Ghurkhas Train with US Soldiers in India

Army News Service ^ | Dec 03, 2007 | Staff Sgt. Matthew MacRoberts

[sukhoi-30mki]

Sgt. Gurdev Singh, a Indian Army master physical fitness instructor, leads Soldiers from C Company, 3/21st Infantry, in a Yoga exercise during morning fitness training as part of Exercise Yudh Abhyas.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew T MacRoberts

[ConorMacNessa]

[Camel Joe]

Many a moose-limb has fallen to that blade.

[DCBryan1]

I am not scared of many things in life, but that Kukri knife gives me the heebee jeebees.

[Army Air Corps]

Ayo Gurkhali!

[HereInTheHeartland]

The guy with glasses, far left, 2nd one from front; is having trouble following the exercise.

[Joe Brower]

I saw this thread and you came to mind for some reason. $:-)

Coincidentally, I just bought me one of these for working on the bamboo on my property. Works great!

[ichabod1]

Ghurkha-Ghurkha

[archy]

I am not scared of many things in life, but that Kukri knife gives me the heebee jeebees.

Wait until you see a cow beheaded during a Dashain festival with one. One stroke, usually.

[archy]

I saw this thread and you came to mind for some reason. $:-)

I have carried and used the khukuri presented to me by the Gurkhas with whom I once worked since 1967. It is much more to me than just a supurb weapon and tool, but it of course fills those roles very nicely.

Accordingly: Ghurkha list ping!

[aragorn]

I had the honor and pleasure of working with some of these guys in Afghanistan in '03. They are very fierce, very competent, very well trained soldiers (and they cooked us up some damn fine curry!). One of them saved our LTC after he was shot (interesting story, that was...).

Glad they are on our side!

[Little Ray]

Ain’t the knife, its the guy holdin’ it.
Heard a story about a Gurkha in WWII. Seems he killed a bunch of German solders in close combat with his blade. When asked how he did it, he showed ‘em his scarred left hand. He grabbed his opponents bayonets with his left hand and chopped down ‘em down with his kukri.
A guy like that would be dangerous with just a penknife, ballpoint pen, or rolled up newspaper.

[Constantine XIII]

Them dudes are like an army of Chuck Norrises.

[DCBryan1]

Ain’t the knife, its the guy holdin’ it.

Reminds me of a History Channel show on the battle of Stalingrad. They asked a Russian soldier what his favorite weapon was and he said, "the shovel, because you can sneak up on the Germans and almost decapitate them without a sound".

That old man happy and elated to reminisce on the "good ole days" ...shiver. It takes a hell of a man to want to enter into close combat. I prefer being only "shotgun close".

[SevenofNine]

Quoting Croc Dundree that knife LOL!

[SandRat]

Yep! That it is.

[swarthyguy]

>>One of them saved our LTC after he was shot (interesting story, that was...).

I thought only British Army Gurkhas operated in Afganistania, not Indian Army ones, but if the latter did, never mind. :>>

[archy]

I thought only British Army Gurkhas operated in Afganistania, not Indian Army ones, but if the latter did, never mind. :>>

Sort of. Only British Army Gurkhas operated with the British Army troops in Afghanistan on Operations Veritas/Fingal/Herrick. But others have served as security contractors and as advisor/instructors to the new Afghan National Army, including former members of both Indian and Pakistani Ghorka regiments.

[swarthyguy]

Pakistani Ghorka regiments.

Oi, live and learn, didn't knew this variety existed.

[archy]

Pakistani Ghorka regiments. Oi, live and learn, didn't knew this variety existed.

It's my understanding they're no longer serving as Gurkha/Gorkha formations within the Pakistani Army since the 1956 consolidation of eight old and four new infantry regiments into three large regiments, though some individuals transferred to the then-new Frontier Force Regiment or left for new opportunities in Bangladesh when that country began its War of Independence in 1971. Interestingly, some if not most of the Nepalese hired on for the Bangladeshi conflict were hired through manpower service contractors in Afghanistan....