Knife for an Army Combat Medic?

MacHete

MacHete

Hair Cropper & Chipmunk Wrangler
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Apr 7, 2000
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A young friend and co-worker of mine recently enlisted. He just finished basic and is undergoing his Advanced Individual Training now. He will be a Combat Medic in a Reserve Mechanized Infantry unit. His enlistment brought the unit's rolls up to deployable status. He knew this going in, and I am very proud of him for that decision. :cool:

As some of you may know, the DoD doesn't put much emphasis on quality cutlery for our troops. As even more of you know, quality cutlery can be pretty danged handy. ;)

I want to honor his service with a knife, but I want it to be one that will serve him. He has seen pictures of my bigger Khuks, and expressed interest in a "Zombie Killer", but he'll already be packing plenty of weight without saddling up with a sharp boat anchor. I don't think he needs a "tactical fighter" or a big camp-style utility knife. He's gonna be a medic, and he's going to be living out of a Bradley, so I don't see much hand-to-hand combat or pioneering/foraging/foxhole/shelter building duties in his future.

So- any recent Vets or former Medics out there with suggestions? To be honest, based on my own reserve experiences as a straight-leg grunt, there's nothing an SAK couldn't handle among a medic's duties. But I know others have better insight, and I really would like to get him the biggest, khukri-est blade that will be useful to him. AIT for medics is pretty long, so we've got some time to think about it.

BTW- I posted this here, rather than the general forum, because I don't think I could stand reading "Get a Busse." forty-seven times. :rolleyes:
 
You might want to find out what he is going to be 'allowed' to carry. This will vary; it's not supposed to, but it does. My service was about 20 years ago, but I once saw a guy carrying a KaBar on his web belt get crawled up one side and down the other by a battalion Sgt Major. Scary $hit. This was regular army infantry battalion.
 
MacHete said:
I want to honor his service with a knife, but I want it to be one that will serve him. He has seen pictures of my bigger Khuks, and expressed interest in a "Zombie Killer", but he'll already be packing plenty of weight without saddling up with a sharp boat anchor. I don't think he needs a "tactical fighter" or a big camp-style utility knife. He's gonna be a medic, and he's going to be living out of a Bradley, so I don't see much hand-to-hand combat or pioneering/foraging/foxhole/shelter building duties in his future.
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Weight won't be as much of an issue if he can stow it in the Bradley, and the khukri will make him happy. I'd recommend a Chitilangi or Sirupati -- but a Pen Knife is probably more practical.
 
I'd be inclined to look at Scandi's.

Reasonable size, great steel, proven design, handy to conceal in gear, and utilitarian as heck.

Ragnar's...someplace like that?


Best wishes to him.
 
I can't imagine a SAK or slippy being a good choice simply because two-hand opening can be a real nuisance sometimes.

But what do I know? The closest I've been to the army is that painted-shut tank near my old highschool.
 
well it would depend on his unit regs, when I was in the largest blade I carried was my KaBar. But if he could carry a Khuk I'd get a 11 to 14 inch bdc with a horn handle. then if you know someone get the whole thing sand blasted, even the handle, this will reduce glare and improve the grip. The horn handle will turn grayish, just oil it up to give it a matte black color. Also I would sugest to him in getting a kydex sheath for it, something in the quick draw fashion.
 
I'd go with a 15" Sirupati, 12" AK/Pen or maybe a 10" to 12" Kumer Karda. Please let him know we apriciate his service. :) God Bless!!

