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

[spoonrobot]

Any idea what year that came from? Assume WW2.

From WW1: https://warspot.net/202-highlights-for-warspot-sketches-of-tommy-s-life

The artist's website has the entire set as well as short explanations for each illustration: http://www.fergusmackain.com/

 

[cbach8tw]

WW1.
http://www.fergusmackain.com/p/tommys-life-at.html?m=1

Thanks for the link. Good stuff.

 

[marsturm]

I enlisted in the USCG in 1962. In boot camp we were issued a "Coast Guard Cutter." This was a standard all metal US labeled Scout type knife. I don't recall what became of that knife. When I was sent to Alaska in 1964 I purchased a Buck 110 and 119. I still have both!

 

[mushka]

Early 60's in the 101st abn, I was a rigger. Always had a tl 29 in a belt holster that I made in rigger school. It was always with me on or off duty. Sometimes it would get burrowed or misplaced but I'd just get another one out of a box of them in the pack sheds. Some didn't carry and left them on their pack table after work or on the inspection table. These were the ones that still had the wood handle.

 

[sabre cat]

Early 60's in the 101st abn, I was a rigger. Always had a tl 29 in a belt holster that I made in rigger school. It was always with me on or off duty. Sometimes it would get burrowed or misplaced but I'd just get another one out of a box of them in the pack sheds. Some didn't carry and left them on their pack table after work or on the inspection table. These were the ones that still had the wood handle.

Pictures?

 

[sabre cat]

Hello there, I was in the Swiss army. As a recruit ( 1983 ) I was issued a soldiers pocket knife model 61 ( AKA Pioneer ) and a bayonet for my Stgw 57. Most recruits quickly bought a second pocketknife, one to use and a second one to present at inspections. As an artilleryman ( M 109 )the bayonet stayed in the locker but the pocketknives were always handy for opening tinned rations ( mmm, compressed meat ) and to take apart our rifles or zero them in. I also had ( and still do ) a Gerber Guardian 1 because if you have to shimmy up a tree to cut the ropes holding the cammo net a double edged blade is a lot faster. Interesting fact: on the inside of the Stgw 57 bipod there are graduations. You pass a length of string through the hole in the pocket knife. open the blade, dangle it from the bayonet lug, and determine the trajectory for rifle grenades.

So that is why some of the Model 61 Soldiers had a hollow rivet!
This explains a lot. Thank you for sharing.

 

[sabre cat]

Same one as a lot of other folks.

That looks familiar. I think I still have one out in the shed somewhere. Our Commo guys used to attach wire to the bail and then throw the knife over tree branches so they could hide the wire up in the trees. I wonder how many knives got entangled in the branches.

IMHO, The Vic Pioneer/Soldier is a much better piece of kit than the Demo knife.

 

[Danke42]

That looks familiar. I think I still have one out in the shed somewhere. Our Commo guys used to attach wire to the bail and then throw the knife over tree branches so they could hide the wire up in the trees. I wonder how many knives got entangled in the branches.

IMHO, The Vic Pioneer/Soldier is a much better piece of kit than the Demo knife.

Oh for sure there were many better knives. But I was issued that knife by a supply clerk who couldn't keep in his stores to count ever few months.

 

[sabre cat]

Oh for sure there were many better knives. But I was issued that knife by a supply clerk who couldn't keep in his stores to count ever few months.

We had them in our demo boxes but, our supply room never had them available. Not really sure why.

I could get a wristwatch issued but, not a demo knife. Go figure.

 

[Danke42]

We had them in our demo boxes but, our supply room never had them available. Not really sure why.

I could get a wristwatch issued but, not a demo knife. Go figure.

Up here you had to have some sort of reason like an Assault Pioneer task or Ammo Tech or EOD.

So the clerk would say sorry but you can't have that because you're not insert commnet here and then you would have to go away. But if you said aha but I am that it was like their kryptonite. Stuff like watches or flashlights anyone could draw so they'd just pretend they just ran out.

 

[sabre cat]

Up here you had to have some sort of reason like an Assault Pioneer task or Ammo Tech or EOD.

So the clerk would say sorry but you can't have that because you're not insert commnet here and then you would have to go away. But if you said aha but I am that it was like their kryptonite. Stuff like watches or flashlights anyone could draw so they'd just pretend they just ran out.

