Knives and returning troops

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will62

Joined
Oct 18, 2002
Messages
372
I thought that this forum would be a good place to get the word out and save troops going home some hassles.

I am currently performing Customs Inspections on troops leaving Kuwait and Iraq and we confiscate dozens of cheap Paki and Chinese knives every week. Most of these are switchblades that make the stuff from Frost and Fury look good. Admittedly some of the knives are neat designs, some have fold out LED lights.

Some of the fixed blades are purely fantasy items that serve no practical purpose that I can see other than a wall hanger.

Yes, I realize that the exchange authorizes the vendors to come on the camps and sell some of this stuff.

If you know someone who is in Kuwait or Iraq tell them to pass any of these blades to their replacements or dump them before they go through their Customs Inspection. Policy here is that the only switchblades to leave this Area of Operations are Benchmade brand knives or ones issued by your unit.

Please pass this to any troops



Finally do we need to repeal the switchblade laws in the US?
 
will62 said:
Policy here is that the only switchblades to leave this Area of Operations are Benchmade brand knives or ones issued by your unit.
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Why does Benchmade have such a special/official status? Only because they are the best ones out there? (Yes - I am a big time BM fan).
 
tnozh said:
Why does Benchmade have such a special/official status? Only because they are the best ones out there? (Yes - I am a big time BM fan).
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They have National Stock Numbers and are issued items.
 
will62 said:
I thought that this forum would be a good place to get the word out and save troops going home some hassles.

I am currently performing Customs Inspections on troops leaving Kuwait and Iraq and we confiscate dozens of cheap Paki and Chinese knives every week. Most of these are switchblades that make the stuff from Frost and Fury look good. Admittedly some of the knives are neat designs, some have fold out LED lights.

Some of the fixed blades are purely fantasy items that serve no practical purpose that I can see other than a wall hanger.
Click to expand...

Just another example of a govenment agency screwing over the troops. I think that you would be correct if you were taking explosives or machine guns. taking knives of any kind is simply theft. Who are you or your bosses to judge the troops taste in knives?

If they are lucky enough to make it back without going through the hospital you reward them by lifting their knives. Why would you continue to work for such a shity outfit. It is obvious that you do not like what you are doing.

A. G. Russell
 
How much would it damage a knife to be baked in a half raw cookie that was very sentimental?

Are transistor radios disassembled in customs?

Are troops still schooled to "improvise" in tactical situations?


:D :p ;)
 
Do you only confiscate the crappy stuff? Or do you let them keep the good stuff?
 
I took an Italian switchblade back home with me after Operation Just Cause. The captured AK-47 didn't make it though. :(
 
Just out of curiosity, if the spring or opening device were removed
would that be considered importable? What if they were disassembled
and inoperative?
 
What is it with "military customs officials" and their predisposal to go out of their way to screw troops over? Knives in Kuwait.

Here in Korea, I came in commercial air via Incheon and missed the "lovely" customs folks down at Osan AFB. About a week later, I see a "wonderful" little military access TV production where this young USAF female airman (customs) is essentially bragging about how good she is at finding pornography....on peoples' computers. Yep, the Koreans consider "the act" illegal to show (despite their redlight districts?), so the Osan U.S. military customs officials go above and beyond by having incoming personnel TURN ON their laptops so they can search for illegal booty. Of course any "normal" American that goes through Korean Customs at Incheon International is not subjugated to any such thing. We are sometimes our own worst enemy :barf:
 
Icarian,

As a former SP in Korea I can tell you we don't like digging through your porn collections and dirtly laundry anymore than you like having it done. We still have these nasty little things called "orders" and "regulations" that we get our asses chewed for not following. I'm not trying to "flame" you or anything in that vein, I'm just asking you to put yourself in our shoes and realize that we have orders to follow too and that we might not necessarily agree w/ the policy either.
 
I'm going to have to disagree with A.G., for which I'm sure the God of Knifemaking will strike my ass dead, but I think you're doing troops a favor by taking away the cheap Pakistani crap...
 
