Did/Do you carry in the military? Story time... ;)

[Danke42]

I know a few of the older pilots still carry a boot knife, usually something like the SOG Pentagon, with serrations on one side and plain edge on the other. I had never met anyone who actually carried a boot knife in their boot until now.

Yeah no kidding. Found a white whale AKA Boot Knife Guy.

 

[deovolens]

When I was young (1969) every young man in Belgium had to "serve" his country. Between 12 and 18 months.I had just finished my MBA and wanted to earn money and buy....
After 4 month of training: Vigneron Sub machine gun, Fal rifle, FN High power pistol and FN light and heavy machine guns I was not so happy because I was send to a Recon, light cavalry unit in Kassel just a few miles from the iron curtain.
The USA were fighting in Vietnam, we had terrorist groups RAF, Bader Meinhoff, Cellules communistes combattantes
I knew very well to we would be wiped away in a few hours It was not Russia alone but the whole Warshaw pact with over 4.000.000 soldiers
I had an Gerber with the slanted blade, my chief said I hd to hide it because knives were dangerous.
Now I prefer the Speznatz knife

 

[Unicorn161]

I know a few of the older pilots still carry a boot knife, usually something like the SOG Pentagon, with serrations on one side and plain edge on the other. I had never met anyone who actually carried a boot knife in their boot until now.

I wonder if it was because they were afraid of their seatbelt not being able to unbuckle/release after a crash. A knife in the boot sucks for walking, but is out of the way when flying, and easy to get to while seated.

I knew a few people who carried the Gerber Guardian, but clipped to the belt, not in a boot. The only time I've seen anyone wear a knife in the boot was a dude in the Guard who bought one of those cheap S&W boot knives the PX was selling for like $20.

 

[clayton c]

I never seen anybody with a real fighting knife. I remember lusting on a Randall #1 at a mall knife shop for months. The next time I seen that same exact knife, the battalion commander was wearing it on a Friday hump before liberty. I could never afford it though I thought hard on that knife. I rationalized I could buy the knife and be broke for only a month so I decided to get it, but that Colonel got it before I did. The most popular knives I remember were Buck 110s. I've seen more broken K-Bar fighting/utility knives abused from knife throwing than any blade my whole life, so much so I could never buy a K-Bar today.

 

[dougm7]

My son (USMC) carried a Boker Applegate-Fairbairn in Iraq.

View attachment 1463312

Edit: Interestingly, he had it on his left side, though he was right-handed. Perhaps he wanted to keep his right side clear for a gun or his metal detector (Combat Engineer). Don't know, can't ask him now.

Sorry for your loss and grateful for his service.

 

[Sonnydaze]

Most people would totally under estimate how handy and versatile a tool/weapon an e-tool is. One of the greatest pieces of gear ever invented.

versatile is right. mine slipped on 20-mile forced march, was not allowed to fall out and readjust it. got a tremendous bruise on left shoulder, much later
it became malignant cancer resulting in two surgeries. army said: "that's too bad, but t.s."

 

[CDHumiston]

I joined the USAF in 1979. I was expecting easier service at the time. However my first unit ended up being a Forward Air Control Post. We were deployed out in the middle of nowhere
all the time. This was back in the green fatigue days. When I arrive at the unit I knew something was up when they issued me Camouflage fatigues. Our deployments were usually for
a month and we were always in field conditions.

I started carrying a Gerber Mark I in my boot. It came in very handy no matter where we ended up. The wildest thing I did was to decapitate a 6' Rattlesnake when we were deployed
out in the desert at Gila Bend Air Station. I also carried that knife in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. I still have it, but lost the original boot sheath...fantastic knife!

 

[jux t]

.

 

[Boattale]

USMC grunt 1970, 71 and 72. P38 (aka John Wayne) and a demo knife. Bought a 110 from the USS Mobile ships exchange and learned how to sharpen on that one. Had plenty of spare time.

 

[Jim malone]

Non military but Law Enforcement, i carried a Spyderco Endura in my Nomex pants and a Leatherman on my belt. Also carried a fixed blade horizontal LH on my plate carrier ( these varied, mostly Spyderco) between 1996 and 2007.

 

[Jim malone]

My son (USMC) carried a Boker Applegate-Fairbairn in Iraq.

View attachment 1463312

Edit: Interestingly, he had it on his left side, though he was right-handed. Perhaps he wanted to keep his right side clear for a gun or his metal detector (Combat Engineer). Don't know, can't ask him now.

It's on the left for weapon retention. If someone goes for your handgun or rifle in your right hand you have your left hand to pull your knife and stab him/her.

 

[sodak]

Air Force in 1979, Army in early 80's. I carried an Uncle Henry knock off of the Buck 110. No multitools back then, but if there were, I would have switched over to those.

 

[sabre cat]

USMC grunt 1970, 71 and 72. P38 (aka John Wayne) and a demo knife. Bought a 110 from the USS Mobile ships exchange and learned how to sharpen on that one. Had plenty of spare time.

I still carry a P38. I rarely reach for a real can opener.

