--- title: "Somebody stole 10 pounds of C4 from Twentynine Palms" description: "Approximately 10 pounds of C4 explosive have reportedly gone missing from the Marine Corps installation during a training exercise" date: "2021-02-05" modified: "2021-02-08" authors: - name: "Jared Keller" job_title: "Former Managing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jaredkeller.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-corps-twentynine-palms-c4-explosives-stolen/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "Munitions" - "News" - "Tech & Tactics" - "United States" - "Weapons" tags: - "Northern Command" - "scandals" --- # Somebody stole 10 pounds of C4 from Twentynine Palms ![Marines participate in live fire company attacks]() *Cpl. Colton Derick lays down for cover during a simulated enemy explosion in Twentynine Palms, Calif., June 13, 2015. (Cpl. Ian Ferro/U.S Marine Corps) Cpl. Colton Derick, a rifleman with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, lays down for cover during a simulated enemy explosion during the live fire company attacks during the Integrated Training Exercise 4-15 aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., June 13, 2015. (U.S Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ian Ferro)* If you thought a [missing rifle was bad](), just imagine what it's like to be the guy responsible for keeping an eye on ordnance and munitions at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in California where a bunch of explosives recently went missing. Approximately 10 pounds of C4 explosives reportedly went missing from the Marine Corps installation "during a long training exercise two weeks ago," the ABC News affiliate in San Diego [first reported ]()on Thursday. Military officials "believe the manufactured plastic explosives may have been stolen," ABC News [reported](), which reported that the Marine Corps is offering a reward for any information leading to the explosives' discovery. The 2nd Marine Division based out of Camp Lejeune and the 2nd Marine Air Wing based out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point are both currently at Twentynine Palms for training, Marine Corps Times [reported](). Marine Corps officials [declined to comment]() on the details of the incident to both ABC News and [Marine Corps Times](), citing an ongoing Naval Criminal Investigative Service into the disappearance of the explosives. “Out of respect for the investigative process, NCIS does not comment on or confirm details relating to ongoing investigations,” spokesman Jeff Houston [told]() Marine Corps Times. [According]() to ABC News, the unit's commanding officers are "considering extending the training exercise until the explosives are found," which certainly sounds like punishment enough given how [despised]() Twentynine Palms is within the Marine Corps. ***Related: [Here Are The Worst Military Installations For Each Branch, According To You]()*** ## Author Jared Keller is the former managing editor of Task & Purpose. His writing has appeared in Aeon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the New Republic, Pacific Standard, Smithsonian, and The Washington Post, among other publications. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Facebook]() [LinkedIn]() [Instagram]()