Me, My Knives and I
I first started carrying a knife (or two) during my junior year of high school. Prior to that, I was carrying improvised weapons. One was a scratch awl, which I kept in a homemade ankle sheath and a section of water hose, about a foot long that I’d stuffed marbles into. It wasn’t a particularly dangerous school, and by today’s standards it was pretty peaceful. My main concern was the low-level dope dealers who hung out at the school’s rear entrance. There had never been an instance of them attacking people but I hated dope with a passion and thought dopers should be shot. (I still do) When they offered to sell me dope, I would either ignore them, or (under my breath) tell them to stick it up their ***. My concern was the possibility of them taking offense and attacking me.
The first knife I carried was a generic double-edged boot knife with a 5” blade. I carried it clipped to the inside of my waistband. Several months later, I bought another boot knife called a G96 and made by Jet-Aer. (I don’t know if the company still exists) the G96 had a black, plastic handle with a metal butt. It was more comfortable to carry than the other knife as the metal, rounded butt wasn’t as irritating when it poked into my stomach.
Some time after that, I saw movie Nighthawks, featuring Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams as NYPD narcs chasing after a free-lance terrorist played by Rutger Hauer. In the film, Hauer used a Gerber Mark 1 to take a hostage and escape Stallone and Williams after his Walther P-38 was empty. The Mark 1 is a boot knife similar to the G96 and the previous boot knife I carried. I had also seen the knife advertised in a Soldier of Fortune magazine. Several Burger King paychecks later, I purchased and began carrying a Mark 1. Later on, I purchased a Gerber Guardian, a double-edged boot knife with a 3” blade. I also bought a Gerber ankle sheath for it and began carrying the two Gerbers together. Granted, I was over doing it a bit. I also purchased a Gerber Mark 2 with a 6-7” blade and carried it for a while, but concealing it was difficult (I cut a hole in the pocket of one pair of my pants, so the end of the knife could be hidden) and carrying it openly was impractical.
So the Gerbers became my constant companions until I joined the Army, and during my remaining time in high school, I never had to waste a single drug dealer.
****Next, Me My knives and I, the Army years.****
The first knife I carried was a generic double-edged boot knife with a 5” blade. I carried it clipped to the inside of my waistband. Several months later, I bought another boot knife called a G96 and made by Jet-Aer. (I don’t know if the company still exists) the G96 had a black, plastic handle with a metal butt. It was more comfortable to carry than the other knife as the metal, rounded butt wasn’t as irritating when it poked into my stomach.
Some time after that, I saw movie Nighthawks, featuring Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams as NYPD narcs chasing after a free-lance terrorist played by Rutger Hauer. In the film, Hauer used a Gerber Mark 1 to take a hostage and escape Stallone and Williams after his Walther P-38 was empty. The Mark 1 is a boot knife similar to the G96 and the previous boot knife I carried. I had also seen the knife advertised in a Soldier of Fortune magazine. Several Burger King paychecks later, I purchased and began carrying a Mark 1. Later on, I purchased a Gerber Guardian, a double-edged boot knife with a 3” blade. I also bought a Gerber ankle sheath for it and began carrying the two Gerbers together. Granted, I was over doing it a bit. I also purchased a Gerber Mark 2 with a 6-7” blade and carried it for a while, but concealing it was difficult (I cut a hole in the pocket of one pair of my pants, so the end of the knife could be hidden) and carrying it openly was impractical.
So the Gerbers became my constant companions until I joined the Army, and during my remaining time in high school, I never had to waste a single drug dealer.
****Next, Me My knives and I, the Army years.****
posted by ROBOT at 13:05
6 Comments:
Hi, I have 2 g96 boot knives. I bought the 1st in 1980, the 2nd about 2 years ago on ebay. I only carry when on the motorcycle.Have a good one . Kole
Do they still make the G96?
When I did such things, I used to carry it in my waistband.
I also have had a lot of experiece collecting knives, look forward to exchange of info, I, also am a second amendment, right wing, republican.
Bear, thanks for your comment. I consider myself a 3%er, one of the 3% of black people who DIDN'T vote for Obama.
Boot knives are awesome. I'm about to construct one out some chainsaw bar that me and my friend have lying around... Knives are always a good, less risky self-defense tool than a gun if you ask me... they don't go off in your pocket and put a hole in your foot...
Octavius,
Do you have any blogs that show how to do that? I've kind of been interested in doing that after seeing the movies "The Hunted" with Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro. I assume it's not as easy as they made it look.
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