Yesterday we were going through some old boxes, one was my father-in-law’s World War II memorabilia. He was in the Navy as a munitions officer. Well, inside the box, filled with lots of photos and documents, was what looked like a grenade. It was heavy. I immediately dialed 911.

Edmonds police officers arrived, examined and photographed it, and after doing some quick  research, said it is probably a WWII Japanese mortar. The officers were extremely helpful and strongly suggested we exit the house until the situation was resolved. The officers notified the Washington State Patrol bomb squad, who arrived a while later. We left the house to eat, then returned later to see the area was closed and taped off; we parked nearby to watch the activity. There were three Edmonds police vehicles, a Snohomish County officer and vehicle, and two State Patrol vehicles and troopers.

The troopers confirmed the identification of the mortar, saying it may be live, but even if it is not, there could be residue that could be dangerous. They were very helpful by keeping us informed at each step. They said that because it is military ordnance, it must be turned over to the U.S. military. Thus they had already notified the JBLM bomb squad, who were on their from the base to Edmonds.

It took about two hours for them to arrive and when they did, they removed the mortar and transported it back to JBLM.  The two Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) soldiers were also very courteous, friendly, and helpful.

Thank you to the Edmonds Police, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, and the U.S. Army EOD team. Each and every one of these professionals were extremely courteous, helpful, and understanding through this tense (for us, anyway) event. We truly appreciate the teamwork of these dedicated folks!