A special knife for a special Navy SEAL, knifemakers for elite warriors and a rebirth of military daggers highlighted by the Spartan Blades/Les George V-14 cover knife headline BLADE®’s annual military issue, on many newsstands today.
Navy SEAL Matthew G. Kantor was killed in action in Afghanistan on Nov. 1, 2012, receiving the Bronze Star for his bravery in action. Knifemaker Jim Behring made a special knife, the T.A.S.S. E4, in honor of Kantor and supplied 22 of the knives to Kantor’s platoon teammates. Find out more in this touching story about an American hero.
Inspired by the Fairbairn-Sykes combat dagger of World War II fame, today’s renditions include any number of updates, including state-of-the-art materials and designs. Knifemaker Les George, a retired U.S. Marine, designed such a dagger for Spartan Blades and it is one of many new daggers on today’s market. Find out more in the story on page 12.
ABS journeyman smith Erik Fritz and ABS master smith Shane Taylor got together after a meeting with retired Marine Pat Goodale and decided to make custom knives Goodale could give to special active-duty Marines. The two smiths got several other makers to participate in the project as well and the result was Knifemakers for Elite Warriors. Discover more in the story on page 84.
Other special stories in the military issue include a retrospective of BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Col. Rex Applegate and his many OSS/CIA exploits and subsequent knife designs for Al Mar, Gerber, Boker and more; military knives designed for specific military jobs in Dexter Ewing’s “Knives For Special Needs”: a test of four tactical tomahawks by James Morgan Ayres; collectible World War II fixed blades and what they’re fetching price wise in Richard D. White’s “Vaunted Knives Of The Big One”; and much more, all in BLADE’s new annual military issue.
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