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

The FReeper Hobbit Hole Blog ^

[HairOfTheDog]

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.

[Ramius]

[snif] Lord love these guys.

[Ramius]

This bidness of expedited citizenship for war fighters in the US military is truly inspiring.

So many of us have risked so little for what we have. Yet these guys risk everything for us and they're not even citizens yet. I only hope we can do something little like this to help them do... what they do so well.

[Hunble]

Actually, until I started talking with this Army Captain, I had no idea that America was granting citizenship to these outstanding people who are willing to risk their lives.

This is perhaps the best program that our military has ever offered.

I am so damn proud of these people!

[Ramius]

Roger that. In spades. :-)

[JockoManning]

Great cause bump.

Will give more $$ when I can.

Lord Jesus, please keep our boys and girls overseas safe.

JM

[Corin Stormhands]

Bump it up.

[RMDupree]

'nother BUMP!

[cantbebought]

Bump

Another Pay Pal sent.

You guys ROCK!

[ecurbh]

Received this amazing email recently...

I would have to say I was stunned and amazed at such an amazing act of selfless service and pure concern of well being for such a huge cause. I was recently wounded by an ied in northern Iraq and after a couple weeks in the theater hospital I was flown back to my main fob and I was waiting for another flight out to my normal base when I met this guy from the 163rd infantry out of Montana, he was a section sergeant and a truck commander for a gun as I was and he was opening a new knife that looked very appealing. I started to ask him about the knife and how much he paid for it, when he told me he got some for his section for free by these folks from the internet. At first I laughed and expressed to him the lunacy of some one giving away knives like that and said that he may be an unstable soldier but he proceeded to explain what the whole deal was and I was amazed to say the least. So I wrote down the information he had and decided I would do the same for my squad when I returned from my hospital excursion. I looked over your site and I would have to say I am very impressed by how you folks are making smiles on faces over here. I have talked to a couple of guys who received a knife from you guys through you direct or there section sergeant and it seems there is something about it that talks to a soldier more than a standard care package filled with soap, foot powder and chewing gum. This is a tool that we use every day cutting open grain sacks on raids, to simply opening a stubborn can of oysters on a bad day. But every time a soldier uses that knife he will remember where it came from and the folks who care about them coming home so much they sacrificed enough of there time and money to give them a tool that could possible get them back alive. To me I think that is one of the noblest things a person can say or do for a troop in the sand here. Bravo and I commend you for your organization.

together here in northern Iraq doing missions everyday. I will soon be back on the roster if I heal quickly enough but I thought I would use the time I had to see if you would be willing to send some knives for the boys and me. I know they would appreciate it and truly will use the knives on a daily basis as if it was an extension of there arm. I have listed my address below and other contact information, if you would prefer to send them in one box you may do so and I can hand them out in order to save on shipping or I could give you the names if you would like also. I have also included a pic of me and my section, the structure behind us is a mosaic of saddam that has been threw a few aggression benders but you can still make out the image, I can send a better one if you like, this one is small and easy to email.

We'll be sending you another Paypal this weekend, winmag.

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

[HairOfTheDog]

Thank you so much for your help! :~D

[Hunble]

After serving with the Army for 20 years myself, this is why what the Hobbit Hole is doing, was so personally important to me.

Although I decided to purchase and send two knives myself, the Hobbit Hole has always been recognized as the source of the knives.

"every time a soldier uses that knife he will remember where it came from"

Because of that, I do not know of any better gift to send to our outstanding soldiers.

This is our way, as American citizens, to say how important their work and efforts are to us.

I received this message from Iraq today:

"I passed your email on to my soldiers. Do not know if they will have time to write, but I certainly encouraged them to. I believe the Sgt Hxxxx will hook you up with pictures. I mentioned it today and he said he would. He was wearing your knife proudly on his side. I know he will put it to good use."

Thank you, each and every member of the Hobbit Hole. You are making an important difference.

[HairOfTheDog]

Terrific letter! :~D

[RMDupree]

What a photo!

I sent my PayPal $$ to 300winmag this morning and will be sending more when I can.

[Hunble]

RMDupree;

What you have done today, will be remembered by a soldier for the rest of his life!

