More from: "My Time in Service: "
So I came across a clip from the old Movie : "The Magnificent Seven." Where James Coburn is a knife throwing "quick draw" Artist. And it made me remember a guy I met in the Service. And yes, we called him: "Blade."
We had a guy in our company who would set up one of those Archery type Hay Bale targets out on the Recreational Range for Archers.. Then he would take knives and throw them at the bullseye.
He would stand still. He would run a bit...and then throw a knife. Or he would turn around in a circle and let one fly while he was spinning. He would throw from a crouch too. And he would vary the range from as close as six feet to as far away as forty feet. And man, was he good.
So one day I asked him why he did all the knife throwing workouts.
He smiled at me.
"You are not going to believe this...but did you see the "Magnificent Seven" movie?"
Well, everyone my age loved that movie. We were like ten or elven when it came out. And it was the best Western ever.
"Yes."
"Remember James Coburn beating that guy who had a gun, by throwing his knife?"
"Yep. I remember that. He tried to avoid killing the guy the first time."
He nodded.
"Yeah, well, I grew up on a Ranch in New Mexico. And when I saw that scene, I didn't believe anybody could throw a knife that far, that accurate, and that fast.
I mean he threw it all the way across that corral. So I got a couple of hunting knives and went out behind the barn. And I couldn't hit shit. Nothing stuck.
And I cut myself a couple of times too.
So I decided that I would get good enough to throw a knife fifty feet, hit the bullseye and have it land point first. And I did."
"Wow. "
"But that scene in the movie? BS. Total BS. That knife is not a throwing knife. It was a switch blade, and its balance was off. You could stab someone with it. But hitting someone fifty feet away...not gonna happen."
And so he learned about knives. Way more than I can remember to relate to you guys. His knives were made specially for him. And his particular grip.
He used to put on shows during Rodeos...and popped balloons and stuff.
Not the "Magic Spinning Circle with a Blond Bombshell on it " you see in Variety Shows on TV.
No. His was pure knife skill while running, tumbling and twisting. He did put on a show for the Battalion once...and lots of guys mobbed him for tips on how to throw knives.
I asked him if he could have beat that "Quick draw" guy in the Movie.
He laughed out loud.
"Kevin, remember the old saying: "Never bring a knife to a gun fight."
"Yes."
"Well, it is true."