TIKRIT, IRAQ - MAY 3: Seen in this US Army handout photo former hostage Thomas Hamill shakes hands with two U.S. soldiers, from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division shortly after his escape May 3, 2004 in Tikrit, Iraq. Hamill has left Iraq and is on his way to a military hospital in Germany for medical check-ups, a U.S. military official said Monday. (Photo by US Army via Getty Images)


A US soldier from the 2nd Armed Cavalry Regiment shoots an M-4 assault rifle at insurgents in Najaf, Iraq (news - web sites), Monday May 3, 2004. The US soldiers, based in 2 camps, Golf and Baker, in the city of Najaf, fired back after insurgents attacked US camps with mortars, rocket propelled grenades and other small arms. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)


BASRA, IRAQ: A British soldier patrols a street in Iraqi southern city of Basra 03 May 2004. The British press was skeptical over shocking pictures apparently showing Iraqi prisoners being abused by British troops, as the two soldiers who released the photos categorically denied they were fakes. AFP PHOTO/Hani al-OBEIDI


BASRA, IRAQ: A British soldier patrols a street in Iraqi southern city of Basra 03 May 2004. The British press was skeptical over shocking pictures apparently showing Iraqi prisoners being abused by British troops, as the two soldiers who released the photos categorically denied they were fakes. AFP PHOTO/Hani al-OBEIDI


Cpl. Samuel Toloza of El Salvador (news - web sites)'s Cuscatlan Battalion displays his bloodstained knife that he used to fend off Iraqi gunmen in Najaf, Iraq (news - web sites), Saturday May 1, 2004. One of his friends was dead, 12 others lay wounded and four soldiers still left were surrounded and out of ammunition, so Toloza used his switchblade knife to charge the Iraqi gunmen. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)


FALLUJAH, IRAQ: Two Iraqi armed rebels man a checkpoint in the restive city of Fallujah 02 May 2004. The people of Fallujah claimed a great victory Saturday as Iraqi forces arrived under the command of a former officer from Saddam Hussein's army after weeks of fierce fighting. AFP PHOTO/Sabah ARAR


HEBRON, -: An Israeli soldier orders Palestinian women to step back as they get prepared for an ID check while crossing a checkpoint in the center of the West Bank town of Hebron 02 May 2004, after the army imposed closure over the city following high alert of possible Palestinian attacks. Some 1,200 Israeli soldiers guard an estimated 600 extremist settlers who live in a Jewish enclave in the heart of Hebron in the midst of 120,000 West Bank Palestinians. AFP PHOTO/HAZEM BADER


RAFAH, GAZA STRIP: In this undated handout photo shows Faisal Abu Ngera a militant of the popular resistant, one of the two Palestinian militants attacked the Israeli settlement of Kessofim near Khan younis refugee camp in the south of Gaza Strip. The militants opened fired on an Israeli settler's car killing four children and their mother May 2, 2004 in Gush Katif Settlements bloc at the Kissufim crossing, in the Gaza Strip. The attacks come as members of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party are voting on his plan to remove all settlements from the territory. The two militants were killed shortly after in a gunfight with Israeli soldiers. (Photo by Getty Images)


Indonesian soldiers inspect weapons confiscated from members of the Free Aceh Movement at their base in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, Monday, May 3, 2004. Since launching its offensive against separatist guerrillas in last May, the Indonesian military has killed more than 1,800 suspected separatist rebels in the troubled province. (AP Photo/Str)


TANTO, THAILAND: A Thai soldier stands guard near a mosque during a search operation by security officials after overnight violence in the Tanto district of Yala province, southern Thailand, 03 May 2004. Thai troops trained as peacekeepers in East Timor were to be deployed in the Muslim-dominated south to help avert further attacks after last week's bloody clashes which left over 100 dead. AFP PHOTO/Pornchai KITTIWONGSAKUL


TANTO, THAILAND: A Thai soldier communicates on his mobile phone during a search operation by security officials after overnight violence in the Tanto district of Yala province, southern Thailand, 03 May 2004. Thai troops trained as peacekeepers in East Timor were to be deployed in the Muslim-dominated south to help avert further attacks after last week's bloody clashes that left over 100 dead. AFP PHOTO/Pornchai KITTIWONGSAKUL (


PATTANI, THAILAND: Thai soldiers arrive by train in the southern province of Pattani 03 May 2004. Hundreds of Thai troop reinforcements arrived in the Muslim south to help avert further attacks expected after last week's bloody clashes with militants, as the prime minister said he would visit the strife-torn region. AFP PHOTO / Jimin LAI


