TSA to U.S. soldiers: Don't pack grenades

WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Transportation Security Administration offered a reminder Tuesday to military members: When flying commercial, don't pack explosives -- live or inert.

"Prohibited items include blasting caps, dynamite, fireworks, flares, hand grenades and explosives, either real or replicated," the TSA said in a statement released by the Defense Department.

TSA spokesman Lauren Gaches said agency workers sometimes find inert grenades or other items packed by service members on commercial flights "as a keepsake from the battlefield."

"The problem is, when you're looking at that through an X-ray machine, you can't tell the difference" whether it's a live or inert grenade, Gaches said.

When TSA officers discover explosives, she said, they sometimes have to close checkpoints or baggage areas or call in bomb squads.