Artmore, Alabama WWII grenades and other military explosives were discovered in a hunting truck at a trailer park, sparking an evacuation of the area surrounding the vehicle. The initial report was made to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, and law enforcement and emergency responders reported to the scene.

The owner of the truck, said he found the munitions in a barn while out hunting. He reportedly brought them back to secure them before contacting authorities. It is believed that the items belong to a WWII veteran living in the area who brought them back home after his service ended.

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Kihei, Maui, Hawaii EOD safely disposed of a M301A3 81-mm mortar illumination round brought ashore by a civilian recreational diver. The UXO was detonated without incident after it was removed from Sugar Beach in Maui.

Maui police met with the EOD team from Oahu to coordinate the safe removal of the round to the Ukumehame Firing range where it was detonated.

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Suffolk, England Twenty WWII bombs were discovered at a recycling center just hours after an Army EOD team removed three others. The munition items were confirmed to be practice WWII practice rounds. The rounds were removed by EOD for proper disposal. Britain's Environment Agency has launched an investigation to determine who brought the bombs to the center.

Baltimore, Maryland This past November, a Baltimore mechanic purchased a classic car from an individual. To his surprise, he received more than just the antique vehicle.

After paying for the car and receiving the title, he loaded the car onto a tow dolly. He moved it a few feet out of the driveway and then went to finish chaining it onto the dolly. It was then that he noticed a mortar shell under where the car had been parked.

The seller said his father collected ordnance items and then gave the shell to the purchaser. I was called to identify the shell and check to see that it was inert.

It turned out to be a short range training "practice" 81mm mortar shell. This model is equipped with a flash, bang and smoke charge in order to allow a Forward Observer or FO to see where the shell landed and allow the gun crew to adjust their point of aim.

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San Juan, Puerto Rico The Playa Grande beach, a popular beach in the western region of the island of Vieques, was closed after visitors reported finding munitions debris including an expended projectile and tail fins from a mortar round. The debris, which did not pose a danger to visitors, was removed for proper disposal.

Torrance, California You've heard the expression, "No Dogs Allowed," but how about "No Ordnance Allowed"?

A section of the street and some businesses were evacuated and a bomb squad brought to the scene of a hunting/fishing store after a customer brought in a suspicious military ordnance.

Police were notified to handle the unidentified device which neither the customer nor store employees were able to deem live or inert. Bomb squad personnel determined that the ordnance did not pose an immediate threat and removed it offsite for further evaluation.

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Big Island, Hawaii A group of local residents are suing the State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) over UXO issues associated with the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA). The lawsuit alleges that the DLNR breached its duty to protect lands used for training by not forcing the military to clear UXO and other debris from the land. The group also wants to prevent DLNR from negotiating an extension to its current lease or entering a new lease until the trust conditions are met.

The current lease agreement, signed in 1694, between the State and the U.S. government provides for the use of over 22,800 acres at PTA until 2029 at a lease price of $1. Last year, DLNR began working on a mutual cancellation of the lease with the goal of establishing a new lease between the parties for the use of the land for military training including for live fire munitions training.

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Admit it... we've all been there, digging around In the dirt with tools better suited to a flower garden than the red Georgia clay or hard pack you find yourself in now. You've dug it up and now it's yours, but what is it? Our first reaction is often 'what the hell is that?' followed soon after with 'is it even ordnance related?'

That's where our crew was once again and yes, I admit, not the first time for me (or anyone else being honest). It's in my hand 'cause there's obviously no explosive hazard, and the exam begins. Looks like cheap pot metal mostly but there are a couple steel bars too, plus a stainless steel plate on the base. Seems poor construction idea, what with dissimilar metals galvanic corrosion is assured and obvious (save the stainless plate). A couple through and through holes, a half round depression, and that's about all there is. First impression is manufacturing item or maybe vehicular... but being in the middle of a burn/demo area raises doubts in that realm.

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San Diego, California San Diego Gas and Electric technicians discovered a 3-inch mortar shell while working near a power substation in Tierrasanta. Police responded and then called in the Metro Arson Strike Team who then summoned experts from the Marine Corps to remove the ordnance.

Much of Tierrasanta occupies land that once was the site of Camp Elliott, a 26,000-acre USMC, Navy, and Air Force base from 1940 to 1961. During WWI, some of the same terrain was within Camp Kearny, an Army training facility that eventually gave its name to the surrounding mesa.

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