Brigade Adds Frontier Weapon to Gear List

Aug. 18, 2003 — -- Modern versions of the frontier tomahawk have been quietly finding their way into the hands of members of the U.S. armed forces for a couple of years now. But now it's one step closer to becoming a standard-issue item.

Beginning this month, the newly formed Stryker Brigade Combat Team will begin equipping infantry squads with "breach kits" (used to clear obstacles and force entry into buildings) that will each include a tomahawk.

And according to at least one member of this new team, the tomahawks have been a welcome addition.

"[This] tomahawk has allowed us to do stuff in the breaching arena that the Leatherman [multitool] allowed us to do early on when we got the Leatherman. It's kind of a do-everything little widget, if you will," said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Myhre.

Tomahawks have been used by soldiers since before the Revolutionary War, and, less commonly, in modern times.

Andy Prisco, president of the American Tomahawk Co., has been selling tomahawks to individual members of the U.S. armed forces and, occasionally, making larger sales to military units. But so far Prisco and his business partner, former Army Ranger Justin Gingrich, have found getting their tomahawks accepted into military procurement channels a much bigger challenge.