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.

Quick but serious update at the Hobbit Hole knife blog this morning. There will be a more involved update from him shortly, but Winmag needs our help, and he needs it now. His bills are threatening to consume him.

Important Notice
We regret to announce that due to financial constraints, we are discontinuing all sheath knives. We know they are extremely popular and very useful, but we simply cannot afford them any more. Once our finances have stabilized, we hope to be able to resume sending our standard Hobbit Hole folder, currently the Camillus 904s. Please consider donating to help us resume this project.

As he wrote his note this morning to us, asking ecurbh to place that announcement at the top of the page, his heart was very heavy. He is sitting on at least 50 requests for those knives.

The Hobbit Hole blog

Thanks to everyone who responded about the Hobbit Hole knife donations today! We appreciate it! Rick appreciates it especially! :~D

Yes, today has been a great day for donations. Thank you all in the name of the troops we will continue to serve. We'll just be serving them in a slightly different way.

The whole sheath knife thing was like a Cinderella story. It came out of nowhere, and went a long way. Now it has to wind down, but not before making lots of troops happy. And hopefully educating others to buy a quality knife before you step out into the sandbox.

So now we are back to basics, our bread-and-butter: folding knives. But folding knives far different from our first attempt. We're a "factory team" now, and get fabulous support from Camillus Cutlery. I can't say enough good about them.

As of today, we have two different Camillus knives for two every different purposes.

We still have the 904S folding knife with Hobbit Hole logo. That's our standard. But also, the new Camillus Rescue, which is designed for a much different role.

The Rescue is made in Taiwan on their "Heat" design, and both use high-quality AUS8A steel. It's a slick one-hand-opening design, and a great bargain for the money. The main difference, aside from handle color, is the blade shape, and the tungsten carbide stud for scoring/breaking glass.

The Rescue has already been "blessed" by an Army aviation unit heading out for Afghanistan shortly. It's intended to cut aircraft harness for emergency egress, and will do a fine job of something we hope never needs to be done. We'll be supplying them at least 40.

And we'll still be doing "specials" when financial lightning strikes, and great deals pop up. Here's our Hobbit Hole tomahawk. We only have six, but they'll go to the troops that can justify in an email receiving one. We have dwarves and Marines on our "advisory board", so nobody can pull a fast one on us.

And finally, our Hobbit Hole "super special". In this case, an Extrema Ratio fighting knife going to a Marine with a plate in his arm, hand bones fused together, and 40% disability from an IED attack on his humvee. Whether he makes it back into uniform or not, he wanted to make the Corps his life, and this is our way of thanking him:

Thanks to everyone who responded about the Hobbit Hole knife donations today! We appreciate it! Rick appreciates it especially! :~D

Yes, today has been a great day for donations. Thank you all in the name of the troops we will continue to serve. We'll just be serving them in a slightly different way.

As of today, we have two different Camillus knives for two every different purposes.

We still have the 904S folding knife with Hobbit Hole logo. That's our standard. But also, the new Camillus Rescue, which is designed for a much different role.

Just got this email. It makes for good reading just before turning in for the night.

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I received you knife in the mail yesterday. I feel compelled to respond and thank you for such a wonderful gift. I was impressed with the quality of the knife (Camillus BK3). I have proudly added it to my basic combat load while here in Iraq. I am more impressed with you and your company. Many people say that they support the troops that are deployed in combat, however, for many they are merely words. You have gone the extra mile and have proven your support and thus have won many customers of your fine product in the future.

Thank you,

1LT W

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I wrote back a short note explaining that Camillus is "the company" that actually makes that fine product, and the Hobbit Hole is the support group that gets things to where they need to be.

Seriesly, Camillus has performed admirably, and we couldn't get half of what we do done without their enthusiastic support.

And to think this all started with socks, underwear, candy, and homemade cookies to replace what was lost in a PX fire in Afghanistan.

300winmag writes: Got this email today from the wife of an Army captain, who requested 25 Camillus 904S folding knives:
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I received your knives today. And ironically enough we had a meeting tonight. So I got to hand almost all of them out!! The guys were so surprised and so happy!! They said they were really cool, neat, awesome, light weight, and I'm not sure if that is enough adjectives to describe the excitement they had. And when they found out it was a donation from a group of people they just smiled from ear to ear and said "WOW"! They were so grateful!!
So I appreciate it so much. Probably even more so now than before. To see them so happy at times like these over something so simple. Words just cannot describe how wonderful it was!!
So, I wanted to let you know that we received them and that the guys were very very grateful for the extra effort you and all of your friends went through for them.
That is exactly what makes their spirits lift in times when they could use it the most.
OK, I'm done!! LOL Thank you so much for all of your efforts and believe me, I will never forget it!!! May God Bless all of you!!!!
Mrs. Theresa S

8,053 posted on 10/12/2005 3:40:05 PM PDT by 300winmag

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