Another great set of photos from May.
Check them out – HERE
As you can see in the photo above (#13 in the group), the Army Sargent is preparing to crawl into a cave with the knife clenched between his teeth. Is that common practice? Or was he just fooling around for the photo? I always thought it was only done in movies like Rambo for effect. I tried it once with my USMC Ka-Bar but it wasn’t very comfortable, and I didn’t want to wreck my teeth.
Comments
13 responses to “Photos from Afghanistan (May 2010)”
It’s a joke man
I would imagine in really close quarters on your belly, it would be tough to reach it on your chest, belt, etc. A knife in your teeth keeps it close at hand while keeping your hands free. I’m sure carrying a knife in your teeth isn’t that comfortable, but they probably don’t do it for extended periods of time.
BTW. I really like their photosets. Their recent lighter than air set was pretty cool also.
Yea I guess depending on how narrow the cave is, you wouldn’t really be able to reach down to get it off your belt or chest.
I agree, all their photo sets are amazing.
Is it just me or do most of the weapons just look really clean? @ #18, I didn’t know AKs could shine like that… O_o
heh yea they do look pretty clean. #18 I think is so well used that it actually has the finish rubbed off though, giving it a shiny look.
It looks to be the ubiquitous Smith & Wesson boot knife that you can pick up at pretty much any PX for pretty cheap (and one of the best knives I’ve ever picked up for less than $20) – HERE
Wrap the handle in 550 chord for a little more thickness and a nice squishy grip, and I’m sure much more comfortable to carry around in your mouth.
The one I had in Afghanistan disappeared a while ago… I need to pick up a new one…
I fixed your link. If it is that knife, I’d have to say that putting a double edged knife in your mouth seems like an incredibly stupid idea, especially if you actually plan on moving around with it like that.
He’s got it sheathed.
ah yea that would make more sense
i am sure he is just screwing around. it is always fun to mess with the media while deployed.
hhehe yea I bet that happens lots, where the media publishes a picture not knowing the soldier was just messing with them.
Actually, I think that although this appears somewhat hollywood, you will find that the knife is not carried as such for tunnel combat but rather serves as a probing device for detecting booby traps and mines etc. In particular at the entry crawlspaces of the tunnels and caves where you can’t move freely and it is the ideal place for the enemy to plant these traps, so having a knife or similar close at hand (or in mouth) is about as practical as you are gonna get.
Good call Pete, I never thought of it like that.