 

[Bastler]

I still carry a P38. I rarely reach for a real can opener.

I used to carry one on my keychain, it makes a handy screwdriver/prytool. I might have to revisit that idea.

 

[bdcochran]

At the time of the First Gulf War, I was a knife dealer. One day, I received an order for Spyderco Enduras from a USMC unit, called the factory and had them sent to me. It was a strange looking knife when it first came out. Now, I probably own 6-8 Enduras. I keep some in a letter basket at the front door and grab one and put it in my pocket when I leave the house.

 

[USMCPOP]

It's on the left for weapon retention. If someone goes for your handgun or rifle in your right hand you have your left hand to pull your knife and stab him/her.

Thanks, good to know as I can't ask him. He also carried a 50 cal round, something about putting it in the trigger or something of a Browning M2 ... ???

 

[deltablade]

I enlisted in the army just after high school, and served in the Combat Engineers. My dad has gifted me a Camillus Boy scout knife when I was 12, and had joined a local Boy Scout troop. I had carried that knife until I enlisted, and left it home because I had been informed that things sometimes disappeared in barracks and the knife had developed some sentimental value to me.

When I arrived at Engineer school at Fr. Leonard Wood, Missouri after boot camp, we were issued a few things right off. Steel toe safety boots, and a Camillus model 1760. This was an all steel scout knife, often called the demo knife. This a bomb proof version of the Boy Scout knife and I carried that knife for about half of my 10 years I was in the army. It was only replaced by a Victorinox pioneer when I was serving a tour in Germany, and I was lured into a knife shop by a giant moving Swiss Army knife in the window. That was the start of my love of SAK's.

I carried a Buck 301 stockman for a while, but the SAK was my main knife. It did everything I needed from a pocket knife, and then some. I had been used to having a few tools on my knife from my boy scout days, and that never faded. Even with a tour in Vietnam with the 39th Combat Engineers, I didn't really need more life than that. Our squad tool box held two hatchets and two Ontario machetes, so if more blade was needed, we just used a machete. There was also a pointy thing that went on our M16's, called a bayonet. But the 'demo' knife was enough for most things.

When a construction accident smashed up my right foot and ankle, and they gave me a medical discharge and a cane, my Victorinox pioneer was in my pocket when I limped out of Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington D.C.. The Camillus demo knife was in my duffle bag. My youngest son has it today.

Over the next 50 years, not much changed. I still carry a SAK of some sort most the time, and its enough. Being knife nut means a lot of knives have come and gone. Mostly gone, when I figured our that I didn't really need them.

what is the loop on the back of the 1760 used for, a lanyard?

 

[mwhich50]

I had many different carry knives when I was in. There was the issue M9 bayonet for sure. Heavy beast that they made us tie down to prevent use and loss. Got in trouble for sharpening mine and a few others. I also carried a Western boot knife. It clipped on my LBE right behind an ammo pouch. Then there was a Gerber Parabellum which had a large black pouch and lived on my LBE. In my pocket I’d carry a Spyderco Hunter, Gerber Magnum LST, or a Benchmade Balisong. Once I discovered the Leatherman tools, I had one with me whenever I had pants on I always found it ridiculous that even though I was in the Infantry, command hated and banned edged weapons. Oh they taught us to believe “ Kill! Kill! Kill! With ice cold steel!!!!!!” But we’d catch a lot of flack for actually showing up with knives in view! That’s why my stuff stayed hidden/disguised Here are the Western and my Leatherman
View attachment 1463161

Funny. This is exactly what I carried. I always left my Endura at home because I didn't want to get sand in the pivot.
I guess we both purchased our Western boot knives in the PX/BX. The blade was so thin, and razor sharp, it sliced right through the back of the sheath when I was re-sheathing it.
I was issued my Leatherman (same leather case) around 1993. I still have it.

 

[The Grendels]

Same one as a lot of other folks.

I never took a shining to that knife. When we traded them in for Leathermans, not even the crooked storesman wanted them. I can't even remember who I gave it to. They very much did want the issue Leatherman back...

 

[The Grendels]

I guess that would depend upon what service and unit you were with. We never had much of a problem with knives in the Corps-at least I never ran into any issues with carrying a fixed blade or multi-tool during my 25 and a half years.

Other than Basic, when you were told not to bring them and didn't if you didn't want the extra hassle, the only time I ever got any grief about knives, was once because a bored duty NCO thought it was inappropriate that was wearing one around my neck on paracord in the mess, something I did all the time; another time teaching a non-flip throwing technique while drunk in the mess (a friend from a different rifle company wanted me to show him how to throw his knife and a local NCO lost her mind); and on a couple different instances of unfamiliar to being in the field officers freaking out when they saw my 15" heavy sheepsfoot machete because they thought I might behead them (it was on my pack for the field and used as a tool, because the issue machetes were useless).

I never got in any trouble and it was just a handful of NCOs and officers occasionally shaking their heads or me being told to quit throwing knives in the mess. Different units have different cultures when it comes to knives.