RANKING RAMBO: FROM FIRST BLOOD TO LAST BLOOD

"To survive a war, you gotta become war."

-John Rambo, Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

SYLVESTER “SLY” STALLONE.

GALLANTRY MAN LEGEND.

Before we even get into the iconic Rambo franchise, can we just take a second to appreciate the legendary Gallantry Man Action movie star, writer, director, producer, and all-around force of nature known as Sylvester “Sly” Stallone?

One of the most interesting aspects of Stallone, the only actor in the history of U.S. cinema to have starred in a box office number one film across six consecutive decades, is the fact that he is low-key actually an extremely prolific writer that has written over 24 of the movies that he has starred in, a record that has not been reached by any other actor in history. If you pay close attention to the movies that Stallone has written, his strict adherence to Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey” is almost impeccable (particularly in the Rambo movies). In each and every of the five Rambo movies, John Rambo completes a full cycle of the hero’s journey. Over the course of all five films combined, you see another complete hero’s journey. It’s incredible, really. Reflecting on his career, filmmaking philosophy, and how he ultimately made Rambo a success, Stallone recently asserted:

Only do what you know. I recommend, don't try to go into someone else's backyard and compete with the fella who -- that's his genre. He grew up on comic books, this one here grew up on that. Just write what you know and write about the human condition. Heart, energy, and humor. Heart, energy, and humor. If you can have those three components going, I think you'll have a very successful career. If not, at least you tried.

Which brings us to another interesting little anecdote about Stallone’s unique career. Until First Blood, Stallone had been unable to achieve box-office success outside of his Rocky films. However, once the PTSD-plagued Green Beret veteran of First Blood made his debut on the big screen, it was officially on like donkey kong. Stallone would go on to become one of the highest-paid and most successful actors in Hollywood history.

When it comes to this Gallantry Man legend’s career, you don’t just turn it off. That’s why, even at the age of 75, he’s still going.

The original Rambo was so bloodthirsty... the story was so hard, so terrifying every step of the way. I think that's one reason the book took so long to get done. What I did with Rambo was try to keep one foot in the Establishment and one foot in the outlaw or frontier image. I wanted him to be accepted by the mainstream—but also be a criminal. So he has some strong patriotic views—and he loves the system. He just doesn't like a lot of the people who live and work in it.

- Sylvester Stallone, The Los Angeles Times (1985)

A LEGEND IS BORN

As any Gallantry Man known, John Rambo, the badass unapologetic American vigilante with a heart of gold who frees prisoners and refuses medals, is one of the greatest and most iconic movie characters of all-time. Believe it or not, however, the road to First Blood was filled with bumps along the way.

“Don’t push it. Don’t push it or I’ll give you a war you won’t believe.”

The story behind the story begins in 1968, when author David Morrell, inspired by hearing about the experiences of his students who had fought in Vietnam, began writing his action-thriller First Blood. Four years later, in 1972, his novel, about a troubled homeless Vietnam War veteran (known only by his last name of Rambo in the book) that wages a brutal one-man war against local and state police in Kentucky, was finally published. This same year, Morrell sold the film rights to his award-winning novel to Lawrence Turman of Columbia Pictures for $175,000. Turman, unable to gain traction with the project, proceeded to sell the rights to First Blood to John Calley of Warner Bros. Pictures for $125,000. When Calley was then unable to get the project going, he sold his rights to First Blood to Carolco Pictures for $375,000.

John Milius, one of the most Gallantry Man Writer/Directors of all-time, shows off a Rambo soft drink on the set of Apocalypse Now, a sign of things to come.

For nearly ten years, the project had gone absolutely nowhere (in Hollywood, this is what’s known as “Development Hell”). When two film distributors looking to become producers, Andrew G. Vajna and Mario Kassar, finally obtained the film rights, however, they got Director Ted Kotcheff onboard (by agreeing to finance one of his other projects). From there, Vajna and Kassar were able to leverage the used juice they had in Kotcheff in order to cast Sylvester Stallone in the title role.

“I’m the last one, Sir.”
- John Rambo, First Blood

A truly gifted storyteller, Stallone was eventually able to get his hands on the script adaptation, which, at this point, had gone through countless revisions. In addition to making the character John Rambo more sympathetic (i.e. he never directly kills any police or national guardsmen, a far cry from the novel and other previous variations of the script), he was able to keep Rambo alive at the end (whereas John Rambo dies at the end of the novel).

