Palm Springs, California A U.S. Marine was detained at Palm Springs International Airport on after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel discovered a live munition in his checked bag, according to a statement from the Palm Springs Police Department.

The Marine reportedly told police that he found the round "in the field" about a year ago and kept it because he did not believe it was live. It was later confirmed to be a live 25 mm explosive round.

In a statement police said, "Due to extensive rust and corrosion, the round's original identifying paint markings were no longer visible, making it difficult to determine whether it was an inert training munition or a live explosive device."

The Riverside County bomb squad was called in to X-ray the device which was deemed live and not a training round. The ordnance was taken to a remote area for disposal and no injuries were reported.

[More]

Toulouse, France Bomb disposal units responded to a French hospital to defuse a WWI-era munition stuck in a man's rectum. Medics discovered the eight-inch shell dating back to 1918 during surgery, prompting a mass evacuation of Rangueil Hospital.

Police and firefighters were also called in while bomb technicians successfully rendered the munition safe. The unidentified man is still recovering from surgery and could possibly be charged for violating France's weapons legislation.

A police spokesperson said, "He was in a state of extreme discomfort, having inserted a large object up his rectum. Emergency surgery was carried out, and the object was found to be an artillery shell dating back to the First World War."

"Worse still, it had not exploded and so bomb disposal experts had to be called to defuse the shell, with the fire brigade standing by."

The 37mm brass-and-copper shell was used by the Imperial German Army near the end of WWI. The man is scheduled to be interviewed by police pending a potential charge for handling "category A munitions", according to police.

[More]

Hemet, California The Riverside County Sheriff's Bomb Squad disposed of a man's military ordnance collection after his widow requested help removing it from her home. Nearby homes were evacuated as police transported several large projectiles and canisters to a nearby field for a controlled detonation.

Bomb squad technicians decided to destroy the devices nearby instead of risking transporting them for disposal because of their age and inconclusive X-ray results, according to Sgt. Robert Martinez, a sheriff's spokesman.

City employees dug a hole in a nearby field, where the ordnance was covered with dirt to limit fragmentation. The Sheriff's Department declined to say how the devices were destroyed, but in his statement, Martinez said, "The exact render-safe procedures used are confidential and will not be released. Any remaining fragments are collected and disposed of."

Ocean Pines, Maryland

Bomb squad units and the United States Air Force EOD team from Dover Air Force Base responded and identified the munitions as M29A1 Practice Rockets.

[More]

St. Lucie, Florida The St. Lucie County bomb squad was called to Pepper Park Beach after a civilian discovered a WWII mortar in shallow water. Tom Gramlich, who was looking for lobsters, recognized the 12-pound munition as he had reportedly "found other bombs in the area."

Gramlich picked up the device and laid it at the edge of the water, before asking a fellow beachgoer to call the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. He also notified the lifeguard on duty.

Deputies responded and evacuated the beach in a 300-yard radius. The mortar was safely removed for proper disposal.

[More]

Palatka, FL A donation processing center required an emergency EOD response after a live hand grenade was identified within a donation bin at a Goodwill facility. An employee discovered the munition near the intake door of the store, located approximately 50 miles south of Jacksonville. The Palatka Police Department immediately secured the facility, establishing a cordon and evacuating staff and patrons.

Local authorities requested aid from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad. Upon confirmation that the grenade was live, the Bomb Squad successfully retrieved the munition. It was transported to a secure, remote location where it was neutralized via controlled detonation.

Fort Pierce, Florida A live grenade was discovered among donated items at a Goodwill store in Fort Pierce, leading to a prompt evacuation and response from the bomb squad. The Fort Pierce Police Department was called to the Sabal Palm Plaza store after a suspicious object was reported.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Bomb Disposal Unit safely removed the device without incident, and authorities quickly determined there was no ongoing threat to public safety. The source of the grenade is currently under investigation, though officers do not believe there was any malicious intent.

The Goodwill organization and law enforcement officials in certain regions have described these incidents as "oddly common" or happening "about every 9 months or so at one of our stores," often involving World War II-era memorabilia.

GBubczyce, Poland Two men were hospitalized after a WWII artillery shell they found in the woods and brought home exploded. The men and a woman were discovered in an apartment after police responded to a report that a window had been damaged in the building.

Noticing extensive damage to the apartment building including a hole in the floor and a window which was blow out from the inside, police suspected an explosion. Bomb-sniffing dogs and a bomb-disposal team was called to the scene as 36 residents from the building were evacuated.

A woman at the apartment along with the two men hurt in the blast were given sobriety tests and found to have blood alcohol levels far beyond Poland's legal drunk-driving limit.

Both men were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and finally admitted to the police after extensive questioning that they found an ordnance item in the woods and decided to bring it to the apartment when it exploded.

The two men and lucky to be alive and are expected to recover from their injuries. Police issued a reminder that anyone who finds unexploded historical ordnance to contact the authorities immediately and never to attempt to handle the items.

Formby, England Merseyside Police were called in to reports of a suspected munition found in a Formby yard during renovations. What was at first thought to be an unexploded German bomb was determined by EOD to be old metal pipe, but not before the contractor who found it pounded on it with a hammer.

Timmy Goulbourne had been doing some work at a cottage when he made the discovery. John Robinson, the owner of the cottage, said "We were clearing a pathway last week. We were digging it out with a JCB and Timmy pulled out [what we thought was] the bomb."

Robinson further explained the Goulbourne said, "No, it's not a bomb," and started hitting it with a hammer saying "see, it's not exploding!"

A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said, "We can confirm officers attended open land in Formby following the discovery of a metal pipe initially suspected to be an unexploded ordnance. As a precaution the EOD team attended and assessed the object was a rusted metal pipe."

As a reminder, never strike a suspected ordnance item with any other device. Leave it in place and notify authorities.

Tacoma, Washington EOD responded to the Tacoma Police Department after a woman brought an "heirloom" UXO in for disposal. The WWII-era hand grenade was reportedly passed down from a family member who had served in the military.

"While the intentions were good, please don't bring grandpa's war souvenirs to the lobby," the police reminded people in a post on their social media page.

Police spokesperson Shelbie Boyd said that people are well-meaning with they bring in old ordnance, but they should, instead, leave it in place. "You just never know how stable those things are," she said. Better to leave it to the experts to evaluate.

Police department and U.S. Army EOD safely disposed of the live munition.