Hello everyone. This time it's John Dennehy writing this one. I figured it's time for me to contribute here and with it being one year ago that my Dad passed away it seems like the right time. 2011 is over now and with it many doors closed including the fact that I can no longer pick up the phone and say "How ya doin Dad" I also lost my job in Sept.

A new door opened however and with the loss of my day job it seemed time to become a full time Knife Maker. with construction at an all time low here there wasn't much of a choice. In any event many old friends have offered encouragement and many new friends have been made.

Sherilyn has kept you all up to date on the Commemorative knives I have been making. I was recently asked why the Dan-D trademark was not stamped on a particular knife. I thought I would share a bit about the "Dan-D shamrock" trademark.

We were stationed at NAS Atsugi in Japan from 1962 through 1966. It was about 1965 as best I remember that Dad came home with this little piece of steel. He was very proud of it. As the story goes he had commisioned a little elderly Japanese man to make his first trademark stamp. Dad went out a few different times to see if it was done and as he told the story the fellow was a bit more irratated each time. You see, this stamp as pictured was hand cut with files and whatever else the fellow used. This one was the fourth try and he finally got it right. I know how frustrating it is when I have to re do something and to think of the hours this guy spent just amazes me. You see he didn't have a machine shop with nice benches and vises. No CAD program or lasers cutting away metal. Most of the work was done by holding this thing in a crude vise and sitting on a stump hand filing it.

Anyway I remember Dad using the stamp in Virginia Beach while stationed at NAS Norfolk. I was fascinated to watch him. He stopped using it for the most part in Yuma when the stencils became the rage. This was about 1972. For a few years the knives bore Yuma, AZ under the Dan-D. When he moved to Del Norte, CO it replaced Yuma, AZ.

Part of what makes the Commemorative Green Beret and Alamo Bowies special pieces is that I decided to use the old stamp on each one. Once these knives are all complete I have no plans of using it again. I will however do my best to keep making the Dan-D models from his 1967 brochure and the one he did in the early seventies.

I hope I have made him proud this year and continue to do so. I miss you Dad.

Please visit our website at www.JohnDDennehy.com