Coolest knife for a serviceman

  Last night I took my 10 year old to visit our local Boy Scout Troop in order to pass off one of his requirements to earn his last Cub Scout award, the Arrow of Light.
They in turn went to visit a knife maker living in our neighborhood.

  I am familiar with metal work in general and knife making in particular, so I was mildly interested and impressed with his craftsmanship, right up until he showed us a material he created for a custom knife he built for his friend who is a US Marine serving in Afghanistan.
  He wanted to do something special for his friend, and so he found a way to create a rock hard (harder than leather, plastic or wood) handle material out of fabric. He had his friend's wife send him some of his old fatigues he had worn in a previous tour of duty. He used those fatigues to create the handle for a custom Ka-Bar style knife.

  He let us handle a scrap piece of the handle material - it has a grain pattern, and you can still see the camouflage pattern on some sections. Best of all, it feels like actual fabric, despite being rock hard, and it does not get slippery when wet or coated in an oil.
  He is swamped with orders right now from other Marines wanting their own. Most of them want to order one, have it engraved, and hang it in a case on their wall, but his favorite one is the first one he made for his friend, who is currently wearing it on his belt while serving his next tour of duty.

Thanks, Rick for a fantastic evening!