View Full Version : Gerber Mark II in Vietnam
Group
I was told years ago by a SF vet that the Mark II was the unofficial "official" knife of SF- that after the Q course "everybody" went to the PX at Bragg an bought a Mark II, with a few getting Randalls, but the Mark II was the knife going to Vietnam with SF. Was this the norm?
Thanks
Rick
Ambush Master
04-23-2011, 08:15
Yes. I got one, carried it and gave it to my interpreter when I left. I still have the Browning Hipower that I took!!
Papa Zero Three
04-23-2011, 08:46
I wore one (with the grey handle) on my kit when I was in Afghanistan. Good knife but they are getting to be just as expensive as Randalls for the older ones.
The Reaper
04-23-2011, 09:01
Group
I was told years ago by a SF vet that the Mark II was the unofficial "official" knife of SF- that after the Q course "everybody" went to the PX at Bragg an bought a Mark II, with a few getting Randalls, but the Mark II was the knife going to Vietnam with SF. Was this the norm?
Thanks
Rick
The Search button is your friend.
http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31725
TR
Yes, I read that thread, but was hoping to get more first-hand feedback from the Vietnam troops. Also, how did the knife hold up in Vietnam? Did it work OK as a general duty knife(like a Kbar), or was it limited in this role by its design? Just curious from a historical standpoint.
Thanks
Rick
I carried one on my second tour and it was great. The third tour, some ARVN Ranger (BDQ) stole it and I couldn't figure out who!
Buffalobob
04-23-2011, 16:13
Yes, I read that thread, but was hoping to get more first-hand feedback from the Vietnam troops. Also, how did the knife hold up in Vietnam? Did it work OK as a general duty knife(like a Kbar), or was it limited in this role by its design? Just curious from a historical standpoint.
Thanks
Rick
I'm going to go out tonight and see if it is a full moon.
Blitzzz (RIP)
04-23-2011, 18:00
Nick named "Gerber Man Sticker", it wasn't considered a general purpose knife as the K-Bar. Could stab or otherwise cut tissue ;), but by design not so good with work related/survival issues.
I had one, loved it, used it once, and then sent it home to my brother...
Wouldn't mind having another for collection.
longrange1947
04-23-2011, 19:35
Bought one in the PX on Bragg in 68, carried it and lost it on a jump over Sicily before I ever got out of Tng Grp. :(
Day jump with the then new MC1. My first in that canopy. Cost me a knife instead of beer. :boohoo
Agree with Blitzz, it sucked for field work and I have learned that a little sticky knife sucks for chopping shit in th field.
mojaveman
04-23-2011, 19:58
Back in the '80s I remember a number of soldiers buying them before we deployed to Mackall for Phase I of the SFQC. Agree with the others that they weren't a perfect field knife. If I were going to use a Gerber in a hand to hand engagement I would probably chose the Mark I. A smaller knife is quicker and easier to wield in a fight. For field work I would chose something along the lines of a KABAR or Randall.
longrange1947
04-23-2011, 20:01
Me, I like bigger, so I can cut the arm off or make it feel like I did. :munchin
It is amazing how fast a big knife can be. :D
Bought one in the PX on Bragg in 68, carried it and lost it on a jump over Sicily before I ever got out of Tng Grp.
Day jump with the then new MC1. My first in that canopy. Cost me a knife instead of beer.
Ditto.
Bought one while in 7th Group in 1975~1976. Why? Because it was so phallic.
Looked lean and mean, but damn near worthless since -- to be honest -- I didn't get into any knife fights where I needed such a lethal dagger.
My knife is somewhere vicinity Sicily North, when I started the operation it was tucked inside my boot (looked really cool) but when the operation was over the sheath was still inside my boot but the knife was long gone.
mark46th
04-26-2011, 14:17
One of my friends got one when we were assigned from SFTG to the 5th at Ft Bragg in 1971. He thought he was really cool because he could flip it and catch it by the blade without looking. When he did look, his hand looked like he tried to catch a spinning razor blade...
RE: Gerber Commando knives - I saw quite a few young guys buy them and take them to the field...one time...and then they went and found a worthwhile knife to carry other than the demo knife in their pants pocket. The older SF guys used to get a kick out of watching the younger guys go through the process of learning how to select a knife you could actually use and want to carry. ;)
Richard :munchin
ZonieDiver
04-26-2011, 14:40
I got mine back around '76 on Sicily North. It just fell out of the sky and landed next to me. I don't have a sheath, though! :D:D
"Official unofficial" fuck me to tears where does crap like this come from?
Most guys bought Bucks at the bookstore after finding out how useless the MII was as a GP knife.
Most common was the folding hunter or the 7 inch model.
Hate to bust your fantasy, but 99.99% of "knife work" is trimming toenails and cutting suspension line and the occaisional weed or vine.
Dressed out a hog once, but it was hard work.
A Randall cost a couple months pay and for GP ain't any better than a K bar or an issue bayonet, for that matter.
ZonieDiver
04-27-2011, 16:37
fuck me to tears
That phrase brought a flood of memories. Thanks!
I got mine back around '76 on Sicily North. I just fell out of the sky and landed next to me. I don't have a sheath, though!
:D :D
:D :D
Sell him the sheath! It's got sentimental value now. ;)
Pat
Actually, I kept the sheath for a few months, in the (unreasonable) expectation that someone from 7th Group would one day yell out at formation "Hey, anybody lose a Gerber just off the DZ?."
But the question never came, and I tossed the sheath.
