Two Massachusetts Kids Find Grenade. What They Did Next Saved Their Lives.
Two 12-year-olds from Wrentham, Massachusetts were hiking last Wednesday and found a grenade in a pile of trash.
OK, who THROWS AWAY A GRENADE?
Luckily the kids the right thing.
They took a picture, remembered where they were, and went to get an adult.
The Wrentham, Massachsuetts chief of police called them “wicked smaht” for how they handled it. It turned out it was a real grenade, but wasn’t live.
Imagine if they’d been like one my friends in the ’80s? They would have picked it up and probably blown themselves to smithereens. And people say today’s kids aren’t savvy? Totally wrong.
Anyway, everyone was super impressed by the kids’ quick action. And finding a grownup.
Here’s a video of the story:
And here’s the Facebook post from Wrentham, Massachusetts Police Chief Bill McGrath about the kids who found the grenade:
“TWO WICKED SMAHT KIDS DO A BANG UP JOB EXERCISING AWESOME JUDGEMENT!! A LESSON FOR US ALL.“Kevin Castaneda and his pal, Jackson Allen, both 12 years old, were out hiking Wednesday on a trail, off the power lines. So right off the bat, I’m loving they’re outdoors instead of indoors playing Xbox. Not to say they don’t play Xbox or there’s anything wrong with Xbox. I just like seeing kids outdoors.“Anyway, these two are hiking along a path when they spot a pile of trash. So like all curious kids do, like we did when we were kids, they inspect the debris, I’m sure hoping to discover a treasure, maybe a small box of cash, gold, jewels or just anything to retire on, soon and comfortably. But that was not to be.“Instead, they spied something different in the litter. Not a treasure, but something very interesting nonetheless. Somewhat camouflaged in its surroundings. Something oddly familiar, intriguing for sure, exciting, definitely a thrilling discovery! They found… a hand grenade!“And this is where the “SMAHT” comes in! Perhaps, I’m underestimating the average kids. More likely, I’m conceding to what me and my friends would likely have done when we were 12, had WE made this discovery . I’m afraid NOT so smaht back then.“But these two guys were different. Kevin and his friend Jackson DID NOT give in to “kid curiosity “. They DID NOT give it a little “test push” with their foot and DID NOT pick that grenade up for closer inspection. Ya’ know…to see if it was real…or maybe a toy.
“These boys used their noggins! They resisted that curious impulse and DID NOT touch it! They put into action those words, that phrase, from a national campaign encouraging all of us to “SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING “ when it just doesn’t look right, just doesn’t look safe, looks suspicious.“Instead of doing what other kids MAY have done, Kevin and Jackson paused. They stopped …and then they did the RIGHT thing. They took a picture with their phone, made a mental note of their location and beelined it straight home where they immediately reported it to adults.911 was called, Wrentham Police and Fire responded and so did the Bomb Squad. Yes, the grenade was 100% real. Luckily, it had been hollowed out and , therefore harmless, but the boys had no way to know that when they found it.“Had that grenade been live, had Kevin and Jackson caved to curiosity, this story would be tragic. But thankfully, two wicked smaht kids did the right thing and we all benefit from the lesson, for ourselves to share with and educate our own kids.”
Lauren Beckham Falcone is the co-host of Bob & LBF in the Morning. Formerly an award-winning reporter and columnist for the Boston Herald, she credits her current success as a pop culture commentator to watching too much TV as a kid and scouring the internet too much as an adult. LBF is a regular contributor to NECN and is an honorary board member at the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. Lauren lives in Canton with her husband Dave and her daughter Lucy. Lauren writes about trending topics, New England destinations, and seasonal DIY.
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