Does the US military issue knives?

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pinetree64

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Thinking about picking-up a Ka-Bar Marine knife to thow in the truck box. A recent article in Am. Riflemen did a review of military knives from WWII. It mentioned what a great tool the knife was. Are knives still issued to the troops?

The two most common makes of the Marine Fighting Knife are from Camilus and Ka-Bar. The Camilus fit and finish looks rough compared the the Ka-Bar.


tjg
 
As a US paratrooper and jumpmaster, I was issued one of the Ontario made USAF "survival" knives. This seemed to be just a Jumpmaster thing, and most line dogs weren't issued them. We were all issued, and required to carry on our LBE, the M9 bayonet. Most troops added some type of individual knife to their kit. Ontario and Kabar "ka-bars" being most popular, with a few Cold steel SRK's and Recon tantos in the mix. Don't really know about the other services.:confused:
 
I assume M9 bayonets are issued to infantry--but is a small utility knife issued? Like the steel-handled "Boy Scout knife" type knives now so common at flea markets?
 
but is a small utility knife issued
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The unit that I served in (in the U.S.N.) in the early 80s was, but we were a very strange little organization, and we got lots of things that others didn't recieve. So I'll chime in with a "yes" for M.O.M.A.G. units circa 1980-84.

They were stainless steel wannabe Swiss Army type knives with U.S. embossed in the handles. Made by Camillus.
 
USN, 75-79 we all carried Buck folders but had to buy them ourselves.
 
Don,
There are a couple of issue utility knives. There is the stainless steel demo knife. So named because it used to be a component of the demolition kit. Much like a Boy Scout knife it has a utility blade, a screwdriver/bottle opener, a can opener and an awl. They replaced this knife in the demoliton kit with the Gerber multi tool.

The Benchmade AFO is issued as a component of some survival kits. There is an orange handled automatic knife with a hook blade and a utility blade that is still in the system for issue to parachutists.

There is a two blade Barlow typ folder that is a component of the TL-29 wiremans kit.

A lot of popular commercial pocket knives and mutil tools have National Stock Numbers and a unit may purchase them through GSA for issue to their soldiers. Most models of Leatherman and Gerber mutiltools are available as are some folders from Buck and Gerber.

Jeff
 
That's it--the Camillus is the one I meant. I have a few of the old wiring-type knives, too--the ones with brass liner locks.
 
Im a combat engineer, and while were not issued knives on a individual basis,

are demo bags are equiped with gerber multi tools, and just about every soldier in my unit carries a multitool of some sort. In addition to everybody with a multitool, most of us carry a lockblade of some sort. As a knifenut Im slowly raising the quality of knives most of our guys go and buy. They used to only buy whatever was at walmart, but Im slowly convicing them to go and get crkt, spydercos and benchmades(ok, im biased and like crkt and benchmades the best). Mainly by oohing and ahhing them with whatever new toy(s) are in my pocket that day. So far, my crkt hawk dog has impressed them more than any of my benchmade axis locks, go figure that.
 
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