matter what the situation,” Sergeant Wilburn said.