Met a former Navy Seal the other night...

Things have undoubtedly changed since my day, but way back when the Earth was young — and I was , too — most regular Marine grunts were not issued knives. The unit I was in, however, was issued a knife: the ubiquitous KA-BAR. We could carry whatever kind of knife we wanted, but since — to a man — we didn’t know a darned thing about knives, we just carried what was available, which was usually either the KA-BAR or the pilot’s survival knife.

Why did we carry those particular knives? Because, like I said, no one really cared about knives, so we used what was available. Knives were just tools to open your chow and cut things, and that’s all they were; nothing mystical, nothing special, and certainly less important than, say, your boots. While we were trained in the use of a knife for removing sentries (just in case), we were also told just how stupid and unlikely that would be. None of us ever expected to to use a knife on the enemy . . . and none of us ever did.*

The point of all this is that, while we’re all knife nuts now, and pay a lot of attention, none of us (that I served with) knew a darned thing about knives back then. Our focus was on not being eaten alive by bugs, not being seen, getting fed, not getting dysentery, completing the mission and, oh yeah, not being eaten by bugs. In the nine years that I served, the only knife that I had that I cared about more than my KA-BAR was an (I think) East German field knife. I really liked that ugly knife, but someone walked away with it in a rear area.

Anyway, I doubt that — unless people have changed enormously since my time — today’s SEAL/Green Beanie/Force Recon person cares any more about knives than my generation did: knives are tools, period. They certainly have a wider selection today than we had, but I’d be willing to bet that they use a.) what their buddy says works, or, b.) whatever is handy.


*Except my buddy *** who had his knife in hand opening a chow packet when an NVA soldier almost stepped on him. *** just reacted and used what he had in his hand. That’s the only person I know personally who has ever had to use a knife for combat. I know people who have had to use some other odd things they had at hand, but he’s the only one who had to use a knife.
 
One of my sons is active Army SF (Green Beret) and currently on his third deployment. He can carry his knife of choice and carries knifes that I have bought him over the years. He carries a benchmade auto folder (partially serated) that I bought as a gift when he was in the Q course and a benchmade Nimravus carried in a locking kydex sheath. I am sending him a new MicroTech Crosshair (serated on the top) for a new fixed blade and I hope he will like/use it. He will definitely not carry anything big. I am pretty sure in general they can carry whatever they want. Note: when a Green Beret graduates they are given a numbered Yarborough which I don't think anybody really uses, its more of a keepsake.
 
One of the more interesting threads.
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Orion said:
Hmmmm.... Non sequitur conclusion. You have changed your entire premise to "the entire thing was made up" (which is non sequitur because no one said that) from "who ever said the seal in question was issued a knife?" which was a specific point in the topic....
What exactly is the point you are trying to make...? It's hard to discern when you jump from one topic and premise to another....
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you are stating the man is lying about being a seal because the op believes he was issued a knife, when in fact according to you, seals are not issued a knife.

therefore, based on your posts, it must be made up.

my point was we cannot conclude the man said he was issued a knife, therefore any conclusion as to whether he was actually a seal or not cannot be made based on this lack of information. and in and of itself, is irrelevant anyway.

the topic remained the same, as did your erroneous conclusion.
 
omniviking said:
Why? Because knives never run out of ammo and don't misfire.

Pat

[ . . . ]

Pat
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Here's what he told me. One day he came in to the station and three cops were messing around, whatever. He said they give him the business about being a SEAL, and he doesn't get into it with them. Just takes the ribbing.

Anyway, he said most of them carry two guns, while he carries (carried? he may still be a cop, don't know) a gun and a knife. He told me the cops don't really get any real training with either the guns or knives. He said they were told they should get to know their gun by unholstering it and reholstering it 100 times. I was slightly incredulous. That's not enough in my opinion, and he agreed. He said that he was trained with knives, a lot, and that if he were to get into it with them, that they'd all be, well, you likely know what the outcome would be. Why? Because of his training...