Heber
 
If it is a khuk he wants, the Pen knife is probably your best all around choice.
Terry
 
IF his unit has any money in the supply. He could be issued a Benchmade 9050 and/or pilots survival knife. These are quite common in most conventional units. If you want to get him a Kukri, I suggest one of the 9" bilton, Grand baby Chit, or BDC. I think he will be allowed to take this out as much as he wants for cutting MRE's, 550 cord and stuff without getting too many looks until he is at least a senior Specialist or Sergeant. He's not going to have any room to store anything to large. Although I was light and mostly unconventional for my 25 years, I didnt care too much what my boys carried in theater, but most preferred to not add more weight to the 65+ pounds that was constant carry. Medics will carry more with aid bags. He will ride in either a Hummer or striker. My medics wanted rescue blades with web cutter and glass breaker tips. Cut a lot of clothes and boots off soldiers. Excuse the rambling, I went back into 1SG mode. (1SG retired)
 
I'm not a soldier, so one thing I'll pitch in is HAND SIZE. My hands are big enough that on the bilton, I'm holding the blade. Ditto with the 15" AK I just got (both went to people who have smaller hands). If your friend has big hands, get him a WWII or sirupati, or get him a bigger khuk.

If you've got the time, you might also want to commission a suitable sheath from Terry Sisco or someone else, as an added touch.

Outside of HI knives (and definitely not zombie killers) I've got a SOG seal pup that's seen a lot of use. For a small fixed blade knife, it's pretty good. The folding knife I always carry (and recommend) is the Doug Ritter Mark I. It's handy and good steel, and if you get him a diamond hone, he can keep it shaving sharp without much work. These are not military, but in terms of portability and utility, they're great. These two have the advantage that they're small and easy to carry.
 
Do a search for Sylvrfalcn and read how he used his in Afghanistan.

I'd recommend a BAS.
 
This is what Sarge wrote when he retired after 26 1/2 years of active duty:
From my observations, about the handiest knife you can carry in the "uncivilized" places of the world, is a small, sharp, fixed blade, with a comfortable handle and a blade right around 4" in length. Don't get me wrong, there are still times when a big old khukuri can be quite a comfort, but you'll find yourself using that "little" knife so much you'd be nearly lost without it, at least that's how I am.
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For his purposes, the HI blade that would probably serve him best would be an R-10.

Where is he deploying? I hear in Afghanistan, the enemy is scared spitless of the Gurkhas and their kukris, so a BAS or even a standard 16.5" Chiruwa would serve well.
 
Quote:
From my observations, about the handiest knife you can carry in the "uncivilized" places of the world, is a small, sharp, fixed blade, with a comfortable handle and a blade right around 4" in length. Don't get me wrong, there are still times when a big old khukuri can be quite a comfort, but you'll find yourself using that "little" knife so much you'd be nearly lost without it, at least that's how I am.

I'm about to embark on my second OIF tour, and my fourth tour in the Middle-East. The largest blade I will be taking is a 12" Villager AK. And it will probably never be used. The blades and jaws on my Leatherman Surge will probably see more action than any other knife I take with me. Just like the last time around.
I recommend a Leatherman Surge. If he has one of those, get him a 12"AK. Anything larger will probably violate unit policies, and will be just that much more weight to carry. And weight can become very important when you have to hump it to where ever you may be going. If it weighs too much, it WILL get left behind.
 
A young friend of mine did his tour in Iraq driving a fuel tanker-trailer rig on supply runs... He said it was "mostly O.K.".
I bought him a "rescue" hatchet. A bit like a hawk but with an edged spike on the rear of the axe head. He said it was a hit with the other drivers and the "leg" folks he was around. He could carry it on trips, but not around the base.
For a medic, heavy duty rescue tools like seatbelt cutters and scissors for clothing and boots sound like the thing. But hey, I was A.F. :)

Dino in Reno
 
You could honor him with a big, beautiful HI khurkuri to come home to, something he'd never carry in Iraq, but something he'd really enjoy owning. It sounds like what's "practical" and what he likes about the knives in your collection might be two different things. Just a thought....
 
I would go with a sturdy 4" bushcraft knife. That will be something he can use every day.
 
If he has a knife already, I'd recommend a line cutter (rescue hook) like the Benchmade 7 or 8, or the Strider JB-1 shroud cutter. I have the Strider and I used mine a lot over there. It's real handy for making FAST cuts close to skin. Something a medic would do a lot of during "strip & flips". They're also handy for cutting a whole bunch of other stuff.
 
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