Happy Memorial Day!

Today is the day we honor the countless men and women who have died while serving the country. So we thought it was only pertinent to look at a knife that was used by those in the military.

After the events of World War II, General Curtis LeMay, the head of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), sought the creation of a survival kit for crews of long-range bombers. Because of the nature of the missions and issues with space, the survival tool needed to be lightweight, versatile, and effective.

After the Randall Model 14 was found to be too heavy, Boker’s input was requested on the knife. The end result was the Boker Air Force Pilot Survival Knife, which quickly became the official survival knife of the U.S. Air Force.

The rare knife has since been reissued under the Boker Plus line to bring its memory and functionality back to the masses.

The thin 4.5-inch mirror polished blade features a modified clip point blade design that can do everything from dressing game in the field to cleaning fish. It’s made of durable SK-5 carbon steel, which performs well and boasts a toughness like few others.

Crafted of leather with a brass guard and spacers and an aluminum pommel, the handle maintains a classic look that’s as handsome as it was in the late 1940s.

A leather sheath bearing SAC markings makes it easy to carry the 3.6-ounce knife wherever you need.

For more information on this Badass Knife of the Week, check out the product page for the Boker Plus Air Force Pilot Survival Knife.