Mercenaries like the M-21

Mercenaries like the M-21
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....and it's endorsed by the Vatican Guard, approved by "Good Housekeeping", and officially issued to senior level Girl Scouts. ;)

Sorry...I couldn't resist. Now to add something positive to the discussion. I just sold one NIB on the forums....it was a bit too large for my needs; however, it appeared to be well constructed and certainly has a brutish and intimidating appearance. The remarks regarding the efficacy of "clearing" a clogged liner/frame lock as opposed to a lockback make sense. Yet I do use a Spyderco Endura (lockback) in the garden and yard routinely, and it often gets dirt/grit trapped in the mechanism, but has never failed to open and close....and the debris always rinses away easily under running water. However, I am not in a combat situation, and in my back yard only do battle with the geraniums and the occasional rosebush ! :)
 
Agree with Spyken that there are "no worries" about sand and mud with a good FB. I also wouldn't go on a combat mission with only one knife. I'd bet this fellow wouldn't either. The bed was covered with all kinds of stuff. I just happen to see him pick up the M-21.

Regards
 
PatriotDan said:
There have been huge discussions on the term mercenaries in the past on multiple mil/leo forums. The security contractors and other experts working varying jobs shouldn't be called mercenaries as it gives the people a very wrong idea of what the work is about, what the people doing it are like or what their motives are.

Just thought you'd like to know.
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What is the difference between a "Contractor" and a Mercenary?
Sounds like just a politically correct term.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/05/1078464637030.html

http://www.agitprop.org.au/nowar/20040517_md_hired_guns.php

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5976.htm

http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=401463



I do not care what they are called but it does not seem much different than what has happened in Africa in recent years.
 
i call them contractors myself, a bud of mine works for blackwater and is in iraq as we speak, i dont know that it really matters though, i can tell ya the insurgents certainly consider them mercenaries FWIW.....
 
According to news sources the insurgents also think we're the infidels and nonbelievers that can be slaughtered like animals and they see no difference between combatants and noncombatants, civilians and noncivilians when considering their targets. But that's not my point.
 
PatriotDan said:
There have been huge discussions on the term mercenaries in the past on multiple mil/leo forums. The security contractors and other experts working varying jobs shouldn't be called mercenaries as it gives the people a very wrong idea of what the work is about, what the people doing it are like or what their motives are.

Just thought you'd like to know.
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Do you mean like..
An engineering contractor is building things.
An catering contractor is feeding people.
A military/security contractor is.....A man paid to bear arms in the service of his employer to defend, protect his employers interests using his military skills for financial reward?
I see what you mean now. :rolleyes:

Mercenary is not a dirty word.
It depends on the context, the South African mercenaries used in Serra Leone did a good job depending on your view.
They say the Nepalese Gurkha's are ok as well.
Through the ages many countries have sent their captains and Princes to fight in foreign armies to gain experience.
I think the way "military contractors" are being used in Iraq is very suspect.
 
My uncle was a Canadian citizen. He went to the USA in 1966 to join the Marine Corps. He was killed in action the same year. I was told by my father that he was considered a "mercenary" by the American government and wasn't entitled to the same benefits as his non-mercenary brothers in arms.

On an unrelated note, he was the one who got me interested in knives--posthumously.
 
Hondo.3 said:
My uncle was a Canadian citizen. He went to the USA in 1966 to join the Marine Corps. He was killed in action the same year. I was told by my father that he was considered a "mercenary" by the American government and wasn't entitled to the same benefits as his non-mercenary brothers in arms.

On an unrelated note, he was the one who got me interested in knives--posthumously.
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Many of the British SAS are Australians, New Zealanders and Fijians but I think they get the same benefits as their British counterparts.
If you are good enough to serve and lay down your life you should be good enough to be looked after.
 
cybrok, yes, my clip is quite stout also. I thought it would wear the pocket of my jeans more quickly but that doesn't seem to have happened. I've learned to appreciate the extra grip over time. If that doesn't work for you, you can take it off, put the flat area that has the three screw holes in a vise (clip up) and put some slight but even pressure on it till it moves. You want the "relief" to be in that first bend, not further down the clip. I just left mine.
 
Gentlebeings, this forum is for talking about knives. If you want to discuss other subjects please go to the BladeForums.com Political Arena.
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bladeprince said:
Saw a show on professional soldiers that corporations and even the US government hire for jobs in Iraq (I heard on the radio there are over 10,000 of them). One of them was going over his equipment before an assignment. He picked up his knife and it was quite obvious that it was a CRKT M-21 4" combo spear point.

I happen to also like this knife ...
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Unless the original poster has some other information he hasn't shared, the title of this thread is pretty misleading. It should have been titled something like "One mercenary used an M-21 once." We don't know if he likes it, or if any other mercenaries use or like the M-21.
 
Cougar Allen said:
Unless the original poster has some other information he hasn't shared, the title of this thread is pretty misleading. It should have been titled something like "One mercenary used an M-21 once." We don't know if he likes it, or if any other mercenaries use or like the M-21.
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You were only able to squeeze in two. Surely you could've done better since you really want to make your point.
 
$59 for a potentially life-saving piece of equipment? I think these mercenaries should be paid better or at least receive a mercenary discount.
 
My uncle, the mercenary, had a small collection of fixed blade knives that went to my grandfather, and then my father, and then I swiped a couple of them. They were in pretty rough shape, so I sent them to Oupa to have them cleaned up. He did a dynamite job. Then I sent them to Vess for some custom pants. He also did an awesome job. I sent them back to my dad for Christmas last year. My dad isn't a merc, but he did appreciate the knives.

Those knives were always around when I was a kid. I think it was their influence that got me started as a knife afficionado.
 
i've seen the program and i thought it was a Ti M16, will have to look and see, he never used it though just carried it.
 
The CRKT M21 is a fine knife. However, if I were to pick a folder at comparable specs (blade length, linerlock aso.) it would be a Spyderco Military. But hey, this one's for pros, not for mercs ;)
 
From Websters Collegiate Dictionary On Line------This was cut and pasted from site:

MERCENARY : one that serves merely for wages; especially : a soldier hired to fight in a foreign country for which he is not a citizen.

Who can argue with Mr. Webster ?
 
I think the US and AUS should pay soldiers a lot more money and make it all tax free. While we are at it, police should also be paid a lot more money. Both our governments can easily afford to put a lot more money into a soldier's and LEOs pay packet. As for contractors, they are very different than mercenaries. Mercenaries fight for anyone for money and will shoot their own side without hesitation, because they have no side. Contractors are basically armed security detail and are there to protect their assignment from the bad guys (anyone but us :) ) ....oh and back on topic...the knife is ok, but I think that all soldiers should be issued with something better like an emerson or CRK.
 
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