Thai reinforcement army soldiers sit on the back of a truck after arrival at Pattani train station on Monday, May 3, 2004. The troops, from northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province, have been dispatched to help maintain security in the southern Thailand where last Wednesday more than 100 militants and five authorities were killed in bloody clashes across three provinces. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)


MANILA, PHILIPPINES: An armed policeman walks in front of ballot boxes outside the office of the Commission on Elections in Manila, 03 May 2004. Security has been tightened at the elections commission office ahead of the 10 May polls and after two suspects were arrested 01 May for plotting to bomb the office. AFP PHOTO/TED ALJIBE


MANILA, PHILIPPINES: Anti-terrorist police guard a hotel while a group of Filipino demonstrators rally to denounce US occupation of Iraqi while Iraqi Minister for Public Works Nesreen Barwari is giving lecture on Iraq's reconstruction 03 May 2004. The protesters denounced Iraq's Governing Council as US puppet and called on US and Philippine troops to pull out of Iraq. Meanwhile Barwari who earlier met with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo thank the Philippines for its help in rebuilding the war-ravaged country. Manila sent 51 Filipino soldiers and policemen serving with the US-led occupation forces in Iraq. AFP PHOTO JAY DIRECTO


MANILA, PHILIPPINES: Philippine Army Major General Pedro Cabuay displays seized permit to campaign card, handguns and communist flag used by communist rebels to collect money from candidates during the press confrence 03 May 2004 at the army headquarters in Manila. The items were seized from suspected communist guerrilla leader Rogelio Villanueva who was arrested 02 May by security forces south of Manila. Communist guerrillas have emerged as the biggest threat to the May 10 Philippine national elections by harassing and extorting money from candidates of all stripes, security officials said. AFP PHOTO ROMEO GACAD (Photo credit should read ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)


RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL: Air Force soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the Brazilian Air Force Base in Rio de Janeiro, 03 May 2004, where armed men broke into the depot early Monday, helping themselves to scores of pistols, rifles and grenades, according to the military and Brazilian media. The group overpowered five guards and escaped in a military van with 23 HK-33 rifles, one pistol and several gun magazines. Two soldiers were kidnapped and remain missing AFP PHOTO/VANDERLEI ALMEIDA


SAN PABLO, COLOMBIA: Colombian police troops in full combat gear cordon off the zone where were found five common graves, four among them recent, 03 May, 2004 near the village of San Pablo, 700 kms northwest of Bogota. The graves will be examined Tuesday by public prosecutor's office personnel, since presumably there are buried in them the former leader of the AUC (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia) paramilitary right-wing guerrilla Carlos Castano and his bodyguards, assassinated on April 16. AFP PHOTO/Fredy AMARILES

Tell us more about the knife fight!

I watched a show on TV where they interviewd a British solider, who was supposedly the last solider in a civilized, 1st world nation, to bayonet someone to death.  This was in the Falkland Islands war in, 1983 I guess?

MSTN thread on the knife fight

is that a Bren or a WWII gun of some kind?

That is one badass Soldier.   If that was my blade it would be framed afet I got home

Quoted: is that a Bren or a WWII gun of some kind?

Soviet RPD machine gun

Quoted:

Interesting sling rigging going on there.

cache.gettyimages.com/comp/50796706.jpg?x=x&dasite=MS_GINS&ef=2&ev=1&dareq=D14BC0097DE49CA666B33A2C1A80317AA9C30E9B9B114CE8

never seen a HK33 actually being 'used'. kewl!

THANKS LUMPY

Quoted: cache.gettyimages.com/comp/50796706.jpg?x=x&dasite=MS_GINS&ef=2&ev=1&dareq=D14BC0097DE49CA666B33A2C1A80317AA9C30E9B9B114CE8 never seen a HK33 actually being 'used'. kewl!

Well heres another for you

Great pics Lumpy. I would definatley frame that knife when I got home, wouldnt even clean it!!!

I look forward to this every day, but half of the pics are red x!

Dude with the knife:  That is one bad mother trucker!  Promote that man!

Quoted: us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040503/capt.ny11305030329.iraq_brave_battalion_ny113.jpg That is one badass Soldier.   If that was my blade it would be framed afet I got home

Look at that thing....Kick ass send that man some ARFCOM love....

