Help us support our troops! [Knives for Soldiers] Update: 1,000 shipped to date and counting!

As some of you know, The group of friends here at Free Republic known as the Hobbit Hole thread, have been contributing to a small project to buy pocketknives and other needed tools for our deployed soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It started out as care and comfort packages, and grew into pocketknives because we learned that while sweets and snacks were good, there were very practical tools, such as a good pocket knife, that our troops didn’t have unless they purchased them themselves. Handy items that would actually help them do their job.

Since we started we have shipped 700 knives as well as other tools, flashlights, EMT shears, seat belt cutters, and other gadgets to our troops overseas. Please visit our newly updated project blog to read about the rest of the project! The Hobbit Hole project blog

One of our pocketknives, in Iraq

Our project leader, 300winmag, has spent thousands of his own money to meet demand just hoping enough donations would be made to keep him out of the poorhouse. My husband ecurbh and I have sent at least $100 per month, and others in the group have sent more or less, depending on what they can afford. But still demand has outpaced the funds coming in. Requests for these knives continue to pour in at the rate of dozens per week:

July 27, 2005
I recently found out about your organization. It makes me feel really good to know there are people out there who care about us and the equipment we carry. I can’t express the amount of gratitude I felt when I found out about your organization. Many of us are junior enlisted, and just can’t afford a quality knife (which tends to be essential in our environment). I am an infantryman fulfilling a combat medic/shooter role because of civilian paramedic training. I was hoping I could get a few knives for the guys in my team if it isn’t too much of a burden. Check out my blog to see what we have been doing here, we are doing a good job of training the Iraqi soldiers if I may toot my own horn! - Chad in Baghdad

Much of the feedback we get are letters from deployed troops who have seen our knives, and went to our site to see about how to also receive one. (More emails from troops)

We have all donated as much as we can and will continue to regularly, but we have reached a limit on how much we alone can do. We’ve decided to both scale back on the more expensive knives we had tested sending, but also decided to ramp up the project and ask for money from outside the group... To ask fellow FReepers, and all our friends and family if you would consider sending a donation to our cause.

We aren’t official enough to fundraise in any kind of big way, we aren’t an official charity with financial statements and tax benefits, and we don’t want to be. We just want to help out just a little, the men and women that are sacrificing overseas for all of us. If you are reading this post, and agree with our mission, we hope you will help us . There is a donation link at the Hobbit Hole site linked above. We guarantee that every dollar you send will be spent on knives.

- HairOfTheDog, ecurbh, and 300winmag, for The Hobbit Hole.

You know, I was thinking, you really ought to send your link to Rush and Hannity, Savage and any other conservative talk radio, if you haven't already. You guys are getting really busy. Perhaps some national exposure would help you raise a lot more needed funds. I'll bet they would be happy to help.

I've thought about that a lot, and decided it's a two-edged sword.

The Hobbit Hole pretty much runs "under the radar". That's because the postal and customs regulations are so vague, and subject to so many bureaucratic interpretations, that our products could easily be considered "illegal". Every time I deal with a new postal clerk, I have to do a semantic tapdance before the packages are accepted.

Also, we couldn't "go national" without a tax-exempt status. This requires lawyers and constant filings, and would eat up more money than we spend on knives already.

Finally, our "product line" is controversial, at least as liberals would see it. Some liberal puke would try to shut us down with a herd of taxpayer-paid lawyers.

Our troop support project would be the one liberals would love to hate.

Sir,Iam a infantryman serving on the front lines here in Baghdad Iraq and some of my fellow soldiers have recieved some of your knivesfrom you and they are well done.I was wondering if it would be possible to get one of these great knives from you. I would like to thank you for supporting my soldiers here in Iraq.
I am a Military Working Dog Handler in the Air Force, currently assigned to US Army FOB McHenry, Iraq. I heard about your awesome program and would like to request a knife for my missions. I also want to tell you how much I appreciate your support of the troops.
Hey Gang, You dont know how much it means to us to have people like you there. I am only able to be online due to the fact that I am recovering from injuries from an IED blast on my Humvee. I was the gunner in a four vehicle patrol on Jun 26 in Yusifiyah when we where hit with two IED seconds apart. I don't remember anything of the blasts but did come around on the trip to the FOB (forward operating base) JOE where I was flown by Blackhawk to the 86 cash (combat army surgical hospital)in Baghdad. I had no penetrating wounds as the 1114 Hummer did her job, I have a lower back injury as well as cervical strain. I should be going back to my platoon within a few weeks. Anyway I lost my Gerber as well as a number of other things. So I sure could use a good knife since AT&T charges so much for darn much for calling cards none of us have much money left and the supply of knives is minimal anyway. Hey thanks again for what you guys do.

Frodo Please support our Hobbit Hole Pocket knives for the troops project.

CPT = Captain in the US Army.

I was assigned by Soldier's Angles to a Commander of a Movement Control Team today.

I know that the men in his unit can and will use these knives in a most productive way.

Once again, without your help, I would not have gotten off my butt and done something.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE!

Please respond to my personal e-mails when I ask for help. Obviously, I have never attempted to send knives or other items to Iraq before.

BTW, I highly encourage everyone to donate money to "The Hobbit Hole" for such outstanding work.

I chose to spend much more money, but direct it toward specific individuals.

Several more requests have come in, including this one...

I was recently enlightened on the donations that your company is a part of and was very surprised. I have never heard of anything being just simply free, and to think that its anything with quality even more surprising. I do not know what guidelines if any that need to be attained to receive one of your products, so I will just briefly tell you about myself. My name is [redacted], I am 27 yrs. old, I live in SC. I joined the US Army in 1996, then left after 4 yrs of active duty in 2000, I have been a Police Officer ever since. I received a Western Union Mailgram back in February that shockingly stated that I was being reactived off the IRR and back into the Army, needless to say I was baffled and upset, though I had a job to do so I reported. I have been mobilized since March 13, and my orders are for 545 days, try and understand how mindblowing it can be to be out for so long then thrown back into the mix, in Iraq no less. My personal life has been in great turmoil since this events, my Fiance recently ended our promising future together and my professional prospects are on hold until I return home. However, after being here for the past few months I feel good about what I am doing, I have made some great friends and have had some very challening experiences. Thank you in advance for anything that you may decide to send. Take Care.

As well as this response from a recipient...

I received the BK2 knife today. I cannot thank you enough for this. As an AH-64 Apache pilot, I am required to carry a survival knife, something that would be able to break myself out of the cockpit if it became necessary to through the glass. This knife is far better than what they have for us to use, and my level of comfort greatly has increased knowing this will be on my vest for that as well as anything else I may encounter. Thank you for your support, as I have never before seen this great magnitude of support by anybody else at any time. On behalf of all soldiers who have received these knives, I know I can speak for them that our appreciation could not be expressed enough through mere words. You should all be proud of what you do, and the difference that it makes to us as we go to the big sandboxes. Thank you again.

Frodo Please support our Hobbit Hole Pocket knives for the troops project.

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