Interesting experience with Military Officer's Sabre

Yes, that's probably true.

The thing is, it's an official part of his military uniform so even in Italy (or anywhere else for that matter) as long as he's WEARING his dress uniform or has it with him they can't really tell him to remove a part of an Official United States Navy Uniform just because they don't like it.

We've already discussed that and he's checked with his higher-ups before deciding to bring the sword to Italy. He had to clear Italian customs at that end even though he was landing at an U.S. Military Base in Naples. They didn't give him any grief over it.

He knows not to, say, carry it around with him in the car when he's not on in his dress uniform or anything like that where it's presence would be dubious. Naples is extremely friendly to U.S. Military personnel and especially Officers because our base there brings in a LOT of U.S. dollars both to Naples and Italy so I don't think that providing he's in his dress uniform it will be an issue with the local police and the Carabinieri (Italian state Police/Paramilitary force). Being an Ally also carries a some military and diplomatic considerations.

I think as long as he's sensible about things, and he will be, there should be no problem with the Italians simply because we're not talking about any old tourist walking around Italy with a sharp sword dangling from his belt.

It was kind of funny when we gave it to him, I have a Tinker Pearce/Hanwei Italian Long Sword- so I was making fun of his "little baby Navy sabre", he took that in good spirits. We did some milk jug cutting with both of them so he could get a feel for blade angle against a target and such and his little baby saber cut milk jugs just fine. When I got out my Long Sword and sliced a few milk jugs 4 or 5 times EACH before running out of jug to cut- everyone was suitably impressed. I told him it takes a bit of practice to do that and that he SHOULD practice in his back yard just to get the "feel" of the blade or it's basically useless as it will act like a blunt cane more than a sword until he learns to cut with it.

I also made a firm point about the sword being high carbon steel and that it had to be thoroughly cleaned and oiled after contact with water in cutting targets. I told him to be careful not to return it to it's scabbard until all the water had been removed and displaced with oil so that he didn't introduce moisture to the scabbard interior. Plus about once a week in any kind of humidity it HAS to be unsheathed and oiled even if it's not being used on water filled targets.

I told him that when possible it should not be stored in it's scabbard so find a nice place in his home to display it crossed over the sheath on a wall out of reach of the kids. The kids are good kids and very disciplined so they won't "play" with Daddy's sword but we don't need the blade being fingered or an accident with someone bumping it or taking it off the wall and slipping or dropping it through a foot or some such.

I made a REALLY big deal about sword handling safety in front of the whole family when we set up cutting targets too. A sword, a REAL sword, can be as dangerous as a handgun if handled improperly (less range, every bit as deadly and dangerous when in sword range) and I made a big issue of that before any blades left their scabbards and while bare blades were being handled. I made everyone stand way, way back while blades were bare and made sure that where they were standing was in the least likely path of a deflection, a slip or a sword getting loose.

He will be traveling around Europe and North Africa in the performance of this duties and some of the time he'll be wearing his dress uniform. I think everything will be fine in Italy or anywhere else.

Spent half my career in NATO country assignments. Definitely there are civil rules and military rules. Flashing a military ID damn near always got you passed issues you got stonewalled on as a civvie. :mrgreen:

Glad the Navy remembers swords. Army sure didn't. Only saw at weddings. :lol:

@ Valundur and Dave Kelly ...

Thanks guys, your responses are appreciated.

I don't know if this President makes people lose their swords as well as their firearms in his presence, but if he doesn't maybe he should. Just thinking out loud.

As for this sword making my boy the envy of other officers with their stainless steel SWO's, well my kid has always been "a cut above", pun fully intentional.

I'm very proud of that young man, and his beautiful wife and the 4 grandbabies they've added to the family. Maybe it shows ...

I did think it was hilarious and typical of the TSA to ban my little Kershaw Shallot Damascus but allow a razor sharp sword and a reasonably skillful swordsman (me, my son has a lot of practice to go before he could say that) inside a security perimeter at an airport.

Lol, only if by "shocked the crap out of" you mean, "run them through"- which I guess would shock the crap out of them even though briefly. Because that's what would have happened to them if they tried to hijack a plane with my son's family on it and him with this great long toad sticker in a felt bag. It doesn't really even take a lot of swordsmanship to just thrust a razor sharp blade completely through a miscreant's chest.

Would have been a heck of a story too. Alas, t'was just a passing fancy, no foes were vanquished on that flight.

Master at Arms weighs in with a razed eyebrow: " Beggin yur pardon, admiral darlin, but seein as how yer's gone n put yer hangar in a buggers guts, what do you propose to do wif the other two buggers with bordin spikes about to nail yer arse to the wheel, sar?

4 inches will do a man in nicely,sar. Then you can make ready for the next target. yarrrrr..."

:mrgreen:

:lol: