Guest post by Greg Walker, U.S. Army Special Forces (Ret.)
Mike Echanis’ Gerber MK-1 as gifted to MCPO Bob Nissley at Fort Bragg circa 1977. “This is all you need to kill a man,” Echanis told Bob.
This was the blade I carried at Falcon on my kit vest, much to surprise and happiness of our peshmerga teammates. Its scabbard is black leather wrapped with a wood insert. Easily tucked into pouch, vest pocket, or otherwise easily accessible location.
I already had a kanjar which had been gifted to me some years earlier. It had been carried by a GI during the Korean war and he’d gotten it in a trade with a Ghurka he’d met. Both the Ghurka and Kurdish knives are double-edged, thin blades and wicked sharp.
I later asked Mike Strider to make a Strider kanjar interpretation for me as seen in the photo.
Top: Ghurka kanjar, Korean war vintage.
Center: My Kurdish kanjar.
Bottom: Custom kanjar from Mick Strider.
Whereas the Warrior is a large, fairly heavy knife and not very concealable or comfortable for daily carry – plus expensive these days – the diminutive Kurdish kanjar “is all you need,” and functions nicely in light utility roles.
A kanjar (most commonly spelled khanjar) is a traditional curved dagger native to the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. While widely known as a national symbol of Oman, variations exist across the Persian, Mughal, and Ottoman cultures, including a distinctive Kurdish version.
Key Characteristics
• The Blade: Typically double-edged and shaped like a “J” or a hook. Kurdish variants often feature a double-edged blade with a raised medial rib for reinforcement. Smaller blades do not feature the medial rib.
• The Hilt: Often crafted from buffalo horn, wood, silver, or (historically) ivory.
• Status & Identity: Historically, wearing a khanjar was a sign of a man’s honor, bravery, and social standing.
• The Kurdish Khanjar: These are specific to northern Iraq (Kurdistan) and often feature I-shaped hilts made of horn and a less pronounced curve than the Omani style.
The peshmerga today favor more modern knives, but these are still smaller versions and variations and affordable for the average peshmerga fighter. For example, I saw Valor hollow handle models as well as other inexpensive production knives carried. The peshmerga are legendary in their use of a knife. I met one commander who told me of one nighttime operation where he and several other peshmerga slipped into an Iraqi perimeter and cut every Iraqi soldier’s throat as they moved silently through the encampment then disappeared back into the darkness.
Echanis would have liked that.
With Kurdish “road runner” contingent in Baghdad. The road runner teams provided convoy escort, one of the most dangerous tasks in Iraq at that time.
With my Kurdish bodyguard in Baghdad, 2004. He absolutely hated Iraqis (and for good reason) and he traveled with me everywhere. One time at an Iraqi police checkpoint when they began hassling me, he jumped out of our SUV, racked a round into his AK-47 with a vengeance, and proceeded to read the riot act to the cops. They were terrified and immediately backed away and let us pass. “Do Not Fuck with a Kurd” rule was in effect that day.
Greg Walker is a retired Special Forces (Green Beret) veteran. He is the author of seventeen fiction and nonfiction books, including At the Hurricane’s Eye: U.S. Special Operations Forces from Vietnam to Desert Storm. Walker was the co-author of Teammates: SEALs at War, the memoir of the late Barry Enoch, who was one of the most decorated SEALs of the Vietnam War, and Violence of Action, one of Navy SEAL Commander Richard Marcinko’s Rogue Warrior series.
Matthew says
The Kurds come across as one of those really tough, fierce groups of people. (With the good and bad that goes with being tough and fierce.)
Quixotic Mainer says
That’s an interesting blade! The middle Kurdish one seems like the grip would really lock it in your hand in hammer grip.
That revolver chest rig is also awesome by the way. I’ll bet it was both workable and a rare sight.
Greg Walker says
It does “lock in” nicely regardless of grip – the mythical story is when making these blades over the centuries a snake’s venom was added to the steel as it was being forged – ensuring death with the slightest cut.
I loved living / working with the Kurdish People and the peshmerga.
Then and after I’d come home.
https://katu.com/news/local/local-veterans-who-fought-alongside-kurds-condemn-trumps-decision-to-withdraw-troops
Quixotic Mainer says
That’s a great legend for a blade!
