I also have one of those USMC Ka Bars! It's a very nice knife, it's up there with my SOG Field Pup for being my go-to utility knife.
Also, I am super bummed out that unless the laws here in Canada change, we'll never get the IWI Galil ACE imported because it's an AK derivative.
so, for me, KA BAR is like the jack of all trades for knives.
1095 steel means excellent edge retention, but rather hard to sharpen in the field in a surivival situation.
fixed blade, full tang means its absolute perfect for batoning, fighting, digging, whatever.
stacked hilt annoys me because i can't remove the scales and slap the blade onto a stick and make a spear in a pinch, or repair the hilt myself if its breaks.
serrated edge is nice for difficult cuts or when cutting cables/ropes, but it takes up some space in case i wanted to use it for batoning.
i like the grind on a KA BAR and the tapered/spear-shape tip. it penetrates well and cuts well. would wish there wasn't a dip on the tip though.
pommel is big and flat for hammering, always a plus.
but it isnt optimized for batoning, the hilt is difficult to repair in a pinch, and its blade is usually coated so it ends up sticking in wood if you're chopping with it
so again, its a jack of all trades knife
i'd like to get an ESEE for survival uses. those are damn fine survival blades.