By Debbie Gregory.
The knife carried on the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden has been sold to raise money for the family of a Navy SEAL killed this year in a training accident.
Chief Special Warfare Operator and Navy SEAL Brett D. Shadle died March 28 during a training accident. Known to his friends as “Shady,” he is survived by his wife Jenifer, daughter Savanah and son Christian. Former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonette, who wrote the book, “No Easy Day” under the pen name Mark Owen, donated the Emerson CQC-7 folding knife to the charity Combat Flip Flops, with the intention that they sell the knife to raise money for Shadle’s family.
The auction began May 1, which was the two-year anniversary of the raid on Bin Laden’s compound. Other items were auctioned as well, including a Taliban helmet, private shooting lessons, and a custom Suunto watch. Bissonette’s donated knife netted $35,400 for the non-profit Tommy V Foundation, which is collecting money for Shadle’s family.
Combat Flip Flops has given the auction’s additional proceeds to four other charities that specialize in helping service members, including The Green Beret Foundation, Station Foundation, Team 5, and the Lead the Way Fund.
Combat Flip Flops has organized the auction for the past three years as part of the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Fla. This year, the group added the internet auction to give more people the chance to bid and, hopefully, raise more money.
Bissonette has owned the knife for eight years. He took the knife on multiple missions, including the 2011 mission in Pakistan to kill Bin Laden. Bissonette has said the knife is still in good condition.
In addition to receiving the knife, the winner of the auction will receive a letter of authenticity from Bissonette.
The Navy Seals’ motto is “The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday”, but hopefully, the efforts of the Tommy V Foundation will make tomorrow a little bit easier for the Shadle family.
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