war and weapons

[chuck_artemis]

i don't think we should be in Afghanistan. the only thing from there that anybody wants besides opium is lapis lazuli, and i can live without that. i'm all for building a big fence around that whole region and nuking the last one standing.
but,
2 of Tory's friends are in the military and are either there, or on their way there, and any friend of hers is a friend of mine (within reason). i have a vested interest in them surviving.
therefore i'm thinking about sending them personal close combat weapons - i realize that booby traps are the biggest killer of our soldiers over there, but there is nothing i can do about that. hand to hand fighting is something i know all too well, and while tory's friends are officers and probably won't be point man, i feel i should contribute something to their defense.

Comments

[ilexx.livejournal.com]

dude - can you do that? wtf?

[tick-wonderdog.livejournal.com]

i believe i can - and i'm thinking zutroy will correct me if i'm wrong. as i understand it, there are things that one can bring into theater and there are things which are forbidden. Yes= personal weapons. No= jugs of moonshine.

[zutroy.livejournal.com]

Blades? Yes (mostly). Depends on the unit, some commanders are stricter than others what you're allowed to carry, what you're allowed to take back. When I went to Iraq we picked up a couple of surplus Ontario machetes and spray painted our team number on the sheathes, so it looked all the world like they were issued to us. No one ever asked any questions.

Machetes are always nice, as are tomahawks (good roundup here), but they're the sort of thing you strap to your pack or leave on your vehicle. For carrying on your gear, almost nothing beats a good Kukri. I got mine from a company in Nepal run by retired Gurkhas (website here). I've recommended the same company to several of my friends, all of whom were pleased. They have four different websites, each with slightly different selections and sales, so if you're thinking of buying one check around (the other three websites are linked at the bottom of the Kukri House page).