I don't think you understand. I didn't come to rescue Rambo from you. I came here to rescue you from him … You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare. With a man who's the best. With guns. With knives. With his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In Vietnam, his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill. Period! Win by attrition. And Rambo was the best! – Colonel Trautman to Teasle

With Stallone at the helm of the script, the relationship between John Rambo and Colonel Richard “Sam” Trautman (Richard Crenna) also changed dramatically. In the original novel, Rambo can barely register Trautman when he shows up. In the movie, the mentor/ protégé relationship between Trautman and Rambo is more akin to that of a father and his son. In the final cut of First Blood, Trautman is not only the only person alive that Rambo still trusts, but also the man that recruited him, trained him, and personally led him for three years in Vietnam. As Trautman tells an in-way-over-his-head Teasle in First Blood, “God didn't create Rambo. It was me.”

Fun Fact: Kirk Douglas was originally cast in the role of Trautman, but quit the film during production because he didn’t like that Stallone had rewritten the script’s original ending so that John Rambo would survive.

The Stallone touch is real! The man did approximately seven rewrites of the script!

Filming on First Blood began in British Columbia, Canada on a $15 million budget in mid-November of 1981. When the first rough cut was completed in the April of 1982, it was nearly three-and-a-half hours long. Stallone hated it, and, after a ton of time in the editing room, he and Kotcheff were able to trim an entire two hours (!) from the final cut. Upon seeing the 93-minute version, executives at Orion Pictures agreed to distribute the movie domestically. Despite mixed critical reviews (womp womp, nobody cares), First Blood was finally released in the United States on October 22, 1982.

One thing about Sylvester: He has a populist sense. He knows what audiences like to see, and what they don’t like to see. I’ve never had that. We came around to do [his] ending.

- Ted Kotcheff, Entertainment Weekly

The funny thing about First Blood is—people forget this now—but Stallone, who had been a sensation of course in Rocky, his career had begun to dim a little bit when we did First Blood. Rocky was so huge, and I don’t know whether he had done the second one by that time. I think he had done it, but it hadn’t come out, and so he was looking for something else. He had done some other pictures, but his career had faded a little bit.

We went up in the wintertime to frickin’ British Columbia and shot an exterior picture in the woods freezing our asses off in this beautiful little town up there. Nobody really knew what the hell we had. [Stallone] did it for short money for him, and the guys who made the picture were Canadian. The money guys were from Canada, and an old friend of mine, Ted Kotcheff, directed. I should have known because Ted is one of those guys who is a real, old pro. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew exactly what could happen with that project, and he got it, and we shot it. It took a long time to shoot because of the weather, but when it came out, it exploded. Blew up. It was huge. It was a huge success for Stallone and it was a big success for Ted because it was obviously a difficult picture to make. People wanted to see the damn movie.

- Brian Dennehy

First Blood was a huge box office success, grossing $125 million worldwide at the box office. Due to Stallone’s script input and insistence that John Rambo stay alive at the end of the movie (several vastly different endings were actually filmed, but they never saw the light of day), First Blood spawned one of the most successful movie franchises in film history, including four sequels (all of which starred and were co-written by Stallone), an animated television series, a series of comic books, novels, countless video games, spoofs, knock-offs, and even a Bollywood remake.

Nothing is over! Nothing! You can't just switch it off! lt wasn't my war. You asked me. l didn't ask you! l did everything to win, but someone didn't let us win. And at home at the airport, those maggots were protesting. They spat at me, called me a baby murderer, and shit like that! Why protest against me, when they weren't there, didn't experience it Civilian life means nothing to me. There we had a code of honor. You watch my back, l watch yours. Here there's nothing! Back there I could fly a gunship, I could drive a tank, I was in charge of million-dollar equipment. Back here I can't even hold job parking cars! Where is everybody? l had a friend who was there for us. There were all these guys. There were all these great guys! My friends! Here there's nothing!

- John Rambo, First Blood

If that final scene of First Blood isn’t one of the most epic scenes in Gallantry Man movie history, we don’t know what is. After Trautman reminds his protégé that his life has meaning, that he’s “the last of an elite group” as he pleads with him not to “end it like this,” Rambo ultimately agrees to peacefully turn himself in to authorities (even though, to Rambo’s credit, he never wanted the showdown to occur in the first place).

He’ll be back.

John Rambo prepares to lay the smack down in Rambo III.