I have to say that if what he said is true, that our police need more training with their guns, and probably knives too. But that's for those who train policemen to decide.

Folderguy
 
Folderguy said:
But that's for those who train policemen to decide.
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That's for people who write the cities budget to decide. They likely know nothing about combat.
 
Charlie Mike said:
That's for people who write the cities budget to decide. They likely know nothing about combat.
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actually, it gets way more complicated than simply budget issues.

with us, it often comes down to manpower and deployment in addition to budget. the overseeing entity (whether city, county, or state) will not determine specifically what type of training is available or needed, they only supply the spending perameters.

management, hopefully with the guidance and input of officers, will normally determine what training is available.

some people like training, some don't. some say being in the field is the best training. and this is true to some degree.

i like training of all sorts. but my primary assingment is to be in the field. if i spend all or most of my time training, it is all wasted because it is never put to practical use.

as it is, i'm required to complete 40 mandatory hours a year. this is mainly perishable skills, and does not include training i find and sign up for on my own.
 
Thanks for the explanation!

BTW, thanks for the CS pocket lip as well. I'm carrying with it right now.
 
No offense to anyone, but this is one of the silliest + waste of time threads I have ever seen. =)

FYI not all active duty Seals are running around performing clandestine operations. Many of them spend their time training, over and over and over.

Some teams are trained to complete specific missions. Some are combat operational, some aren't. Just because you are with the teams, doesn't mean you are Jason Bourne. Those seal teams which are active, and are involved in highly sensitive intelligence, counter-intelligence, and strategic warfare operations tend to be more secretive. Also, if they happen to be working simultaneously or in concert with agencies/departments outside of the Navy, they can be more tight lipped. Many Seals will tell you right away that they are with the teams, and don't keep it a secret at all. Those who are deployed frequently, or who perform highly sensitive and clandestine operations often are not at liberty to discuss their roles.

Either way, they are elite operators, probably got a better SAT score than you did, and can run a mile much quicker. They also don't tend to be too picky about anything. Why use a knife, when you can use a bicycle spoke?
 
I'll prolly be packing that knife when I see you at the Plaza Show.
 
Folderguy said:
... we have more important things to discuss than what he used while in the military.

This is not the end of the world folks! I just friggin' wanted to know what the knife was!! LOL
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Fair point. I guess that some people (myself included) get a bit edgy when confronted by hearsay stories about ‘experts’ claiming knife A is better than knife B for military or police work.

The irony of the fact that neither you nor your friend make such claims is not lost on me :-)
 
Mike Walsh wrote a few articles in some knife magazines after he retired. It was all about the knives he used and why. That reference would probably settle for a respectable answer to the "what knives do the navy seals use?"
 
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ron_m80 said:
Mike Walsh wrote a few articles in some knife magazines after he retired. It was all about the knives he used and why. That reference would probably settle for a respectable answer to the "what knives do the navy seals use?"
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I remember the article from Fighting Knives. He carried a Gerber Mark II for killin, Gerber folder, Tekna knock-off for water insertion use, "Demo" knife for sharpening wooden pencils etc. He mentioned a bolo for jungle choppin.

I recall some chairborne commando criticizing him for keeping the Mark II purely for fighting. Everyone is an expert :)
 
Here is what I have read quote from Jan2010 tactical knives magazine by Leroy Thompson "with most military unit's it is relatively easy to identify issue weapons and equipment. With the u.s Navy seal's -not so much! Naval special warfare units have a wide leeway in purchasing weapons and equipment. Often, each special boat team,seal delivery vehicle team,or seal team purchases special equipment to fit the unit's mission. A good example is the pro-tech TR-3 automatic knives purchased by naval special warfare group 2, witch includes three seal team's,a seal delivery vehicle team and other elements." End quote it also go's on to say that they go with automatic folders not! Because they are cool but become if they are to become tangled underwater,out of water or anywhere in between it is easier to deploy the knife one handed.
 
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