The Gouge on the sometimes (optional) Traditional Sword Gift for Graduating Mids
Q. Could you briefly tell me the tradition and the gifting of a sword for the Firsties upon commencement? Basically , do parents purchase them? If so where? The reason I ask with my son, still a Second Class Mid, is because I am going to Spain in March and I thought I read that they were made there somewhere, and if so, maybe I could go there and buy one for him for next year. Thanks - An '05 Parent >>>
First... Swords are entirely OPTIONAL for almost all Mids and Commissioned Officers. While at the Academy, a Mid may only need one when performing duties as a Striper at such events as Formal Parades, etc. Swords are NOT part of the standard uniform. For those Mids who need swords and do not supply their own (almost all Mids fall into this category), the Academy supplies generic swords which remain property of the Academy and are used year after year by succeeding classes.
Commissioned Officers in the Armed Forces may carry swords during Formal Dress occasions such as Change of Command Ceremonies, Admin Inspections and occasions requiring their use, such as Weddings. In most cases where an Officer requires a sword and does not own one of his own, a sword is borrowed from a fellow officer for use. A large number of Naval Officers never own a sword for the entire length of their Military Careers. Having said all that, if you really do want to present your graduating Mid with a sword, you will need to know a few things first.
1. Most Mids do not want an expensive sword while they are attending the Academy even if its use is necessitated by a position within their Company, Regiment or the Brigade. Swords used at ceremonies and parades while at the Academy suffer from harsh conditions and rough handling that would damage an expensive, heirloom quality sword. So the purchase should almost always wait for graduation.
2. Swords used by Marine Officers and Naval Officers are significantly different so you must be certain of your Mid's Service Selection BEFORE you commit to a style. Heaven forbid that you would select a Marine Sword only to find out that your Mid is not going to be a Marine for whatever reason when Service Selections are finalized in January of their Firstie Year. Marine Swords are curved and Naval Swords are straight bladed among other differences.
3. Swords MUST be ordered to a specific length if they are intended to be used. Length is only unimportant if the sword will only be displayed in a wall case and never used by the owner. The blade length is a function of the individual's arm length, the individual's neck length, and how the person carries the sword, and even the type of sword. The length of the blade is determined by placing the tip of the blade at approximately ear level when an individual carries the sword at the "Carry Sword" position which is the sword drawn, arm at side, and blade in a vertical position pointing skyward. A 30-inch sword length is the most common length, generally fitting those people between 5'7" to 6'1" in height. Naval Officer Swords are commonly available in lengths of 28", 30", 32", & 34". A sword that is too long not only looks out of place and non-uniform, but the user risks knocking off headwear or increasing head movement when the user is going to or from the "Carry Sword" position.
4. Swords come in several Price Ranges from inexpensive to very expensive. We have heard of some costing as little as $200 to those costing over $800 plus the cost of the belt, scabbard and wall case being extra in almost all cases. The inexpensive models are really cheap looking with the blades being chemically etched rather than engraved, use inferior or even plastic materials in the hilt and will be plated rather than solid metal construction. While the top-of-the-line swords avoid all these pitfalls in construction, we question the need to spend large sums for a sword that may only be used on a few rare occasions, if ever. (A new laptop would be infinitely more useful to a new officer.)
5. If you still feel compelled to buy a sword for your new officer, there are dozens of places to purchase one, both domestically and overseas. Since it is against our Rules of Operation to make commercial endorsements on our lists, (We leave spamming our membership with unsolicited commercial email to the thousands of spammers who do it to us every day.), we have found a web site which lists the sources for literally hundreds of sword manufacturers and on-line sales companies. It is...
http://www.esa-swords.com/SwordLinks.htm
This site also has a lot of places selling non-military swords but all of the major manufacturers in the US, Spain, Italy, the UK, Sweden, Pakistan, India, Germany, and Switzerland are listed. We recommend buying U.S. made swords to make life easier but you are certainly free to buy one where you wish. We have heard of many parents who were thrilled with their Spanish Swords.
Only one MAJOR word of caution, if buying overseas or "on-line," use a credit card with fraud protection to avoid problems. Never send a credit card number via regular email and NEVER supply credit card information on a web site unless it is certified as a SECURE SITE (the little lock in the status bar will be closed) and the web address begins with https:// which indicates a secure site (that what the "s" means in https.)