The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a notice to police and bomb squad personnel across the U.S. to be on the lookout for an alcohol shot made to look like a flash bang grenade. The alcohol shot, housed in a container that resembles a hand held grenade equipped with a working pull pin and spoon, attracts young drinkers such as 21-year old college students.

An example of an alcohol shot taken off a USC student at a recent football game against Texas A&M is shown below. The item does not contain explosives or energetics but has the potential to result in bomb disposal calls due to its life-like resemblance of an actual munition.

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Watervliet, New York A Civil-War era munition washed ashore on the bank of the Hudson River. The New York State Police Bomb Squad responded and safely transported the munition to a quarry 40-miles south of Glens Falls where it was safely disposed of through an open detonation procedures. The exact type of Civil-War era munition was not reported.

Dandridge, Tennessee A Jefferson County family had quite a surprise waiting for them when they moved into their new home. Among the former owner's possessions which were left behind was an unidentified ordnance item. After finding the nearly 1 foot long munition, specific type not reported, the new home owner reportedly placed it in a bucket, and took it outside.

The new home owner called the police and the Morristown Bomb Squad responded. They determined it was indeed military ordnance so they called EOD from Ft. Campbell to respond. The house is located across the street from Maury Middle School, but there were no evacuations.

Winlock, Washington Lewis County sheriff's deputies responded to a call from a homeowner who found old explosives while clearing out a barn. The homeowner told authorities that the explosives must have been there before he owned the property and estimated that the explosives have been in the part for several decades.

Deputies called the Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad, which determined that the explosives, identified as dynamite (shown below) were several extremely deteriorated and volatile. It was determined that the safest way to dispose of the explosives was to conduct a controlled burn of the barn. The barn, along with the explosives inside, was successfully destroyed in a controlled burn.

Troy, Ohio A military munition item though to be inert was donated to the Miami Valley Veterans Museum. However, museum personnel concerned that the item could potentially contain energetic material placed a call to the local bomb squad who responded and evacuated the museum and portions of the surrounding area.

Upon investigation, the military ordnance item was found to contain gunpowder. The bomb squad safely removed the item for disposal. The exact type of munition involved in the incident was not released. An investigation is underway to determine how the donator ended up with a live munition in the first place.

South Lanarkshire, Scotland A bomb squad was called to Hamilton Grammar School when a student brought an old grenade in for a history presentation. Concerned that the grenade may be live, the school phoned the police who dispatched a bomb disposal team.

The bomb disposal identified the grenade as inert and reassured everyone at the school that the items did not present a danger.

Salt Lake City, Utah A passenger aboard a commercial flight caused the delay of numerous flights after four landmines were found in his luggage at Salt Lake City International Airport. Transportation Security Agency (TSA) Officials say the landmines bought as souvenirs by a member of the military who had been doing training at a military base in Utah were inert. Although flights were delayed over 20 minutes during the initial response, the TSA does not plan to press charges against the passenger carrying the landmines and he was allowed to continue flying after it was confirmed that the landmines were indeed inert.

Santa Fe, New Mexico After a 76-year old artist passed away from natural causes, his family made a startling discovery while cleaning out his house - a paper bag filled with explosives. The artist reportedly purchased the explosives over 20 years ago for cutting and shaping metal into sculptors. The family member immediately called the police after recognizing what was in the bag.

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Phoenix, Arizona Transportation Security Agency (TSA) officials at Sky Harbor Airport were caught by surprise when the explosive material slated for airport screeners testing was stolen. The explosives, reported as a 1-pound of material, were stored in a soft-sided cooler in a low-security area outside of the check point area when they were reportedly stolen. The police began an investigation and searched high and low for the explosives with no luck.

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Oceanside, California A homeowner called police after finding what was described as a 'shiny piece of military ordnance' in his backyard. The item appeared after recent rains washed away ground cover. Oceanside police responded with technical support from the San Diego County sheriff's bomb squad. The munition was identified as an inert military practice bomb (exact type not reported). A search of the area did not reveal any other munitions related items.