This Veterans Day we honor our heroes who bravely served our country and are now proudly part of the Case family. Learn about their service experiences and how those experiences help keep their hands sharp at Case.

Dave Skaggs

“I entered the service in 1982 and I retired in July 2002. 20 years 6 months and 29 days, so I’ve had an experience that very Americans are afforded, I’ve seen the world.  The military, we consider it a brotherhood, for all genders, it’s something that no civilian would ever understand. It’s not like brother-sister or brother-brother or anything like that. These people will die for you. It’s permanent.”

Dave works in our Engineering Department and has been a member of the Case family for over 26 years. His favorite Case knife is a Trapper. He loves Case knives because of being involved in the production process and knowing all the things that go into making a great knife.

Pat O'Neil

“I served 4 years from 1986 to 1990. It changed my whole life. It just made me grow up. It gives you the responsibility, especially working, taking care of yourself and others. Yeah, it was a pretty good experience.”

Pat works in our Concave Grind Department and has been a member of the Case family for over 23 years. His favorite Case knife is a Mini CopperLock®. He loves Case knives and uses them when fishing and hunting because of their superior quality.

Mike Woods

“I was a tank driver and was licensed for all the tanks that they have.  It was interesting, you know. It's what I did and I stuck with it and made a career out of it. My favorite part in the military was being able to travel the world.  If it wasn’t for the military I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I did today.”

Pat works in our Welding Department and has been a member of the Case family for over 8 years. His favorite Case knife is a Mini CopperLock®. He keeps most of his prized Case® knives in displays but appreciates their quality and craftsmanship.

Jason Hance

“I remember when I was 19 years old when I went in, I was probably on the verge of going to jail, so it was probably a smart move for me to go into the military and get some structure in my life. You know and straighten me up. I think I was a terrible teenager. It was an experience. When I was in the military, I learned attention to detail. I think it made me a better person than I was back then. It made me the man I am now.”

Jason works in our Finishing Department and has been a member of the Case family for over a year. His favorite Case knife is a Kickstart® Mid-Folding Hunter. He uses his Case® knife for pretty much anything and his appreciation for their durability has grown as he has been involved in building them.  

Chris Cole

“I am a former Marine.  When I was a little kid, I always wanted to be a Marine.  I went in in ’92 and got out in ‘96.  I was motor transport I drove Humvees 5-ton and 22 1/2-ton trucks.  There are lot of good memories, I mean you’re with these guys literally 24/7.  You don’t have your family there, so they are your family.  It was an experience I would do 100 times over. I don’t regret one second of it.”

Chris works in our Hafting Department and has been a member of the Case family for over 20 years. His favorite Case knife is a Mini Trapper. He uses a Case® knife everyday and loves that he gets to hand-craft them in his hometown of Bradford, PA!

Mike Givan

“I was a 52 Delta Generator Mechanic. You know I was 19 when I went in, I just wanted to do something different. I was deployed to Bosnia in ’98 and then Kosovo and Macedonia in ’99. I learned a lot about teamwork and dealing with stuff under pressure and adapting to different situations. I loved it. I loved being in. It just gave me a sense of pride.”

Mike works in our Embellishing Department and has been a member of the Case family for over 19 years. His favorite Case knife is the TecX Dinero. His favorite feature of it is the money clip.  He loves Case® knives because of the amazing transformation during the production process that makes them look like prized possessions. 

Tom McElhattan

“I was an infantryman, went through striker school and became a driver. I moved up and ranked up, so I became the vehicle commander. He’s the guy who basically tells the driver what to do and runs the gun. You definitely draw on experience, whether it be your civilian experience in the military or your military experience in your civilian life, certain aspects of both will cross over.  My favorite thing was the camaraderie, the bonds you build, the brotherhood.  We’re still pretty tight.”

Tom works in our Hafting Department and has been a member of the Case family for over 14 years. His favorite Case knife is the RussLock®. He loves Case knives because of their dependability and appearance.