None of us? Don't know about that. There are some pretty tough and cool people in here. Most don't even mention anything even if the topic arises. After all its a blade forum and not one for Ironman winners, ultramarathon runners or Karate world champions for example, though these guys are here no doubt and chances are that they are cooler and tougher in their fields than Mr Waugh could be. Maybe some of them wouldn't do half bad in his line of work, if they had just tried or even wanted to.
OK. Obviously I delivered that line somewhat tongue-in-cheek. But since you've ignored the goodnaturedness of it and instead interpreted it as some sort of ultimatum in a Tough Man Contest, I'll defend my statement.
First, before you make any declarations about the relative toughness of Mr. Waugh, I suggest that you read his book,
Hunting the Jackal. It opens with his regaining consciousness on the battlefield in Vietnam to discover that he's so grievously wounded that the NVA/Chinese regulars have stripped him and left him for dead after overrunning his unit's position. I don't know too many people who can talk about surviving such a situation, let alone include it as just one of many interesting stories in a book about their lives! After you've researched some of the things Billy Waugh has done, why don't you get back to me about how many people could have succeeded "in his line of work, if they had just tried or even wanted to."
Second, I'm well aware that there are plenty of extremely brave and accomplished individuals within this forum, and I was in no way impugning them by calling out Mr. Waugh. Just by way of one example, I know that John Larsen frequents these pages. He, too, could fill a book with exploits from his long and storied career. Yet, without speaking for him, I'm sure that Mr. Larsen would be among the first to agree that Billy Waugh is one of the most exceptional warriors that this nation has turned out.
But for those who still may believe that they're tougher and cooler, I'm happy to listen to their stories so that I may judge for myself. Any other septuagenarians out there who donned a gun and a knife and set out on horseback with a group of soldiers half their age to start a war on the other side of the world? Anyone else on these boards spend over fifty years of his life dedicated to pursuing this nation's most dangerous enemies in foreign lands? Please, by all means, sound off if you have.
Finally, since this is a knife forum and not a military or strongman site, I'd love to hear from any "tough guys" (real or imagined, self-described or lauded) who have strapped on a Cold Steel knife and gone off to serve in a war zone. That's why I started this thread. Please tell us what, where, and why. And if you include a picture of the knife, you get bonus coolness points! (But not as many as Billy unless you and the knife are also riding a horse through the mountains of Afghanistan!)
-Steve
P.S. - For those who are interested in the results of Mr. Waugh's exploits against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, I'll give you his own synopsized account from a 2012 interview: "We kicked a lot of a-- and took a lot of names. They didn't know what the h--- had hit them!"
Seventy-one years old. Full auto. Steady as a rock!