FOREWORD BY MYKEL HAWKE

Death comes to us all. Every Warrior knows this. He not only understand this, he embraces it and spends all of his days making ready for it. A Warrior knows that every engagement may be his last. So, he avoids them when he is able. A Warrior never makes the foolish assumption that his opponent will be easily defeated, because to underestimate a foe is an invitation to disaster.

To this end, a Warrior studies all weapons and all ways that can help him be best prepared for battle to prevent that inevitable death for as long as possible. Short of hand-to-hand combat, the knife is the most intimate among the pantheon of weapons. The stick and stone may be older, but they are blunt and their death brutal. The knife is lethally swift. This speedy, deadly tool, when wielded well in the hands of a seasoned practitioner of the art of knife fighting, can strike more fear into the heart of an opponent than even the most modern firearms.

Therefore, the knife, as a weapon, as a tool, is a symbol of the Way of the Warrior. It means life or death as well as close combat. It means stealth, and it means skill. These reasons resonate in any Warrior’s heart when he sees the knife—that it symbolizes one of the most ancient and sacred tools of mankind. The knife itself has a rich history in medicine, religion, politics, society, and even simple culinary and cultural aspects of humanity’s endeavors. But there is nowhere the knife is more powerful than as a symbol of the art of war.

James Morgan Ayres comes from a diverse background, which is vital to addressing such a weighty topic. As simple as it seems on the surface, The Tactical Knife is likely one of the most important and influential tools in the development of mankind’s fate from the beginning of time until the modern day. As well as being a practiced martial artist, James is a tried and true “Warrior Class” human, a former member of the US Army Special Forces.

Known as the Green Berets, they are considered to be some of the best soldiers in the world among elite military forces today. Ayres comes from an era of serving with the Green Berets when they were at the forefront of modern day guerrilla warfare. The 1960s were a period of change in the world, and the Green Berets, created from the OSS in World War II, were at the forefront of that change as they adapted to the new face of warfare and conflict through guerrilla warfare, deception, and stealth.

From these Warriors comes their nickname the “Quiet Professionals.” These soldiers are the world’s only dedicated unconventional warfare specialists, and as such, their crest bears the symbol of the dagger, intimating the requirement for one to get close to his foe in order to silence him forever with the fatal stealth of the blade. It is this background Ayres brings to the book, as well as the same exacting and demanding standards of discipline, training, testing, and performance—the hallmark of Special Forces—that Ayres brings to his testing methods for The Tactical Knife.

Every blade was put through the same paces, all based on real experience and real use, to evaluate all the properties we value, need, and demand in the performance and purpose of The Tactical Knife.

I must confess, that I had some trepidation about my own blade being put to such arduous testing, knowing James Morgan Ayres and the other quality blades he was testing. But I knew he would not falter or favor any one blade over another; as a true warrior and professional soldier he would seek truth above all. Thankfully, the blade held and I was honored to be able to write some of my thoughts regarding how I felt about this book, the history of the tool, and the man doing the testing.

It is a wonderful thing, when one turns to a book for real knowledge, and one finds that the power of the truth was not lost to modern demands for hype and sales. It is this honest and honorable approach to such a classic symbol and powerful tool that makes James Morgan Ayres’ book, The Tactical Knife, such a worthy and worthwhile read. Whether you’re a newbie or an old school aficionado, this book is a great addition to your knowledge base and your reference library.

—Mykel Hawke, author of Hawke’s Green Beret Survival Manual, star of Discovery Channel’s Man, Woman, Wild and Travel Channel’s Lost Survivors, and Special Forces Captain (retired) and combat commander