Lobo103 said:
Icarian,

As a former SP in Korea I can tell you we don't like digging through your porn collections and dirtly laundry anymore than you like having it done. We still have these nasty little things called "orders" and "regulations" that we get our asses chewed for not following. I'm not trying to "flame" you or anything in that vein, I'm just asking you to put yourself in our shoes and realize that we have orders to follow too and that we might not necessarily agree w/ the policy either.
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Believe it or not, I would not have had a "porn" collection to worry about :rolleyes: Your "orders" and "regulations" do not make for good policy. That is the issue (both with the knives in Kuwait/etc). The intrusiveness is the issue. Concerning Korea, for god's sakes, you all are/were turning on peoples' laptops and searching their harddrive?! But guess what, everyone with a desktop shipped in household goods or all those people not coming in on the OSAN MAC cattlewagon must be okay? They sure aren't checked. An unevenly applied policy IS bad policy (whether it is benchmades vs other autos) or some kid's "collection".

Regards,
Glenmore

Edit: I understand it is not your policy--your just enforcing a practice that some idiot above you interpreted as his/her best way to meet the intent of the South Korean Government's policy (which is above and beyond what the S. Korean Customs' officials do). No ill will towards you :)
 
A. G. Russell
Sir, you are a Patriot and great American. Myself, a 22-year Air Force veteran, and thousands of other veterans thank you and your wife for the generosity you portray everyday through your actions. God Bless A. G. and thanks again for all you do for the military and knife family!
 
Ag has sent lots of knives to the boys puting their lives on the line for us and for him to see that they are beeing confiscated had to hurt, someone needs to change this as there are lots of good knives out there besides benchmade. :mad:
 
zr24x4er said:
the boys puting their lives on the line for us
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who is "us"?


[begin rant]

that reminds me of an old Soviet joke:

A Party leader comes to speak in a collective farm. In his speech he says that "soon we will build Commuism, soon we will all have great food, we will all have good housing, and we will all have plenty of free time and we will all live in happiness", etc. He drones on for a couple of hours. As usual, at the end of his speech, he asks if there are any questions. After a moment of silence, one hand goes up and a voice asks: "and what will happen to us? "

that also reminds me of the old Pink Floyd song "Us and Them" ...

[end rant]
 
In order to clear up a few things regarding this post. I really can't tell people how to get these knives home if they want them.

First of all at most of the camps I have been to, even in Iraq, when you go to the post office to mail a package it must be sealed inside after the postal types check the contents.

True I don't agree with the rules that we are enforcing. I have found some of the knives can be rendered non automatic and have put out to people how to do it. On some it is as simple as loosening a setscrew.

I personally will not confiscate any knife that is of major maker, even though some of the people I work with enjoy taking knives from people. It is a hard thing to take a knife from some one knowing it will be destroyed since I collect as well as use.

There is currently an order to confiscate Kershaw assisted openers even though they are sold in the PX. This also includes assisted openers from other manufacturers. I am trying to go through channels about this issue so people can take these home.
 
Personally I don't care what kind of a knife people like or buy. If they want it for a wall hanger or because it looks cool that is fine. What gets me is that some are advertised as being something that they are not.

I am not questioning a person's taste or anything when it comes to knives.

As to AG's question as to why I would continue to work for such a S***ty outfit. I didn't have a choice, I got orders mobilizing me for this mission, I packed my bags for up to two years of this. It comes with being a Reservist.
 
will62 said:
I personally will not confiscate any knife that is of major maker, even though some of the people I work with enjoy taking knives from people. It is a hard thing to take a knife from some one knowing it will be destroyed since I collect as well as use.

There is currently an order to confiscate Kershaw assisted openers even though they are sold in the PX. This also includes assisted openers from other manufacturers. I am trying to go through channels about this issue so people can take these home.
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The guy you work with is a major, I can't say it in the Blade discussion forum, I could say it in W and C! Instead of destroying them, pay the soldiers for their knives and give them to the US and coalition troops coming into Iraq, or at least pay the troops for their knives and give them to the Iraqi army and police forces. I thought this was one of the stupidest things I have ever heard...

Until I read further. Knives that soldiers can buy in the PX, they can't take home with them? Forget the fact that assisted openers are legal to buy in the states. These men and women buy something readily available in the PX and use it while on their tour of duty, and can't even take it home, and are relieved of it while on base. This is ridiculous.

Regardless of whether the average soldier buys a cheap POS wall hanger they bought in some bazaar in Baghdad, or an expensive automatic knife they got at the PX, they should be allowed to take it home with them. This is incredibly asinine on the militarys part to me.

I can understand why they would not want military to have knives on a commercial flight, I get that. But not allowing them to be sent home? It just doesn't make any sense. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
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