Quoted: cache.gettyimages.com/comp/50795417.jpg?x=x&dasite=MS_GINS&ef=2&ev=1&dareq=D14BC0097DE49CA6627526F2DC694E5AA9C30E9B9B114CE8

Can you hear me now?

Quoted: cache.gettyimages.com/comp/50796552.jpg?x=x&dasite=MS_GINS&ef=2&ev=1&dareq=E2399169AC85D6DE070BA04F0A6FCEC5DC09CC11E04093A0 TIKRIT, IRAQ - MAY 3: Seen in this US Army handout photo former hostage Thomas Hamill shakes hands with two U.S. soldiers, from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division....... (Photo by US Army via Getty Images)

Caption says 1st ID, but I'm not familiar with the patch on the righthand GI. Definitely not Big Red One.

Amazing photos, thanks Lumpy.

I don't recall the unit, but it's North Carolina NG roundout Brigade serving with the 1st ID.

Columbian is carrying a South African SS-77 GPMG. Never seen a pic of one outside of SA.....

ALso Trooper shoting the M-4 has an Elcan on it, likely off of a SAW or 240G

Cpl. Samuel Toloza of El Salvador (news - web sites)'s Cuscatlan Battalion displays his bloodstained knife that he used to fend off Iraqi gunmen in Najaf, Iraq (news - web sites), Saturday May 1, 2004. One of his friends was dead, 12 others lay wounded and four soldiers still left were surrounded and out of ammunition, so Toloza used his switchblade knife to charge the Iraqi gunmen. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)

my kind of guy.

Quoted: us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040503/capt.ny11305030329.iraq_brave_battalion_ny113.jpg That is one badass Soldier.   If that was my blade it would be framed afet I got home

No shit!!  Ditto.....

Isn't that the guy from Wes Grant's thread last week???  

I believe some American contractors (Wes' customers??) awarded him a Chris Reeve knife for his effort.

As usual, great job, Lump!

Quoted: Quoted: That is one badass Soldier.   If that was my blade it would be framed afet I got home No shit!!  Ditto.....

That dude clanks when he walks, no doubt.

They call that a switch blade knife? I think the press needs to look closer. Plus did you see the guy with the hand guards on side ways? whats up with that?

Quoted: They call that a switch blade knife? I think the press needs to look closer. Plus did you see the guy with the hand guards on side ways? whats up with that? cache.gettyimages.com/comp/50794630.jpg?x=x&dasite=MS_GINS&ef=2&ev=1&dareq=E2399169AC85D6DE5004898A3EF2512BB2992EC6EEAC633A

What about the scope? It looks like it is 1 inch too low in the front


Samuel

Quote from the AP Story:

In one of the only known instances of hand-to-hand combat in the Iraq conflict, Cpl. Toloza stabbed several attackers swarming around a comrade. The stunned assailants backed away momentarily, just as a relief column came to the unit's rescue. "We never considered surrender. I was trained to fight until the end," said the 25-year-old corporal, one of 380 soldiers from El Salvador whose heroism is being cited just as other members of the multinational force in Iraq are facing criticism. ... After several hours of combat, the besieged unit ran out of ammunition, having come with only 300 rounds for each of their M-16 rifles. Pvt. Natividad Mendez, Cpl. Toloza's friend for three years, lay dead, shot twice probably by a sniper. Two more were wounded as the close-quarters fighting intensified.    "I thought, 'This is the end.' But, at the same time, I asked the Lord to protect and save me," Cpl. Toloza recalled.    The wounded were placed on a truck while Cpl. Toloza and the three other soldiers moved on the ground, trying to make their way back to the base. They were soon confronted with Sheik al-Sadr's fighters, about 10 of whom tried to seize one of the soldiers.    "My immediate reaction was that I had to defend my friend, and the only thing I had in my hands was a knife," Cpl. Toloza said.

Damn, this is a MAN.

MUCHO GRANDE CAHONES!!!!

Quoted: MUCHO GRANDE CAHONES!!!! us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040503/capt.ny11305030329.iraq_brave_battalion_ny113.jpg

Absolutely agree, but why the dinky folder? Don't they issue bayonets any more?

hardcore...it just warms the heart!

that dude with the knife is one badmutha frocker.

How about a AR15.com Benchmade or Ka-Bar for that dude?

Quoted: that dude with the knife is one badmutha frocker. How about a AR15.com Benchmade or Ka-Bar for that dude?

They gave him a Chris Reeve "Yardborough" Green Beret knife.

Like this:

Cool. BTT cuz everyone needs to see that badazzes pic.