My father told me that every year, someone still gets injured or killed by unknowingly stepping on old mines from the days of World War II, or possibly even World War I. It remains always and forever a constant threat. I am sure that is the case in other areas that saw wars, such as in Vietnam or Afghanistan.
And this story just came out: a teenager in Austria happened on an old bazooka, although he did not know exactly what it was.
He put it in his backpack, hopped on his moped, and brought it to the police.
As it turns out, it was a bazooka, dating back to the days of World War II!
It's a fascinating story, and just another reminder of how ridiculously long-lasting the impact of wars can be. I just read from Khaled Hosseini that there are still the empty carcass shells of old Soviet jeeps and tanks apparently in Afghanistan, decades after the war. People, including children, still can lose their legs or other limbs, and perhaps even their lives, stepping on an old mine there.
It really is absurd, and yet one more reason to avoid the stupid, mindless destructiveness of wars.
Here is the article about the teen in Austria:
Teen finds WWII-era bazooka rocket, brings it to local authorities on his moped by Will Lerner of Odd News, May 27, 2014:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/teen-finds-wwii-era-bazooka-rocket--brings-it-to-local-authorities-on-his-moped-203730536.html
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