Munition Collection Blown Up in Owner's Front Yard

Palo Alto, California A son cleaning out the basement of his deceased father's home, found eight hand grenades and Japanese "knee" mortar. At least one of the munitions was reported to be live.

His father, an airline pilot and retired U.S. Marine, had been a Civil War and WWII history buff with an extensive collections of war memorabilia. His ex-wife was unaware that live UXO was being stored in the home, however.

The local bomb squad responded to the call and buried all of the devices in the front yard of the residence, covered them with 40 sandbags and blew them up after advising the neighbors to stay indoors.