By all accounts, Special Warfare Operator First Class (SEAL) Matthew J. Leathers was an amazing human being. Not only was he a highly decorated SEAL but he was also someone his friends and family describe as a nice guy who would give others the shirt off his back.
When Leathers was lost at sea during training exercises off the coast of Hawaii in 2013, the military suffered a huge loss.
But thanks to a recent agreement with Buck Knives and Leathers’ father, his legacy will live on in a knife designed by Leathers himself called the 245 Matt Would Go.
During his nine years with the Navy SEALs, Leathers designed a knife that met his high standards and caught the eye of some of his fellow SEALs.
The original knife was made by using steel from a coil spring scrounged out of a scrapped Humvee and tempered using an old mailbox. Still, despite the makeshift nature of its creation, the knife was reliable and undeniably badass.
The new one from Buck is not made of scrapped Humvee but instead uses 5160 steel and custom multi-colored Micarta handles. It also comes with a textured Kydex sheath with a TEK-LOK belt clip.
Buck Knives wanted to honor the highly decorated combat veteran by making his knife and naming it the 245 Matt Would Go. The model number 245 is a tribute to Leathers’ SEAL team class and the “Matt Would Go” portion comes from his unrelenting devotion to duty and courage.
Here’s more on that from Buck’s press release about the naming:
When the chips were down, the team could always count on Leathers. No matter how perilous the job or daunting the challenge, Leathers would be the first to step up. When he was lost at sea, the phrase, “Matt Would Go,” was coined by the leadership of Seal Delivery Vehicle Team One in recognition of his courage and selflessness.
If all of this still hasn’t won you over, a percentage of the net sales will benefit his father’s company called MattWouldGo, which donates to the Navy SEAL Foundation.
The knife, which has an MSRP of $245, will be unveiled at the SHOT Show next week in Las Vegas, along with more of the specs.
Update: The knife is now released and you can check it out here.
February 10, 2015 at 6:13 am
I’d like to purchase the knife if it was blued instead of having the black coating.