Merry Christmas aftermath

Well I hope all of you had as wonderful a Christmas as we did. Being together and sharing time and memories of christmasses past, visiting with friends, and a midnight church service. These are the traditions we cherish. The gifts each year become less of a surprise as we exchange lists. Might seem crass but it keeps us out of the gift exchange-return lines the next day! Our presents ran the full gamut from many exciting books, movie and music cds, M-4 carbon scrapers, new clothes, to commando kinves. Typical American family right? All we lacked was a little snow to top off the celebration. So we made it through Christmas and here we are wishing you a prosperous and Happy New Year! Here is a photo of the newest additions. They will be discussed in detail on our new website as time allows me to add them.

Merry Christmas to you

It is hard to read, but the Christmas card in the background says "Christmas 1943." The knife is a 1941 Wilkinson Sword Fairbairn Sykes commando knife.


War is always toughest during the holidays. We are grateful that our troops will be home from Iraq for Christmas (regardless of the political motives involved in the timing). It would be great to have all of our brave soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen home, from all foreign nations, and home for good. While a strong defense is necessary to the security of a nation, Peace cannot be established by constantly waging war. Let us all pray for peace and pray for a cessation in the hostilities around the world. We wish all of you the peace of the prince of peace, the blessings of your God by whatever name you worship him, and a safe and prosperous New year.

New web site

http://www.fairbairnsykesfightingknives.com/

Here is the link to my new website dedicated to the Fairbairn Sykes commando knife. Please check it out and see what you think. It still has a lot of empty folders but I will be filling them in as time allows and adding more material for your viewing. We will explore many of the obscure F~S knives from WW-II and modern interpretations of the genre. It is an exciting topic which I have been studying for many years and decided to share with you. There will be some of the rarest of the breed illustrated here along with many of the standard production knives. Shown above is an example of one of the more obscure knives that we will be sharing with you. If you know who manufactured these please let me know. ghdave2@hotmail.com

No Takers?

I still have a lot of very nice knives and a few Hanwei Japanese swords for sale at good prices. For a current list email me at ghdave2@hotmail.com Send one to someone you love who is stationed in the sand box. Also keep an eye here because in a short time I will be publishing a site dedicated to British Commando knives with all sorts of info and photos of many WW-II originals. Once its ready I'll post the link and let you see what I have been working on. Here's a teaser, a photo of a rare Tom Beasley Second Pattern.

Am I Out of My Mind?

“Am I out of my mind? I am seriously considering getting rid of my rifles. I have an AR or two set up for home defense…..” No, not me but a man on a forum I belong to. He says he doesn’t need the money but despite taking training courses twice a year he doesn’t see any need for a rifle for self-defense. As others offered suggestions and well-meant advice he decided to argue their points. Yeh, that’s right he asked for advice and then argued why he should not take it.

One of his arguments was; where does being able to shoot beyond 20 yards enter into self-defense? This is a good debating point for a lawyer. I should thank him for this question, and I would if he deserved my thanks, but his baiting everyone on the forum was rude.

The samurai’s favorite weapon was his bow. That’s right not his sword. That was his second favorite weapon right? No, the spear came next. Then, if all else failed, he would draw his sword. Then his tanto, bare fists, teeth, etc. Do you get the message? Its all about maai, engagement distance. Self-defense today has de-evolved to what can you do to protect yourself and not end up in prison. Can you shoot someone breaking down your front door, or, does he have to be in the same room, does he have to be within arms reach or actually have his hands around your throat? If the latter is the answer, then a knife is your best defense. Uhh how long a knife? Can I use a katana, or maybe a machete, a bowie knife, a Spyderco ladybug? I know I am being annoying but you see my point.

The US government has decided that in its own best interest we can DEFEND our nation by attacking people in Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, or any other point on the globe. The Senate has declared the entire world our battlefield. But as individuals we are expected to allow "bad guys" to enter our homes and not take action? There are still states that have not passed "Castle Doctrine" laws that would allow us to ensure the safety of our families. Would I personally engage a threat at 200 yards to protect my home and family? If that is what it takes, yes, and face the consequences as they came. I could not do this with a shotgun or a hand gun. And, by the way, I can shoot someone at 3 yards with a rifle, but once again at that range a knife is the best option. One final point, if all you want is a pat on the back, or the validation of your foregone conclusions, don't bug folks on the forum, go talk to your mom.