Not everyone got watches. Supply only was allowed a few per Company. Normally the CO, XO, or SGM would get them. I was able to justify one because I was a medic. I still wear the same basic type of “field watch” that I was issued. I even have a matching SAK watch and Alox Pioneer.

A flashlight was considered standard issue as part of my Aidbag.

One of our supply sergeants liked keeping things issued to the troops. He said it made his job easier. Just one less thing in the supply room to worry about.

 

[foxdoublegunner]

All officers think about is what might happen to their personal careers if one of their troops missuses a knife, not what happens if he needs a knife for a legitimate military task and doesn't have it. Once I was sitting on runway in a strange place all rigged up for a parachute jump with the rest of my battalion. A guy in my squat pulled out a non-locking Case 2 blade folding hunter and was whittling on a stick or something. The company CO had a cow and took the knife away from him, saying he didn't want him going down town and cutting up some leg with it. The idea that he might actually need the knife on a real parachute jump we were going to make in an hour or so didn't enter into it.

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.

 

[junglefighter]

Air Force medic 1971-1992. Carried a buck 110 for most of my career and when I went to the Philippines the second time, it was backed up with a local made dagger and a balisong in my jump kit.. Since I was assigned to the AF version of the Army's version of the MASH unit, I always had to have a blade suitable enough to release the vacuum seal that the metal containers would develop when we were in transit via air to deployment along with other field duties .. On one trip to Korea from the Philippines, we were in bare base conditions and the electricians had to come and string wire for electricity.. I had left my dagger stuck in the tent pole next to my rack where the electrician found it, then proceeded to use it to strip the wire, he pushed his thumb into the back side of the dagger and cut his thumb all the way to the bone.. The reason I found out that he was brought to the ER where we were set up to get stitches..

When my son deployed to the desert during his AF time, he carried my randall 15 and a gerber automatic that was issued to him upon arrival

 

[sabre cat]

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.

I never had any problems except once. I decided that I wanted a bayonet issued as part of my kit.

Supply said no because I carried a sidearm. So, I bought myself an M6 bayonet. They made it an issue; even to the point of comparing my M6 side by side with the standard issue M7. Once they figured out that it was not government property, everything was fine.

They also did not like fixed blades worn during garrison formation. Not a big deal really.

 

[sabre cat]

I am curious, how many of you would carry something different now?

Like Uncle Sam pulled you out of the IRR or something.

 

[Unicorn161]

I've gotten even more into knives, but it would also depend on the situation. I'd love to have had my Skrama, or the knife a buddy helped design for Leaper Knives and gave me last Christmas. Especially for the old school tasks like cutting sector stakes, or improvising tent stakes, or getting through some of the thorny vines.
But most likely something like the BK16, something around a 4.5 inch blade for most daily uses. I think a Gerber or Leatherman was one of the things I used the most.

 

[junglefighter]

I am curious, how many of you would carry something different now?

Like Uncle Sam pilled you out of the IRR or something.

They would have to really go deep to recall me.. I retired from the military in 92 and did federal law
enforcement from 2005 until I retired in 2020

This was and still is one of my edc fixed blades in the south central pacific

 

[Smaug]

I am curious, how many of you would carry something different now?

Like Uncle Sam pulled you out of the IRR or something.

I was a Wire Systems Installer. Now that we have Amazon and such, I'd probably go with a Swisstool Spirit X as the main carry, and then a Maxamet Manix 2.

 

[sabre cat]

I was a Wire Systems Installer. Now that we have Amazon and such, I'd probably go with a Swisstool Spirit X as the main carry, and then a Maxamet Manix 2.

Not really sure what I would carry.

Some sort of multi-tool is a given but, beyond that, I am not really sure.

I used to think that I would still carry a CRKT Prowler but, there are so many better knives on the market.

 

[K.O.D.]

My one cousin served 1997-2005 captain in the radio command unit Marine Corp. Two tours in Iraq, said he only carried standard kit, plus an SAK he got when he graduated from Annapolis. He has been an FBI agent since 2006.

His brother in law, (my cousin in law) army ranger 98-2006 went through a whole bunch of different kit, but nothing specific to him. He doesn't like to talk about his time. Graduated 1st from West Point.