How Would You Survive In a Jungle?

I think the patch shows the M-1909 Bolo Knife. I am not familiar with Navy patches, so someone can correct me if I am wrong. At the JOTC, I did not see a bolo knife in use other than some demonstration equipment.

 

Yes, we used bolo machetes through the courses and I kept a couple with me. I carried one from the first school until I was medicaled out for gun shot wound. They are a awesome tool and weapon. Can easily take a mans arm or leg off when kept sharp with one swing. I decapitated a sentry dog one night when it's handler set it after us. Still have one in my bedroom as a backup for the sidearm if needed. I also liked that you can feed yourself as long as you have one. Made cooking pots, rice steamer and more with it. A great tool!

Dale

 

It is actually the Philippine bolo. They were hand made at the school and in the island of Luzon. The patch was for school participants and cadre. School closed when the navy closed Subic Navel air station. I believe the chinese writing said tiger or something of that nature (can't remember for sure) and the leaf was of a medicinal plant on Luzon.

Dale

 

I was in Panama for a couple weeks in 84' for training before heading south. I went through JOTC but honestly don't remember a whole lot about it....except for that pond. The piranha demonstration was impossible to forget. EVER! LOL!

Dale

 

How does the wooden handle fare after you took it from tropical climate where it was made to temperate climate?

If you need longer blade either for thrusting, chopping yet still practical in jungle environment here are some alternatives

Ginunting. This is a traditional Philippine weapon albeit I dunno from which part. Blade length is typically around 20"



If you need longer blade yet still practical in jungle environment

Dutch Naval Klewang M1898. Originally from Sumatra, Indonesia



And my personal favorite for last ditch

Kuku Macan (Tiger Claw). This is actually the original form of Kerambit / Krambit. Blade length vary between 1' - 2'. Also originating from Sumatra, Indonesia

 

How prominent does the predator critter in the jungle of South America region? Are they the curious kind or bite / eat the hooman first to see how they taste kind?

 

Just as dangerous as Asia. You have Jaguars, cougars, caimans, crocodiles, anaconda, piranha, and 2 legged predators that required special skill sets. My team had a jaguar follow us for over 4 hours one night. If we wouldn't have had night vision devices, somebody would have probably died that night. That big cat was persistent.

Dale

 

I bought the buffalo horn handles. They have held up great. Some of the other items I bought were made of tropical hardwoods (mahogany, ebony wood, etc.) and I had some cracking issues with them. My wife's mahogany chest got a large crack in the lid (she still loves it) and a carved shark (ebony wood) had a piece crack off, but I glued it back.

Love that Kuku Macan! Beautiful weapon.

Dale

 

With all the crazy creatures in the central American jungle, the ones that had me up at night were the "vampire" bats that would suck your blood and those fricken howler monkeys that always appear from out of nowhere at about 4 am and then all hell broke loose. Always just when I fell to sleep after fighting off the bats! I'll never forget my first experience with them. The sound of 100 howler monkeys letting loose at one in all the trees around you when you are asleep is something you'll never forget.

And then the black palm....

 

LOL! Those dam howler monkeys. I had forgotten about them. LOL! If that won't make you jump out of your skin, nothing will. I remember people talking about the vampire bats but I don't think I ever saw one. They are a lot freakier than the flying foxes in Asia and Australia.
We had a Jaguar follow us one night. I would have preferred terrorist. That was hard on the nerves. Not a big fan of bushmasters either. They are south Americas equivalent to cobras, except they have way more attitude.
I wish now that I would have kept a log or diary when I was young.
Did you deploy to anywhere away from Panama? I got to travel a lot from the 25th. Came with being young and dumb and volunteering way to much. LOL!

Dale

 

Dale,

I was down there from around 1986 through 1990, so during the hot period to include all the anti drug and anti communist operations. Yes, deployed to 8-9 central and south American countries. My favorite was Chile. We also supported the non-OD counter insurgency assets that operated in the AO. Of course for Just Cause as well.

 

Good morning Dale,

I'm backlogged but still trying to reply to stuff. Forgot some of the points I was referencing.

I knew NYC very well. Did much business there.

It wasn't only gangs and "organized crime" ruling all the streets. I remember IBT - International Brotherhood of Teamsters - , the NY police unions ... did not say "NYPD". Am referring to the unions. The Teamsters were in better shape than the Masters, Mates and Pilots union. Corporate aviation depts had to be nice (with more than verbal pleasantries) to the air traffic controllers or the costs would be ... may I say "sky high" ?!. Fortunately Reagan confronted PATCO.

Had a close friend in Tennessee (since vacated planet) who was an affection ado / historian of Sgt Alvin York. I convinced my friend that more sniper killings occurred in NYC than Tenn. Not too much is said of Jamaica Bay - airport area - because not much reported, just like much else.

 

LOL! I guess I'm partially responsible for you hot period. Not in Panama long but in Columbia and Peru a while as well as a few more Central American and South American. Spent most of my time in PACCOM. LOL! Cocaine in one part of the world and heroine in the other and people wanting pictures and names of everybody. My favorite countries were Thailand and Australia (young and single). Uncle Sam arranged travel for me to 30+ countries and not a passport stamp one. LOL! Caught a bullet in 87' and sent home in 88'. My time taught me a lot about the world.

Dale

 

One thing with all monkeys is there is similarity with us human (being also monkey ourselves). I always found it easier to find their big boss (the alpha male) and talk some sense into him. Which is very easy whenever you can demonstrate to him that you could summon deadly fire & thunder from that black stick of yours.

 

The problem with Howler monkeys is they wait until it is pitch black at O' dark thirty and start there screaming loud enough to wake the dead about 100 feet (30 meters) up in the triple canopy. Mostly you can't see them but man they know your there. The monkeys in Asia seemed easier to deal with than the new world monkeys were. I'm not sure why I feel that way, since all of them would bite the sh!t out of you if they could and all of them tasted like crap, when cooked. It seemed to me that the new world monkeys were more aggressive than there old world cousins. Might just be me.

Dale

 

I don’t think I could ever get close enough to figure out who the alpha male was. They were always above us in the trees. If I had a shotgun and a bunch of shells, that would likely solve the problem!

 

His the one who give the orders around, and usually (but not always) the most muscular looking Typically he jump from one tree to another barking orders and jump to another tree