Originally Posted By: Doug_Botimer
I believe the knife you refer to is a M1942 Bolo Knife (United States Navy Hospital Corpsman).

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I have found nothing of there use or intended use (but would be only slightly less useful than an entrenching tool (the WWII/Korea/early Viet Nam wood and steel variety) as last ditch hand to hand fighting implement.


Reading up on military gear I came across a reference to that knife that suggested that its origin in WW2 was in the Pacific where it was intended to be used by navy corpsmen as a short machete to chop poles to use in setting up aid stations and for litters. As we all know the Marines don't have medics from their service branch like the army does. Marine medics are all navy corpsmen.

--- Insert old joke about the guy trying to stay as far away from combat as possible by joining the navy and becoming a corpsman here. ---

It happened more than once. A good number of them were pacifists and volunteers.