THE FRANCHISE

The resounding success of First Blood spawned four more classic American action movies starring Stallone as the misunderstood United States Army Special Forces Vietnam veteran that must rely on his survival and combat skills to survive, including Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988), Rambo (2008), which Stallone also directed, and Rambo: Last Blood (2019).

Director George P. Cosmatos talks to his star on the set of Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985).

As of 2021, the franchise has grossed $819 million in total, with its most successful film, Rambo: First Blood Part II, grossing $300 million.

Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III even inspired a Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), an epic spoof of the sort they don’t much make anymore.

WHY WE ROOT FOR THE LEGEND THAT IS RAMBO

I did a lot of research on Vietnam veterans. They were treated so badly, terribly … A lot of the veterans felt horrible, guilty, they felt they’d dirtied their souls for absolutely nothing. Then, of course, the veterans were treated so badly. In previous wars, like World War II … they had marching bands. They were treated like heroes! Vietnam veterans were vilified and rejected … A lot of veterans came home to find there was no place for them. This is what happens to Rambo.

- Ted Kotcheff, Entertainment Weekly

There are so many reasons why John Rambo has captured the American psyche for four decades, but a big one is that American audiences just so happen to love a reluctant hero protagonist that repeatedly gets thrust into situations that he doesn’t want to be involved in because if he doesn’t liberate the oppressed, no one will.

After winning over audiences as a forgotten veteran in First Blood, John Rambo gradually accepts his true nature as a killing machine, one that’s easy to root for since every conflict that he finds himself in is one that he didn’t start or want to be involved in in the first place. It’s an enduring trait that makes infinitely more human. Flawed heroes are the best heroes because, in the real world, there’s no such thing as “perfect”. Flawless heroes exist only in Marvel films, inventions of science fiction. Nevertheless, as a soldier and a protector, Rambo is forced to respond accordingly each time a new calamity comes his way.

Rambo doesn’t want to take on the corrupt law enforcement of Hope, Washington in First Blood, but he’s forced to in order to survive.

Rambo doesn’t want to return to Vietnam in First Blood Part II, but he wants to help his mentor and his country. When he discovers a group of American P.O.W’s that have been left behind, the stakes get even higher.

“Do we get to win this time?”

“This time it’s up to you.”

In Rambo III, Rambo initially turns down Colonel Trautman’s offer to join him in Afghanistan. However, once Trautman is captured by the Soviets, all bets are off.

“God would have mercy. He won’t.”

At the beginning of Rambo, Rambo just wants to be left the hell alone. However, his conscience gets the best of him when Burmese militias capture a group of American activists. After all, if Rambo doesn’t step up to save them, no one will.

In Rambo: Last Blood, Rambo just wants to live the quiet life at his stateside family farm. However, when the granddaughter of his housekeeper (who has become like a daughter to him) goes missing after visiting her biological father in Mexico, Rambo flushes his PTSD pills down the drain and sets out to bring her in one piece at any cost.

When we first meet Rambo, he is a young man out of place in the world with only a wise elder mentor around that understands him. He is a man that must fight against a creeping evil led by phony bureaucrats and careerists, know-nothings “just following orders”. Nearly four decades transpire from First Blood to Last Blood, during which time Rambo has watched the world around him crumble. Every single day is a struggle for Rambo as he just attempts to stabilize his personal life. And, yet, his conscience wills him to partake in the kind of dirty work that the cowards around him won’t touch.

The world may not know John Rambo by name, but it sure as hell needs people like him if it has a shot at enduring.

Blade magazine’s epic “Special Rambo 35^th Anniversary Edition” cover

THE KNIVES OF RAMBO

“I love knives and I wanted the character to have one [and] almost to make the knife into a character itself.”

– Sylvester Stallone, Blade

The impact of the Rambo movies and Rambo knives on both popular culture and the knife industry (as well as, by extension, the EDC industry) has been historic for nearly forty years. It’s hardly a surprise, really, since the survival knives used by John Rambo in the Rambo franchise are some of the most badass knives ever created.

When First Blood was released in 1982, it revitalized the cutlery industry as a result of the prominent featuring of Arkansas native and knife smith Jimmy Lile’s Rambo knife (which was based on the design of Vietnam-era survival knives that were carried by pilots). As Stallone (having the Rambo survival knife featured in First Blood as a prominent character was knife collector Stallone’s idea, as there is no “Rambo Knife” in the original novel) explained to Blade, “[Lile] understood the vision … He was the real deal and I wanted a real knife for the film, not just another prop.”

