The Kind of Men Who Carry Pocketknives | Appalachian Magazine

Interesting article. My dad grew up in upstate NY, worked for Western Electric most of his adult life. He taught me early on, a gentleman always carries a pocket knife. He always had one with him as do I still today. Mine is quite different than what he carried back in the day.

Recieving a pocket knife was a rite of passage when I was growing up.
Thanks for the great article, Sgt Rick Whitmire.

My Dad grew up in the hills of Tennessee and was never to be found without a pocket knife. He was also a career (27 years) USAF enlisted man. He preferred the Swiss Army knife. It is one of the things I remember about him the most along with his work bench in the garage and the old blue vice/anvil combo on the corner (I have it on my bench now). You never had to ask if he had his knife with him. He did, it was always as sharp as a razor and worked perfectly.

He was one of those men that could fix or do just about anything and if he didn't know, he taught himself. I remember one time after the AC repair guy left the house he just shook his head. A week later he had his own AC repair and testing gear and for many years, did that himself too.

He would use that knife many times every day. I don's seem to have the same need to do so. I guess things have changed, perhaps not for the better. I also have one of his Swiss Army knives he left behind. I keep it with a few other memento's from a life well lived by a man from a generation we could all stand to be more like.