- Joined
- Dec 24, 2011
- Messages
- 39
Not a normal post about knives, but a belated memoriam for a long-time member of BladeForums. My dad (user "MerryMadMonk") and I joined BladeForums in 2011, and he became a prolific knife collector and knife history enthusiast in the last decade or so of his life. I wanted to write something about him on here, because many old time BladeForums folks interacted with him over the years in the different discussion boards about traditional knives and slip-joints (which he took great joy in). His name was Al Edmonds, and he died almost a year ago of pancreatic cancer, about a month and a half after his diagnosis. Many of the people who talked to him on BladeForums knew him only as a knife lover - which was true. He was an avid collector of Gerber Mark II's, Great Eastern Cutlery, old time Case knives and Imperial knives, and hundreds more. He sparked my love of knives with my first Buck 110 and a trip to Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Tennessee. In the intervening years since 2011, whenever I was home from college and the army, we spent long nights (sometimes into the wee hours of the morning) talking about knives and guns and the outdoors and history.
Today I hoped to share some of the other facets of his life that were largely unknown to those outside of his family. BladeForums user "MerryMadMonk" - Al Edmonds was a soldier and leader who served in dangerous places out of American idealism and a deep reserve of courage. He loved talking to all of you and learning from this community. I wish I had shared his passing with the community sooner, but the past year was a whirlwind of his loss intermingled with another army move.
If you're interested in reading his story, I've attached a link to his military biography.
MerryMadMonk - A Soldier
One Sunday several years ago, my dad gave a brief talk to our church congregation when our preacher was sick and unable to come. He admonished us to “live life with gallantry and face death without fear.”
Our family is very proud of his service as a Military Intelligence Officer in the US Army for seventeen years (1980 - 1997), with tours in the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, TX, the 5th Infantry Division at Fort Polk, LA, the United Nations Command Security Battalion - Joint Security Area in Panmunjom, South Korea, and the 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, TX (including two deployments - one to Saudi Arabia and Iraq for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm [for which he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his distinguished wartime service], and one to Kuwait for Operation Intrinsic Action and Operation Southern Watch).
My dad will be remembered by those who knew him and loved him as a devoted Christian, a loving husband, a proud father, an adoring Huckleberry, a good brother, a humble soldier, a fierce friend, a dog lover, and an avid fisherman.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 - “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed . . .”
Today I hoped to share some of the other facets of his life that were largely unknown to those outside of his family. BladeForums user "MerryMadMonk" - Al Edmonds was a soldier and leader who served in dangerous places out of American idealism and a deep reserve of courage. He loved talking to all of you and learning from this community. I wish I had shared his passing with the community sooner, but the past year was a whirlwind of his loss intermingled with another army move.
If you're interested in reading his story, I've attached a link to his military biography.
MerryMadMonk - A Soldier
One Sunday several years ago, my dad gave a brief talk to our church congregation when our preacher was sick and unable to come. He admonished us to “live life with gallantry and face death without fear.”
Our family is very proud of his service as a Military Intelligence Officer in the US Army for seventeen years (1980 - 1997), with tours in the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, TX, the 5th Infantry Division at Fort Polk, LA, the United Nations Command Security Battalion - Joint Security Area in Panmunjom, South Korea, and the 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, TX (including two deployments - one to Saudi Arabia and Iraq for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm [for which he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his distinguished wartime service], and one to Kuwait for Operation Intrinsic Action and Operation Southern Watch).
My dad will be remembered by those who knew him and loved him as a devoted Christian, a loving husband, a proud father, an adoring Huckleberry, a good brother, a humble soldier, a fierce friend, a dog lover, and an avid fisherman.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 - “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed . . .”