The Lile Mission Raven in First Blood.

The resin-molded Randy Rousseau Lile Mission Raven in Rambo: First Blood Part II.

For Rambo III, Stallone wanted more of a “fantasy” look for his iconic Rambo survival knife. Stallone drew up several versions of the design he wanted and then gave them to Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Gil Hibben. To this very day, Gil’s Rambo III survival knife remains the most popular blade that he’s ever made.

Rambo gets his blade bloody in Rambo III.

For the fourth Rambo installment, Stallone wanted “something that looked like Rambo could have made in one evening, something crude.” So, if you’ve always wanted to know why Rambo discards his usual survival knife for a machete in the fourth Rambo, well, now you’ve got your answer.

“I’ll show Danny Trejo who the real Machete is.”

- John Rambo (probably), Rambo

With each passing Rambo sequel, Rambo’s knife gets bigger (and badder) by design. So, for Rambo: Last Blood, Stallone contracted Dietmar Pohl, knife designer and CEO of Pohl Force Knives in Germany, to supply him with the legendary “Heartstopper” (if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll understand the name).

Watch Sylvester Stallone unbox his Rambo: Last Blood “Heartstopper” knife from the Sly Stallone Shop HERE.

Read Blade magazine’s “The Knives of the Rambo Movies: Behind the Scenes with Sylvester Stallone” HERE .

Watch an epic tribute to Rambo knifesmiths Gil Hibben and Jimmy Lile HERE.

Check out Blade magazine’s “The Story of The Rambo Knives in 22 Photos” HERE .

Rambo and Sensei Kreese, we mean Ericson (Martin Kove), in First Blood Part II.

RAMBO POWER RANKINGS

#1: RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II (1985)

I think that James Cameron is a brilliant talent, but I thought the politics were important, such as a right-wing stance coming from Trautman and his nemesis, Murdock, contrasted by Rambo's obvious neutrality, which I believe is explained in Rambo's final speech. I realize his speech at the end may have caused millions of viewers to burst veins in their eyeballs by rolling them excessively, but the sentiment stated was conveyed to me by many veterans.... [Also], in his original draft it took nearly 30-40 pages to have any action initiated and Rambo was partnered with a tech-y sidekick. So it was more than just politics that were put into the script. There was also a simpler storyline. If James Cameron says anything more than that, then he realizes he's now doing the backstroke badly in a pool of lies.

- Sylvester Stallone

Co-written with James Cameron (yes, that James Cameron) and directed by George P. Cosmatos, Rambo: First Blood Part II (watch the opening scene HERE) is not only our favorite Rambo at Gallantry HQ, but also one of the best Action movies ever made, period.

Whereas First Blood is more about character and drama, First Blood Part II (watch Rambo explain to Agent Co Phoung Bao, played by Julia Nickson, why he’s “Expendable” HERE) is about Rambo accepting who he is post-Vietnam and becoming a literal one-man army. It’s also extremely self-aware of its peak 80’s cheese, which only makes it that much more enjoyable and fun.

They don’t make ‘em like this Action classic anymore. Watch Rambo tells corrupt CIA field operative Major Marshall Roger T. Murdock that he’s coming to get him HERE and then check out the following truly legendary exchange between Trautman and Murdock:

TRAUTMAN

Don't ever count me with you and your scum. It was a lie, wasn't it? Just like the whole damn war, a lie!

MURDOCK

What are you talking about?

TRAUTMAN

The camp was supposed to be empty. Rambo goes in … a former decorated Vet. He finds no P.O.W.'s. The Congress buys it, case closed. If he gets caught, no one knows he's alive except you and your computers, and you can reprogram that, can't you?

MURDOCK

Who do you think you're talking to, Trautman?

TRAUTMAN

A stinking bureaucrat trying to cover his ass!

MURDOCK

Not just mine, Trautman, a nation's! It was your hero's fault. If your "warrior" had done what the hell he was told, we'd be out of this clean and simple. All he was supposed to do is to take pictures!

TRAUTMAN

And if the pictures showed something they would've been lost, wouldn't they?!

MURDOCK

Look. I don't think you understand what this is all about, Trautman!

TRAUTMAN

Same as it always is. Money. In '72, we were supposed to pay the "Cong" four and a half billion in war reparations, we reneged, and they kept the P.O.W.'s, and now you're doing it all over again!

