Another loss of life incident in the Cold War

I received this information from Wendell Pruitt
On January 11, 1985 as Member of the 56th Field Artillery G-3 Training Staff I was sent to Camp Redleg, Heilbronn, Germany when an accident was reported involving C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 84th Field Artillery.

Three soldiers were killed in an explosion. The explosion occurred while removing a missile stage from the storage container during an assembly operation of a Pershing II Missile.

An investigation later revealed that the Kevlar rocket bottle had accumulated a triboelectric charge in the cold dry weather; as the engine was removed from the container the electrical charge began to flow and created a hot spot that ignited the propellant.

The Soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their Country and Peace were Staff Sergeant John Leach, Sergeant Todd A Zephier and Private First Class Darryl L Shirley

Once again, loss of life not counted in the
official causality list as Cold War Losses

Jerald Terwilliger
American Cold War Veterans, Inc
"We Remember"