Do soldiers need or just want a knife ?

[DoctorWho]

Six years in the Marine Corps, 23 years in law enforcement. I have carried a knife just about every day, on duty and off, except where legally prohibited (and sometimes even then too). I've used a knife, for one thing or another, pretty much every one of those days; to me, a knife is as necessary for a man as a wristwatch.

I've become more practical in what I carry; my EDC knife selections have become smaller over the years. I thought the USMC Ka-Bar, while a nice blade, was more than I ever really needed. A nice folder for light duty and rugged fixed blade for heavier tasks has always proven a good combo for me.

 

[Park Reu]

I can't say I'm an expert in the subject matter of who needs a knife and who doesn't.

However I will say that from a 'time' standpoint. Any tool that helps get the job at hand done faster than what you could normally do it without said tool, is in my opinion, worth the effort to carry.

Given enough time in a situation, it's not too far fetched to assume that someone would improvise something to get the job done with the other resources at hand. However, the obvious trade off is time. As many know, time in combat is a resource that no one can afford to expend foolishly.

If taking the time to grab at an expedient tool say the distance of your pocket is quicker than attempting to dig around for some other strange random piece of metal and finagling it long enough to get the job done is the difference in the amount of time it takes to save someone's life, or even save the American tax payers money, I think it's well worth carrying.

I know some people will take that example to the extreme and ask why not carry wrenches and a power drill? Hell why not carry a nail gun?

Well, to those people I'd say go put those items in a ruck and march 12 miles then you'll have your answer.

There is not a clear cut answer to the question, but I'd argue the pros of carrying a knife or other tool far outweigh the cons.

 

[fergusontd]

I was in the Navy from 1968 to 1972, I worked in the enginroom as a machinest mate. We carried 110 Bucks for a lot of work in the engineering spaces, it really came in handy for alot of packing cutting for valves , opening boxes, scraping paint and lots of other uses. ftd

 

[Ankerson]

Was in the USMC from 82-86 and always had a knife of some kind.

 

[rustyrazor]

IMHO, most working men (and women) need a knife... and different knives for different folks of course, but any soldier who never needs a knife probably isn't doing the ground work.

 

[jkulysses]

Correct. But look at the context ----"For example, an army ranger is going to carry a different knife than an infantryman." Seriously doubt he was referring to medics, FSTers, or even clerks.

A medic and a clerk would probably use a knife more than the guy on the front lines in all honesty. Cutting off clothes and opening bandages and what not and clerk would be opening various other things.

 

[rustyrazor]

A medic and a clerk would probably use a knife more than the guy on the front lines in all honesty. Cutting off clothes and opening bandages and what not and clerk would be opening various other things.

Devils advocate here, but most time medics would use the shears, and the better part of the time and most times the clerk would likely have a decent letter opener... right tool for the job and all. every decent field soldier i've ever met has taken the other approach however and has a fixed blade knife of some sort that they use from everything from opening rations to digging for a shelter to keeping themselves occupied when they are bored. the answer is yes, every soldier needs a knife.