#2: FIRST BLOOD (1982)

Photo Credit: Ultimate Action Movie Club

"They drew first blood, not me."

- John Rambo, First Blood

Truth be told, Rambo (2008) might actually be a better pure Action movie than First Blood (Rambo actually doesn’t kill anyone outright in the movie), but First Blood is an incredible, one-of-a-kind classic in its own right. Tonally, it’s completely different than the other Rambo movies, more of an exploration of a complicated and broken man that understandably acts out when he’s pushed to his limit by corrupt law enforcement. It also certainly contains the best acting of any Rambo (see Rambo’s breakdown scene) movie.

#3: RAMBO (2008)

“This is what we do, who we are. Live for nothing, or die for something. Your call."

- John Rambo, Rambo

The wildly violent (again, in the best way) fourth Rambo surprised audiences with its badassery upon its release in 2008. Stallone had just gotten his groove back with Rocky Balboa after a career lull, so he held absolutely nothing back in this dark, brutal, gruesome (in the best way), testosterone-fueled Action movie.

Rambo literally rips a dude’s throat out (watch it HERE) in the fourth Rambo (2008) and it is AWESOME.

“Don’t mind the random arm!”

The final massacre (watch it HERE)? B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

“F*** the world.”

- John Rambo, Rambo

Rambo is arguably the most badass Action movie of the 2000’s and it also ends on a happy note with our hero returning to America after several decades of self-imposed exile.

#4: RAMBO: LAST BLOOD (2019)

He goes through his own personal hell in this, physically and mentally, unlike we’ve ever seen before, but the thing is that again the inability to maintain this family relationship because of outside circumstances, meaning the criminal element and the girl. See to me the girl is the key to the whole thing, just like Adrian was the key for Rocky, and without that element, that innocence, then it’s just Rambo going about his war-like mannerisms, but this is something much deeper … [So my] proudest moment is when he’s with the girl and he’s having that… it’s not even a problem, but that very poignant moment when she says ‘I want to go meet my father’ and you see him going through all these PTSDs. But also the last battle scene, where to me I literally wanted to make it Dante’s Inferno, I wanted to do something that is so personal – it’s not all kinds of big weaponry and armies, it’s going through hell and trying to come through the other side.

- Sylvester Stallone

Rambo: Last Blood got demolished by obviously butthurt hack critics when it was released back in 2019, but, believe us, hell hath no fury like a scorned John Rambo. The climactic final sequence (watch some clips HERE and HERE) in Rambo: Last Blood, a bloody, insanely violent, and over-the-top (again, in the best way) massacre in which Rambo takes out an entire drug cartel, is frickin’ unbelievable.

Stallone is a master at understanding that movies are a form of wish fulfillment in need of catharsis, and, like the final Rambo battle (in which Rambo mows down an entire Burmese army with the biggest machine gun perhaps ever made), Last Blood has Rambo unleashing some serious justice on the baddies.

Let’s just say Rambo knows his way around his “Heartstopper” survival knife when the time comes.

Watch the legend known as “Sly” discuss his 5^th Rambo installment HERE.

#5: RAMBO III (1988)

“F*** ‘em.”

- John Rambo, Rambo III

The most expensive movie ever made at the time of its release, Rambo III is great in its own way, but it also goes on for a really long time (at least, for a Rambo movie). There are some great one-liners, great (if somewhat meandering) Action scenes, and Stallone is so jacked in the movie that he honestly almost doesn’t look human. However, even Stallone has admitted that his disappointment with how Rambo III turned out, in the end, is what led to his decision to ultimately return to his iconic character two more times.

Watch the alternate opening for Rambo III HERE .

THE FUTURE OF RAMBO

"You're always going to be tearing away at yourself until you come to terms with what you are. Until you come full circle."

- Colonel Trautman, Rambo III

There are no current Rambo projects being shot at the moment, but Stallone has said in interviews that he would like to develop a Rambo prequel (that he wouldn’t star in). As he explained in an interview with Men’s Journal:

I always thought of Rambo when he was 16 or 17—I hope they can do the prequel—he was the best person you could find. He was the captain of the team. He was the most popular kid in school. Super athlete. He was like Jim Thorpe, and the war is what changed him. If you saw him before, he was like the perfect guy.

In other interviews, Stallone has expressed interest in doing a sixth Rambo movie in which the title character takes refuge in an Indian reservation (which would allow him to come full circle with his Indian heritage).

