

The DW-6900 in particular was featured on Johnny Strong’s wrist in Black Hawk Down (although we can’t confirm that posthumous Medal of Honor recipient Randy Shughart actually wore one during the mission), so that’s why we’re recommending it here - but any G-Shock is well worth your investment. American special operations forces have touted the glory of the G-Shock ever since, and with good reason: its durability, reliability, and utility are second to none when it comes to tactical timekeeping. But this watch’s legend began during Operation Gothic Serpent, commonly referred to as the ‘Black Hawk Down’ mission in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993. The Casio G-Shock is the Hilux, maybe even the AK-47 of tactical watches, and has been a fixture of the Global War on Terror. I had never stabbed anyone before so I went down on him with a stabbing motion.” “I flick my blade to the side and it snaps to the ready. I’m looking for my Rex Applegate Gerber knife: not a multi-tool, just a serious blade,” as Bellavia described the encounter in a 2006 oral history of the Fallujah campaign. I stand up and he digs into my leg with his fingers. “He’s screaming, there are people screaming downstairs and I have no composure at all. After killing four insurgents, Bellavia was confronted by a wounded fighter who engaged him in hand-to-hand combat.
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On November 10, 2004, Bellavia found himself engaging enemy fighters inside a dark house full of propane tanks and plastic explosives, first with his M4 carbine and then with an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. troops - and according to Bellavia’s accounting of the events surrounding his heroism, he never would have made it out alive if it hadn’t been for his Gerber Rex Applegate folding knife. David Bellavia received the Medal of Honor in 2019 for actions during the Second Battle of Fallujah, the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War for U.S. The chronometer, chronograph, and tachymeter complications are well-suited for missions on earth or in the heavens, and damn it, it’s just a good-looking watch! - Marty Skovlund Jr. The OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 3861 movement is at home in a 42mm steel case that’s anti-magnetic, waterproof to five bars (50 meters), and space-proof to at least the Moon. Of course, this wristwatch offers more than just a cool story.
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Notably, it played a critical role in the self-rescue of Apollo 13 after multiple onboard explosions, the astronauts turned to this watch to time a series of engine burns that allowed them to return to earth safely. This high-quality chronograph went on to be the first watch worn on the moon and has been worn on all six moon missions since. After rigorous NASA testing, it was deemed “flight qualified for all manned space missions” on March 1, 1965. OK, we know this wrist piece isn’t exactly budget-friendly, but what it lacks in affordability it totally makes up for in cool factor. Space Force was recently stood up, and NASA is even working on a return trip to the Moon! We have cameras zooming through space taking photos of planets and stars we’ve never seen, the U.S. The Fisher AG-7 Orginal Astronaut Space PenĪs humans, our interest in the universe around us has seen a resurgence in recent years, and our efforts to explore it have followed suit. Take a gander, and who knows: maybe you’ll find a holiday diamond in the rough worth passing on to someone you love. Buy them, don’t, it doesn’t matter - either way, none of these links are affiliated so we won’t see one red cent. In this list, you’ll find selections from the Task & Purpose staff that either A) we personally recommend or B) has a cool as fuck story behind it. This gift guide is, well, the opposite of that. These gift guides are, well, often terrible: overloaded with hokey or substandard presents grafted directly from the latest viral TikTok trend or compiled without any real rigorous or hands-on testing methodology, they are usually a pure commerce play by flagging media outlets, a desperate bid for affiliate revenue amid a season of holiday giving and generosity. The holiday season is officially upon us, and that means that between your Thanksgiving meal and the cheer of Christmas, you’re about to spend the next few weeks totally bombarded by holiday gift guides.