Chips, candy or books are remember for about a week. A knife, is something that he will still have with him, at the age of 50.

This old Grandfather, will be passing along this knife to his family in his old age.

[RMDupree]

It's such a small way to thank those who are giving us so much.

[Blue Jays]

Hi All-

Big knife collector here! Learned of this worthwhile project by reading Ramius' tagline and seeing the Hobbit Hole links...

As a person who loves Busse, Microtech, and Benchmade knives I hope to contribute towards blades for the soldiers as soon as I can. Just wanted to give this great thread a BUMP.

~ Blue Jays ~

[Ramius]

Thanks for the bump, Mister Jays.

You're quite right that it is a good and useful project. The dividends are already many... even just those that we know. The dividends that we do not know are also many. But lives are being saved. That's all that matters.

Regards,

Ramius

[HairOfTheDog]

Thank you so much, once in awhile we post updates and feedback from soldiers here to this thread. We'll ping you the next time around :~D

[300winmag]

As a person who loves Busse, Microtech, and Benchmade knives I hope to contribute towards blades for the soldiers as soon as I can. Just wanted to give this great thread a BUMP.

Those are all very fine brands, and I wish we had the money to give those away to the troops. But the Camillus models provide us (and the taxpayer) with tremendous value, and bang-for-the-buck.

Thanks for the bump, and please stop by again to talk about sharp objects. It's amazing how man's oldest manufactured tool is still a handy thing to have around.

[ecurbh]

More requests still coming in, and some great comments...

First of all I think it is great what all of you are doing. It seems that there are too many people concerned with bashing our government, instead of supporting the troops. I feel like too many people forget that we (soldiers) are deployed fighting for freedom. A lot of people concentrate too much energy complaining, when they could be using that energy supporting troops that are sacrificing for them and our country. Most of all I want to say thank you for your support.

Many of the soldiers in my unit have received knives from you, we are deploying in support or OEF. I would love to be put on your list to receive one if they are still available.

Thank you so much for your support. It is good to know that people are still thinking of the soldier.

---

This is an amazing service you guys are providing the troops over here, it's a shitty thing being over here doing what we do, but it's always a good feeling to know there are people back home supporting us in all that we are doing. Without people like you and your staff and all the others that support us, this war would be a much more difficult ordeal!

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Greetings from Iraq. When I first heard of your site from a friend I couldn't believe my ears. Someone giving away free knives? I didn't believe a word he said but then out of curiosity I checked out your web site and what he told me about you guys was true. I think it is great what you are doing for the troops out here. I have received a lot of care packages but none of them had anything useful to me on a day to day basis like a good knife. Which brings me to the point of this e-mail. (Although I am sure that you have already heard this a thousand times) Can I have a knife? I would like either the Gerber LMF II infantry model or aircrew knife(which ever you have more of).

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A soldier pointed me in your direction. I am a chaplain in an mechanized infantry unit. We travel in HMMVEEs. We are required to wear the seat belts. On two ocassions, the need has arised to cut the seat belt restrains. If the Camilus BK3SG is adequate for the task I would appreciate three knives: one for SGT [redacted], SPC [redacted] and myself.

In addition to providing ministry or spiritual inspiration and lifting the morale of the soldiers, the military trained us for combat life saving missions. I believe the knife you listed may be better suited than the offensive knife blades we currently carry.

---

I wanted to drop you a line and thank you for supporting our troops. You got mentioned at the armory and have since supplied some of our troops with with your great knives. We are crew chiefs on the AH-64 Apaches getting deployed soon and sent to Afghanistan with the 1/183 Aviation Battalion. I am sure those knifes will get alot of use. I know my guys have been proudly showing off the knives they have received. It is nice to actually see some of the troop support efforts instead of hearing "I support the troops just not the war"

If you still have one in stock I would like to ask for a Gerber LMF II. If not a Camillus BK2SG would be sweet!! I am amazed at the weight and quality of it. Once again thanks for your effort in supporting our (my) troops. I think you found the perfect thing to do.

And here's one from a fellow LOTR fan...

I am a big fan of lord of the ring. I have sting and narsil sitting at home on a wall. I would like to know about your knife selection. I will be going to afganistan and would like to find a good knife to fly with.

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