There have also been recent murmurs that Rambo may be getting a television series. According to Millennium Media president Jeffrey Greenstein:

Our focus has always been on a feature film, we do have a slate of TV that we’re developing. But my plan is to focus on our IP within the TV space and build out Has Fallen TV, Rambo TV, Expendables TV. We’re playing around with Hellboy TV. So there are lots of opportunities, but I really want to launch something IP-driven first before we start developing original content.

Last, but not least, Quentin Tarantino himself has, on at least several occasions, stated that he wants to remake First Blood with Adam Driver as Rambo and Kurt Russell as Teasle. According to Tarantino:

If I just wanted to make a good movie, that I knew would be good, I would take David Morrell’s novel for First blood and do the novel. Not the movie that was made out of First Blood. I would do the novel, and Kurt Russell would play the sheriff and [Adam Driver] would play Rambo.

Whatever happens, we’ll keep all you Gallantry Men legends posted.

YOU CAN’T JUST TURN RAMBO OFF!
WHERE TO STREAM RAMBO

If you’re really ready to rumble, check out the “Rambo: The Complete 5-Film Collection”, available for $21.99, on Amazon Prime Video HERE .

EVEN MORE AWESOME RAMBO ISH

Watch Sly explain how he became a superstar to Robert Rodriguez on The Director’s Chair HERE .

Rambo’s man-cave in Rambo: Last Blood.

Check out the Ultimate Action Movies write-up about Rambo’s “man cave” in Rambo: Last Blood HERE and revisit our “Man Cave Ideas for the Gallantry Man” article HERE .

Watch Rambo Day, an incredible mini-doc about a group of bros paid tribute to their friend getting married by throwing him a bachelor party wherein the groom got to live out his fantasy of being John Rambo for a day HERE.

Watch the extremely different alternative First Blood ending HERE.

Read about “How Rambo Invented a Movie Genre” and take a peak inside “The Bloody Anatomy of a ‘Rambo’ Movie” on The Ringer HERE and HERE .

Listen to Bill Simmons and Brian Koppelman discuss First Blood and the franchise’s legacy HERE .

Check out this fresh StudioCanalUK featurette ranking the weapons of the Rambo franchise HERE.

Watch the awesome Rambo “Rambo Killathon Plus!” body count featurette HERE.

Colonel Sam Trautman didn’t pull his claim that Rambo was “the best combat vet” that he’d ever seen out of a hat. Check out John Rambo’s list of “Complete Commendation/Awards” HERE .

“You’re damn right I tied my survival knife to the end of this stick. This is some Gallantry Man ish right here, brother.”

DID SOMEBODY SAY “BADASS SURVIVAL KNIVES”?

Yes, actually. We did. We mean, have you seen our Gallantry Man every day carry KA-BAR knives?

“See what happens when you touch my Ka-Bar 9140 USMC Vietnam Commemorative Fighting Knife from Gallantry?! THIS HAPPENS!”

THE KA-BAR 9140 USMC FIGHTING KNIFE – VIETNAM COMMEMORATIVE

Iconic for decades, the KA-BAR USMC Fighting Knife is exactly the knife you automatically think of when you hear the words "fighting knife". This edition, the 9140 USMC Fighting Knife, features a full-sized 7" blade made from powder-coated 1095 Cro Van steel, for the toughness you need to tackle any task. Comfortable to wield with a traditional leather oval-shaped handle, and equipped with a matching leather sheath. This special limited edition commemorates American veterans of the Vietnam War with a unique gold-painted emblem on the blade, honoring the sacrifices of our veterans. This is the perfect gift for a Vietnam veteran, a Marine, or any student of history. It's also one hell of a tough knife.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Made in USA
• 1095 Cro-Van high carbon steel clip point blade with blood groove
• Vietnam Veteran Commemorative
• USMC tang stamp
• Oval, stacked leather handle with black epoxy powder coated carbon steel guard and butt
• Includes leather sheath with USMC embossment
• Overall length: 11.875"
• Blade length: 7"
• Weight: 0.68 lb

Available in Black/Leather

“I saw you touch my Ka-Bar 1252 Short USMC Serrated Fighting Knife that I purchased on Gallantry, so now I will calmly bazooka you.”

