My father was in the army, but too young for WW2, and Korea had not started yet, so he spent his time in occupied Japan. After the military he went to college and law school. Upon graduating law school, he took the bar exam, and then joined ONI( Office of Naval Intelligence), which later became NIS ( Naval Investigative Services ) which we now know as NCIS ( Naval Criminal Investigative Services).

In about 1957 he brought home a WW2 Kabar( made by Cammilus) in the leather sheath stamped USN. It was left over in an evidence locker from a murder trial. I was about 7 at the time, but he brought it home for me, and it was hidden in the house until I was 12. Then I could have it. Maybe 10 years later he brought me the same knife with the leather washer handle marked USN in the gray self sharpening sheath made of some type of composite. It is a MK2 issue.

I have kept both of these knives in dead mint condition and hardly ever used them. They are my most prized possessions. I have used them, but gently, and they show no rust or sharpening. Seeing how they were from him to me, they are of great sentiment, and value now I think.

My father served in the Naval intelligence field for 25 years.

When everybody asks you, " where were you on 9/11/2001", I know exactly where I was. We were at the cemetery giving my father his last graveside rights unaware of the terrorist attack happening in New York and other sites.

I am glad he never saw that, it would have bothered him terribly, given that he spent his career defending our great nation from disasters such as these.