Posted on Jan 25, 2015
SPC Mark Beard
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Edited 11 y ago
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Edited 11 y ago
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SPC Mark Beard. I always thought it was WWII fighter bomber aircraft . . . but it doubles as a can opener.

o http://www.army.mil/article/25736/the-best-army-invention-ever/

It was also a fine personal side arm . . . WWII or recent vintage . . . Walther P 38 auto ( a good can opener ).

Warmest Regards, Sandy
LTC Stephen C.
LTC Stephen C.
11 y
Untitled38
Very funny, 1LT Sandy Annala! What a trickster!

SPC Mark Beard
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Cpl Ehr Specialist
Cpl (Join to see)
11 y
We always called it a John Wayne... I do not really know why...
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SPC Mark Beard
SPC Mark Beard
11 y
YOU NAILED IT my Sister in Arms Sandy thank you for your Service
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Capt Lance Gallardo
Capt Lance Gallardo
11 y
I keep a John Wayne (p-38) in my camping backpack. I went to OCS in the Summer of 1983 when C-Rations were still being issued. We had plenty of Vietnam Vets as NCO then and they showed us how to make the scrambled eggs in a can edible.
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Capt Seid Waddell
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I carry mine on my key ring. It makes a good screwdriver (both slotted and Phillips) in a pinch, as well as a can opener. I have used it for both, but more frequently as an emergency screwdriver.
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SSG Parachute Rigger
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SPC Mark Beard I have P-38's and the Larger P-39's.

No, Soldiers these days have no idea what it is or the use.

It is funny because i recently had a conversation with a young Lieutenant and was trying to explain things to him which are not in the ARMY inventory anymore so I had to google them in order to show him what I was talking about.
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Do you still carry a P-38? And do our newer military Brothers and Sisters know what a P-38 is?
SGT Parachute Rigger
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I still have one I carried in active duty from the 70's had to put it away for safe keeping  and to stop it from always cutting into my leg from inside of my pocket . P38 was more than just a can opener . I used it to scrape stuff or like a screw driver and to open other things like boxes .   Hell it was a symbol of having to have eaten k-rations and c-ration and to lived to tell the tell .
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CPT Jack Durish
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I wish I still had the one I bargained for from an Aussie. The American P38 can't hold up well beyond opening the cans in one C-Rat package. The Aussie version is made of steel and holds up much better. Also, it has a longer handle for better leverage and is fashioned to serve as an eating utensil. Like its American cousin, it had a hole that could be used to hang it on a dog tag chain.
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SA Harold Hansmann
SA Harold Hansmann
>1 y
Mine has "US SHELBY CO" stamped into it.
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SFC Ed Harland
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Still on my dog tags!
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TSgt Joshua Copeland
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Active Duty and have one on my key ring.
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SrA Edward Vong
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I carry my trusty Swiss Army Knife. Never fails.
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SA Harold Hansmann
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One of these?
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SA Harold Hansmann
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I got combined in another q&a I didn't know about
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