Sorry to hear that about the Kurdish allies, I remember reading about it. The powers that be historically aren’t always the best at remembering our local allies once they wind down their current adventure.
I’ll bet you had the only S&W 29 in the whole GWOT! I’ve read about intelligence types carrying J frames in NPE, but wasn’t sure if that was true or not.
JimC says
Always makes me think of the U.S. loading up the Apache scouts and sending them off to Florida along with the renegades they hunted down. And the Montagnards in Vietnam. We have a shitty track record in that regard…
Greg Austin Walker says
I did, sir.
The .44 caliber round has long been a preferred carry round for me – and still is. As a much older “Old Guy” now I lean on the .44 Special and a revolver.
Elmer Keith knew his business.
Fun recollection – I was about 30 days out from coming home from Iraq – last contract…and while in the Green Zone on business another contractor stopped to say hi.
Seeing the 29 he said “You must be the one they call “Dirty Greg”?”
Yup.
Funny thing was I’d met Clint Eastwood in Carmel, CALI, while at language school in 81 – among other things we talked about our shared appreciation of the Model 29 / .44 Magnum round.
JimC says
OK, hadn’t heard THAt story. You will henceforward announce yourself to The Nugget staff as Dirty Greg.
Greg Walker says
The rig was made for me by Tactical Tailor in Lakewood, WA, back in the day. The holster was originally designed for large automatics like the SIGs and was open at the bottom. I scored an in-the-box S&W 29 from an Iraqi weapons collector who needed $$ and it fit perfectly into the holster given the open end. I only knew one other contractor, former Ranger I’d known at Camp Rudder in Florida, who carried a wheel gun. His was a Model 27 with 4″ barrell. “Old Guy Guns” :). One afternoon while in line to enter the Marine guarded entry point at the CPA, the young Marine on duty asked me if I’d cleared my AK and pistol at the barrel? I told him I’d cleared the AK but not my handgun. He asked what kind of revolver it was? I told him. He smiled and said “That’s a mighty fine gun, Sir. Go on in.”
JimC says
I have been running my revolvers a whole lot more this year, after focusing on the 9mm for Craig’s Tactical Games prep. I just prefer the “Old Guy Guns.” Shoot the revolver better, and boy do they have a lot more soul.
Quixotic Mainer says
I will always prefer the revolver, as my first love, even though my battle tupperware is arguably the superior weapon. I’ve looked at my steel challenge scores, and I can do faster work with the six gun as far as splits and target transitions go. The higher the round count on a stage, the tougher go it is for the “old guy gun”. However, the new trend of popping red dots on wheelguns will help keep them popular I believe!
I arrived at my first outfit just in time to catch the last wave of Crown Vic’s and pump shotguns. But sadly I missed carrying a GP100 by a couple years. In a way I’m glad, I would have had a hard time giving that up!
Greg Walker says
The Warrior knife I refer to in the article is the Al Mar Knives “Warrior”.
“The Al Mar Knives Warrior is a legendary, large, curved fighting knife produced in the late 1970s and 1980s, designed for close-combat and considered a premier battle blade. Created for military and Special Forces application, it is recognized by its distinctive recurve trailing-point blade, aggressive serrated spine for limb trapping, and high-quality Japanese manufacturing (Seki).” – AI
I was blessed to be close to this project when Al was still with us – after his passing AMK dropped the knife from its line and REKAT Knife and Tool began offering it, handmade by Alan Blade. Alan now offers his own version, the Venom, which is IMHO the best evolution of both design, materials, size, and pricing.
Ugly Hombre says
Great article and story thanks for sharing- those Kanjar’s are damn nice- the middle one blade shape looks something like the blade shape of the Hissatsu? with more curve-
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=crkt+hissatsu&atb=v454-1&ia=images&iax=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monterra.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F07%2F4311-e-CRKT-Hissatsu-Fixed-Blade.jpg
.44 special the ne plus ultra of revolver rounds for sure Elmer sure did know the way. Best thing possible in a thumb buster for sure- here is a article on Jim Martins custom build in .44, just saw it this week figured I would share.
https://americanhandgunner.com/handguns/a-single-action-sheriffs-model-like-no-other/
Jim met Elmer back in the day when Elmer dropped by to visit Bob Howard Jim Colt SAA mentor. Both of them were Montana cowboys when youngsters.
Greg says
Great piece, any timeline on the Michael Echanis biography being published?