1973 I reported to USCG Kodiak Alaska Air Station. I was a ‘ black shoe ‘ and not Aviation rate ‘ brown shoe.’ I was tossed a no longer regulation fishtail parka.
I ‘acquired’ bits of kit, including a Camillus Aircrew Survival knife, our unit field tested the then new ( and recently out of business) DOANS ferro rod/magnesium block. It was a perfect fit in the sharpening stone pouch( terrible stone) I still kept the BCB made NATO lifeboat matches.
I was soon flying as an aerial observer and attended arctic survival school.
Everyone found fault in the knife.
It was my first real blade and I learned to ‘make it work’ it is actually a very ergonomic tool for its primary purpose, extricating oneself from a crashed aircraft and then as survival AND self defense weapon. No easy task for any blade.
It worked. I later served on Motor life boats and acquired a WW2 British clasp knife with marlinedpike, sheep’s foot and can opener.
Both were stolen, I transferred to San Francisco. A old Alaska shipmate at the Airstation liberated a 1975 dated example.
That to, disappeared in civilian life.
I just came into an identical date stamped example.
I know it’s shortcomings, laugh at the inaccurate nonsense online.
it’s on my hip hiking while a custom bushcraft/ survival knife gets a vacation.I quickly put a scary sharp edge on that beats other supersteels.
Fellow veterans and knife people look at me with either contempt, or nostalgia.
It works.My equally older hands
Remembers the old grip tension, sweet spots for cutting chores and an actual use for the saw back. It holds another , now rare DOANS.
And I feel an odd sense of security and empowerment my other knives somehow lacked, though splendid and a half century of advances .
I ‘acquired’ bits of kit, including a Camillus Aircrew Survival knife, our unit field tested the then new ( and recently out of business) DOANS ferro rod/magnesium block. It was a perfect fit in the sharpening stone pouch( terrible stone) I still kept the BCB made NATO lifeboat matches.
I was soon flying as an aerial observer and attended arctic survival school.
Everyone found fault in the knife.
It was my first real blade and I learned to ‘make it work’ it is actually a very ergonomic tool for its primary purpose, extricating oneself from a crashed aircraft and then as survival AND self defense weapon. No easy task for any blade.
It worked. I later served on Motor life boats and acquired a WW2 British clasp knife with marlinedpike, sheep’s foot and can opener.
Both were stolen, I transferred to San Francisco. A old Alaska shipmate at the Airstation liberated a 1975 dated example.
That to, disappeared in civilian life.
I just came into an identical date stamped example.
I know it’s shortcomings, laugh at the inaccurate nonsense online.
it’s on my hip hiking while a custom bushcraft/ survival knife gets a vacation.I quickly put a scary sharp edge on that beats other supersteels.
Fellow veterans and knife people look at me with either contempt, or nostalgia.
It works.My equally older hands
Remembers the old grip tension, sweet spots for cutting chores and an actual use for the saw back. It holds another , now rare DOANS.
And I feel an odd sense of security and empowerment my other knives somehow lacked, though splendid and a half century of advances .
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