Camillus K Bar?

David Nowlin

David Nowlin

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My dad was issued a Camillus NY, K Bar style fighting knife while in the USAF IN Vietnam in 1968-69. I had always thought it was a K Bar but after his passing i got it and learned i was wrong. Just looking for some info on it and also what Steel it might be made of.
The knife flew with my dad for over 300 combat missions and was his only war time souvenir he brought home. Said it always dug into his back when on a mission.
 
The steel is 1095. Any post-WW2 1219C2/USN-MK2 stamped like your dad's knife would have been made between the middle of 1962, when Camillus started making them again though February 01, 1974 when the "NY" was dropped from the stamp.

After Japan surrendered in August 1945, the US government canceled all knife contracts in their tracks. Any issued during the late 1940s or the decade of the 50s were WW2 leftovers.

No additional USN-MK2s/1219C2s were made until May 1961 when Utica Cutlery made the first post-WW2 MIL-K-20227 knives (the new government designation for the 1219C2 [USMC designation] and USN-MK2 394831).

Camillus started making the new knives sometime after March 1962, when they submitted drawings and sample knives. They kept making them for the government until 1989.

Conetta started making the new versions in 1966.

All of the above information came from an article by Mr. Frank Trzaska titled "The Post War Knife, Combat, Mark 2".
 
That’s a real treasure to have from your dad. Put together anything you can from his service and keep it with the knife. Write down anything he told you. Very cool to have history with a knife.
 
Thank you zz that info is priceless. And eveled i have several stories of his 28 years in service to this country. I have his flight suit from Vietnam in a shadow box and his medals in a frame all hanging on a proment wall in my house. I should probably find a way to display his issued ww2 machete he also had in the plane incase he went down in the jungle. The table under the wall display is crowded with his momentos but i’ll try to make room.
 
Ha ha i just got my Gold Membership and figured i would do a litthe picture posting practice. Been threating to get a membership for years lol.
 
That’s a great piece of your family’s knife history right here. In great shape too! I’m glad you were able to keep some memorabilia from your fathers’ time in the service.
 
Eveled thats it. The table i asked for when us siblings were dividing the homes furniture. I thought it was perfect for his stuff and was in his entryway when you came in the front door.
 
I think the machete and 1219C2 could be mounted vertically between the medal and flight suit shadow boxes.

I am assuming that "LOUDMOUTH" was his radio call sign? The "shutter bug" would imply he flew RF birds.
 
Its Litterbug loudmouth. A squadron of U-10’s that dropped leaflets over the enemy to get them to surrender. Also flew low with a speaker asking them to give up but a couple planes got shot down so the stopped doing that.
 
But that was a small part of the mission. Observation,and dropped and picked up the forward operators that would be in the jungle for a month at a time. Flew missionaries
(CIA) into villages where the VC had slaughtered Villigers. And of course mail runs to forward Marine camps.
 
Ha ha it posted! Its a U-10 made by a canadian company Hellio Currier ( not sure of the spelling) he originally flew B-52’s but given the choice for Vietnam he chose the smaller plane. Never regretted it.
Sorry got off topic just so proud of my Dad.
Dang was his Knick name. Meant Red in Thailand. Off to work bye for now.
 
No need to apologize. Thanks for sharing. Your Dad was an American hero in my eyes. Glad you are keeping his memory alive. That is an awesome display.
 
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