THE KA-BAR 1252 SHORT USMC SERRATED FIGHTING KNIFE

Iconic for decades, the KA-BAR USMC Fighting Knife is exactly the knife you automatically think of when you hear the words "fighting knife". This edition, the 1252 Short USMC Serrated Fighting Knife, is right-sized at 5 1/4", perfect for camping, carrying, and general utility. Made from powder-coated 1095 Cro Van steel, you'll have the toughness you need to tackle any task. Comfortable to wield with a traditional leather oval-shaped handle, and equipped with a matching leather sheath. Be a survivor, whether you're a Rocky, a Rambo, or more of a weekend warrior, with the USMC Fighting Knife.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Made in USA
• 1095 Cro-Van high carbon steel clip point blade with blood groove
• Partially serrated
• USMC tang stamp
• Oval, stacked leather handle with black epoxy powder coated carbon steel guard and butt
• Black thermorun handle
• Includes leather sheath with USMC embossment
• Overall length: 9.25"
• Blade length: 5.25"
• Weight: 6.4 oz

Available in Black/Leather

“I really wish I had a Straight Ka-Bar USA Fighting Knife from Gallantry…”

THE STRAIGHT KA-BAR USA FIGHTING KNIFE

Iconic for decades, the KA-BAR Fighting Knife is exactly the knife you automatically think of when you hear the words "fighting knife". This edition, the 1213 USA Fighting Knife, features a full-sized 7" blade made from powder-coated 1095 Cro Van steel, for the toughness you need to tackle any task. Comfortable to wield with a polymer oval-shaped handle, and equipped with a matching Kydex sheath. Tang stamped with USA, you'll know this is American-made and American-loved.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Made in USA
• 1095 Cro-Van high carbon steel clip point blade with blood groove
• Straight blade
• USA tang stamp
• Oval, stacked polymer handle with black epoxy powder coated carbon steel guard and butt
• Includes Kydex sheath with USA embossment
• Overall length: 11.75"
• Blade length: 7"
• Weight: 1.3 lb

“This knife is cool and all, but man do I wish I had a Serrated Ka-Bar USA Fighting Knife from Gallantry right about now.”

THE SERRATED KA-BAR USA FIGHTING KNIFE

Iconic for decades, the KA-BAR Fighting Knife is exactly the knife you automatically think of when you hear the words "fighting knife". This edition, the 1214 USA Fighting Knife, features a full-sized 7" blade made from powder-coated 1095 Cro Van steel, for the toughness you need to tackle any task. Comfortable to wield with a polymer oval-shaped handle, and equipped with a matching Kydex sheath. Tang stamped with USA, you'll know this is American-made and American-loved.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Made in USA
• 1095 Cro-Van high carbon steel clip point blade with blood groove
• Partially serrated blade
• USA tang stamp
• Oval, stacked polymer handle with black epoxy powder coated carbon steel guard and butt
• Includes Kydex sheath with USA embossment
• Overall length: 11.75"
• Blade length: 7"
• Weight: 1.3 lb

Oh, and one last thing…

FIRST BLOOD PREDICTED THE VSSL!

Rambo twists off the end of his survival knife to access the much-needed needle and thread inside in order to suture a wound in First Blood.

VSSL CAMP Supplies is perfectly stocked with over 70 pieces of essential outdoor gear. It’s like the multi-tool of camp lights, and it'll change the way you prepare for outdoor adventure. Contains a Mini First Aid Kit, Compass, Rope + Razor Kit, Water Purification Kit, Firestarter Kit, Fishing Kit, Wire Saw, Misc Gear Kit, Adventure Tape, an Expandable Bamboo Cloth, and a Pure Canadian Beeswax Candle. Every VSSL is made with waterproof, indestructible military-grade aluminum, ensuring whatever essentials you put in it stay dry and safe in any environment. It's pre-packed, ready to go, and has everything you need. What more could you want?

SPECIFICATIONS

• Packed with over 70 essential items for camping and adventure
• Built from 6061 Military Grade Aluminum, Waterproof
• 4-Mode LED Light (High, Medium, Red, and SOS)
• Contains a Mini First Aid Kit, Compass, Rope + Razor Kit, Water Purification Kit, Firestarter Kit, Fishing Kit, Wire Saw, Misc Gear Kit, Adventure Tape, an Expandable Bamboo Cloth, and a Pure Canadian Beeswax Candle
• 9" Tall, 2" Diameter

“Hell yeah, I’m a Gallantry Man like that. I’m always prepared!”