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.

The Hobbit Hole Troop Support Blog has undergone an upgrade/redesign, and is now back online. There are still a few formatting fixes to make on some of the archive pages, and the photo gallery is not back up yet, but that will come later.

But this project is still truckin' (1,150 knives so far!), so please donate what you can. Requests still come in regularly... sampling of comments below.

300winmag I know you put a ~lot~ of time, effort, and $$ into this. I am in awe of your dedication!

There is nothing more invigorating than the spirit of a dedicated group of Americans such as yourselves! There just aren't enough people left in this world that are as giving and unselfish. Thank you for the unique Idea!
I think what you guys are doing is awesome. Finally some people out there that respect what we are doing over here. Sorry I don’t have no pics of me for you but I will send some of some cool stuff over here. When we don’t have knives to use we get the cool **** like this. If you give me an address I would like to donate some cash to you guys to continue your great work.
Another Marine told me about your website. I think it is wonderful that there are good people out there that appreciate what we are doing and the need for tools that aren't issued.
Your organization sent most everybody in my outfit one of the fine knives donated to the cause. It served me well then and still hangs from my gear belt. I thank you evrytime I use it and I mention you everytime someone asks about it. I hope I have passed on other patrons to you, and have helped you continue to do good things for the Joes either in the Sandbox or those fixing to go.
I found out about your website today from a friend. I couldn't believe it when he told me you guys send free knives to soldiers!!! I really appreciate the motivation and dedication you guys have in providing ours troops with these great tools and potential life saving pieces of steel!
I stand in awe of this priviledge to request for a tactical knife from your website. I am taken back at the generosity of citizens such as yourselves that contribute so much to a cause that we as soldiers believe in.

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

And with today's very generous donations, I ordered a few of these babies for our "unadvertised specials" department. When the price is right, and the knife is outstanding, I buy a few for the most special of our special troops.

I bought one of these Benchmade-brand gems, and immediately ordered three more.

These will be given to troops who merit something special, like the Air Force major who gave his Hobbit Hole Camillus BK2 to a Marine captain who was heading to Iraq. In his case, he got one of the limited-edition CRKT folders (shown beneath our standard Camillus folding knife) for his honor and integrity is helping out a fellow American fighting man.

Got this amazing email from a soldier recently:

I would like to start out by saying you all do an awsome thing for the troops, getting us things that either supply cannot get us or we are limited at getting for other reasons. It is an incredible way that you show your support. I write to you because I am in need.

I am a 19D cav scout and have a secondary mos of 91W combat medic which I am now deployed as. On missions I do everything from saw gunner or ride as the medic. About two weeks my convoy was hit with two ieds at 0 dark 30. It was not all up- armored as we were escorting some other vehicles. The truck in front of mine was hit. It was not up armored but had a kevlar blast blanket in it. The first ied was an efp built with a 155 round. The shrapnel tore thru the cab and the blanket. The blanket was shredded and tangled in with the driver due to shrapnel going into his iba. Upon exiting my m1114 I found myself using my knife a crkt folder to cut through the entangled kevlar blanket to get to the driver and perform treatment. It was somewhat of a task doing this with a small folder. I am looking for solid hard use fixed blade that I can mount on my iba for quick access. I would like a serrated blade if this is possible. I could use a good fixed blade over a good multi tool but am in need of one always and would definietly appresiate a good multi tool if that is all you have. Thank you for your support and time.

And an AF K-9 handler sent us this pic...

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

Wow. I'll bet we've got just the thing.

I emailed him already. The Camillus Rescue is a must in his line of work. Also a fixed blade knife, which will probably be a Camillus BK2.

Sometimes it's not lack of funds that holds things up (although that happens too). It's the little component like the MOLLE adapter for the Camillus, which I can usually get in a few days. This time, it took two months, during which I couldn't ship any Camillus knife.

Well, today I got the 26 I ordered, and it was like Christmas morning. Now I have to finish packaging all the Camillus knives I have laying around, and get them out in some semblance of first-in-first-out.

I also ordered our second batch of 100 Camillus 904S knives with the Hobbit Hole logo applied at the factory. I have 10 left from the original hundred, and will try to make them last for another three weeks.

The biggest bit of news is the new CRKT Optima sheath knife, which I ordered in February 2005, and has just now hit the dealer's loading dock. I'm anxious to see what it was that I've been waiting all year for.

Latest news on the Hobbit Hole knife project:

First, Camillus is reducing the price they carge us for the BK2 and BK3 knives by $12 and $23, respectively.

Second, I've received one of the just-announced Camillus tactical switchblade, the 18-Xray.

We will be offering this knife to active duty troops, and must conform to federal regulations that require a signed statement that they are authorized to carry a switchblade as part of their duties.

The 18-Xray has a MSRP of $269 (quality switchblades ain't cheap), and we will require a nominal donation to help defray our cost. This is by far the most expensive knife we've ever offered, and we do appreciate some assistance from the recipient, who's still getting a hell of a deal on a hell of a knife, along with our thanks for his service.

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