Bolo Meaning Military - Authentic Custom US Vietnam War Bolo Knife with Holster Marked in Philippines Jungle Survival Training Camp
Original item: Only one available. During the Vietnam War, dealing with the harsh and unpredictable jungle environment was one of the most difficult parts of serving there. In the late 1960s, some U.S. A military soldier visited Subic Bay on the west coast of Luzon in the Philippine Islands. There, they encountered the Aeta People, an indigenous ethnic group in the Philippines, believed to be one of the first groups to reach the Island chain. In the 1960s they continued to live a largely nomadic lifestyle and could survive in the forest using only their "bolo" (knife or knife). Knowing that this would be necessary to control the jungle warfare, the Americans studied the techniques the Aeta People used to survive.
Bolo Meaning Military
The story goes that those who underwent the training were captured in Vietnam, but managed to escape and hide in the nearby forest. Unable to radio for help, they were forced to survive in the Jungle and the skills they learned from the Aeta Humans were the only things keeping them alive. When they finally got home, the Jungle Environmental Survival Training (JEST) camp was set up in Subic Bay to train more soldiers on jungle survival.
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We can't fully verify this, but we've seen accounts that say every trainee at the camp was given their own Bolo Knife at the start of training, and that was the only item they were given during survival training. It is possible that this is one such knife, which was later placed in a decorative scabbard to commemorate the training period.
The Bolo Knife (machete) is heavy and certainly looks handmade, although perhaps the blade itself is not. It has a slightly forward curved blade and is still relatively sharp. It does not show much wear from use, although it has definitely been sharpened several times. The handle appears to be made of dense hardwood and is also slightly curved. It is made very much in the design of the Filipino machete we have seen before. The overall condition is very good and we see no reason why it would not be as effective today as it was when originally built.
The case is beautiful, made in the typical Filipino style, with carved wooden designs and a slightly curved overall shape. In the middle is a painted coat of arms, with JEST at the top above a bolo knife that cuts bamboo, the most common plant used to make survival gear and shelters. On the right is the Mamali plant, a medicinal plant used for cuts and bruises, and on the right some Japanese characters that usually symbolize "Victory". The colors also have meaning, with green symbolizing the jungle, while yellow symbolizes knowledge. Black is for those who didn't survive.
A wonderful and rare Vietnam War in excellent shape. We have seen very few of these JEST Bolo Knives on the market and they make a great addition to any Vietnam War display.
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Print edition, there is almost always something interesting to share, and these digital pages are the perfect place for it.
Today's knife is what is known as the "Negrito Bolo", a traditional Filipino pattern that was released in large numbers in the years after World War II. "Negrito" is one of the many ethnic groups in the Philippines, named by the Spanish. because of their darker complexion than other groups. Countless examples of these knives were sold to GIs and Marines and can now be found frequently at knife shows and online auction sites.
Bill and Debbie Wright describe these knives in their book Theater Made Military Knives of World War II:
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"Many knives were made in the Philippines after the end of World War II and sold or given to GIs by local locals. They were made in many different sizes, shapes and qualities. It was reported that many of the blades were hand forged from Jeep leaf springs. . Many of the scabbards were wooden and hand carved with designs of spread eagle wings, “U.S.” or “Victory”.
This particular bolo is on the rougher side of construction. Between examples from Wright's book, and also examples from this excellent post on The Viking Sword, - a forum dedicated to ethnographic weapons and armor, we can see where ours fits on the spectrum. Some of these examples are very nice, especially those with presentation engravings. Like many, ours mentions the Philippines, plus "Manila" and "1945". As a side note, Negrito Bolos, Bowies and related knives continued to be marketed to Soldiers and other tourists, right up until the Vietnam era. The year of manufacture is often present on both early and later examples.
One thing this shows is the most elaborate, if amateurishly executed floral pattern I've ever seen.
I mentioned that this is on the lower end of the quality scale as evidenced by the marks on file from when the knife was made. As knife maker Will Woods likes to say, "at a certain price, all the lines have to go in the same direction. You can clearly see that the knife is finished after the handle and guard are added.
What Does Bolo Mean?
Another notable aspect of this knife is the horn (probably water buffalo) hilt damage. It shows signs of tunneling
Or carpet beetle larva. This is common in ancient turtles and horned creatures. Additionally, if you own knives, razors, or other items with horn or bark attachments, storing them with oil moths is an effective protection against this pest. You can read more about Dermestidae here.
I can't tell if the carving on the pomelo is supposed to be a bear, a dog, or something else entirely, although all kinds of decorative designs or animal figures appear on Negrito bowls.
I would like to ask who owned it. Was it a sailor on the road who bought it from a tourist vendor? Did a GI stationed in Manila during post-war reconstruction trade it for a handful of chocolates and a pack of cigarettes? Has it ever been proudly displayed on a shelf or tucked away in the attic? Has the owner ever shown his grandchildren and told stories about his time serving in the Pacific? Did the person who decided to part with it know anything about the knife or its history? At what point was it damaged by the beetle?
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Knives, even relatively mundane tourist trinkets like this one, can be full of stories, many of which we'll never know. But it's fun to think about as you turn the knife in your hand.
Finally, this YouTube video shows several great examples of Filipino bolos and related knives. There are a few mistakes in his story, but the video is worth watching if you care about the style.
Leave a comment if you liked, disliked, or were completely ambivalent about this post. I'm always looking for content like this to share and I thought it was a good one to kick off the "If Knives Could Talk" series. Not a specific knife
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