===
But as others have noted on this thread. All you really need are three knives, none of which need to cost you anything out of pocket:
1 - A Camillus "demo" knife.
2 - An Ontario Air Force Survival Knife.
3 - An M9 Bayonet.
and anything else is probably for show or display (remember the phallic thing about men and knives/cigars/swords).
longrange1947
04-28-2011, 06:15
Personnally I carried a small Swiss Army Knife that I liked better than the Demo Knife. I think in '75 it cost me about 20.00 bucks. It hada nice set of scissors, two blades, a tooth pick that actually worked, twizzers for tick removal, and woudl dress out a rabbit, squirrel or chicken that the K Bar was too big for.
My other knife was a K'Bar I traded a Jarhead for with a jungle penetrator pen flare. Go figure. I used the knife as my machete, entrenching tool, and hachet. :D
The Reaper
04-28-2011, 06:17
:lifterPersonnally I carried a small Swiss Army Knife that I liked better than the Demo Knife. I think in '75 it cost me about 20.00 bucks. It hada nice set of scissors, two blades, a tooth pick that actually worked, twizzers for tick removal, and woudl dress out a rabbit, squirrel or chicken that the K Bar was too big for.
My other knife was a K'Bar I traded a Jarhead for with a jungle penetrator pen flare. Go figure. I used the knife as my machete, entrenching tool, and hachet. :D
Same here. SAK and a Kabar.
I owned the Mk II, well post-VN, but it was a sorry field knife, and heavy to boot.
TR
Had a bunch of MkIIs in the late 70s and during the 80s. Put one on a milling machine and flatlened the handle and then cut small grooves using a small ball endmill. I really liked the grip better but it was still a poor knife for much field chores.
Went through a bunch of other knives; Wilkinson-Sword production survivial knife, Ek Model 2, couple of Randalls but never found the one do-it-all knife. Eventually settled on a small SAK on a cord around my neck with a compass from the survival kit and ID tags, a larger German Army issue SAK with the green handles (large blade, saw blade with flat screwdriver tip and bottle opener, awl and the most precious feature the corkscrew), and my modified Al Mar smatchet.
FWIW: I once used a hammer to pound the W-S survival knife through the rim of a 55gal drum, no visible damage to the blade afterword! It was hard to sharpen but tough as an anvil.
MVP
RE: Gerber Commando knives - I saw quite a few young guys buy them and take them to the field...one time...and then they went and found a worthwhile knife to carry...
Richard :munchin
That was me. I bought one from the bookstore near that great mess hall in the JFK area. Actually two, the first for $25 and the next for $28. The points were very thin though and not what I needed in the field with the 82nd. After those I carried Buck 110s and K-Bar.
Wish I'd kept the Mk IIs though, since seeing them going for $200+ as collectables now.
CSB, Sir I agree. The new Mk.II's are expensive to say the least. Mine is new and has a nylon sheath instead of the leather one. It also has a black "Cat Tongue" handle. The only item on the knife that I wish wasn't there is the serrations in the middle. I also have the camouflage version of the Mk.II which was my personal favorite if I slipped and let one of them (Armed Fugitive(s)) try and get the best of me or my team at night. Night time is when you rest as does the Fugitive, unless he knows where you are at and thinks he was Rambo's Instructor. It is not for Tracking.
Since I collect "Aircrew Survival Equipment" too, I have gone through 12 Air Force survival knives and owned probably double that amount. They are good to use and easily sharpened.
In the 1950's and 60's the AFSK came in two different flavors as far as blades went. One had the ordinary 5" blade and then available were the 6" blades. The 6" blades are very rare. They were rare to begin with an do command high prices if found. You can see them occasionally on E-Bay.
IMHO but based upon fact.
MAB32:)
"Official unofficial" fuck me to tears where does crap like this come from?
Most guys bought Bucks at the bookstore after finding out how useless the MII was as a GP knife.
Most common was the folding hunter or the 7 inch model.Hate to bust your fantasy, but 99.99% of "knife work" is trimming toenails and cutting suspension line and the occaisional weed or vine.
I heeded the advice of a seasoned SFC, skiped purchasing a MKII, and acquired a Buck 110 folder at the bookstore in 1966. After snapping the blade off in a tree trunk at during a knife throwing contest a week or so later, I replaced it with a Buck 120 sheath knife, which I still have today.
I have had 3 Buck knives once. They were the hardest blades to sharpen. Must be the steel used. Unfortunately one is at the bottom of Lake Erie, another sunk in a gravel Lake nearby, and the third one my brother stole it.
Mark
shooter_250
05-23-2011, 03:27
I have a Mark II...it was presented to me in 1983 for something they said I did, Grey handled, serrated edge, blade at an angle. Never found a use for it, but I do love it for the sentiment. Almost lost it during Katrina, found it under a foot of mud in my old room. Grey was gone from the handle, the blade rusted pretty good, the sheath stiff as a board but still intact. Still one of my prized possessions.
God Bless
Lee
RE: Gerber Commando knives - I saw quite a few young guys buy them and take them to the field...one time...and then they went and found a worthwhile knife to carry other than the demo knife in their pants pocket. The older SF guys used to get a kick out of watching the younger guys go through the process of learning how to select a knife you could actually use and want to carry. ;)
Richard :munchin
That damn knife! Had spent enough time in the woods to know better, but bought one anyways- with every other young fool- in town. And yes, one trip to the field proved the point and I went back to my Swiss Army knife and a small Buck Hunter. Have all but the Buck today. Glad I was able to provide some entertainment for everyone back then.