Special Forces Charitable Trust

Army Special Forces soldiers have been at the forefront of major American conflicts and countless "other" actions since their inception in 1952. Soldiers that enlisted shortly before or after 9-11 are now retiring from the force. They have spent their entire careers on a Special Forces team and have seen double-digit combat deployments. This operational tempo has taken a tremendous toll upon the Special Forces community and their families. While the DoD has made monumental strides in addressing the physical and mental stress, there are still unaddressed areas in our service members' lives. This is where the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) steps in.

Jodi Burns, the Executive Director for the SFCT, puts it very succinctly, "There are significant gaps when it comes to providing for our SOF [Special Operations Forces] Families. While the government continues to do a fine job of preparing the Soldier for war, they fall short in preparing them, their spouse and/or children for life apart during and more importantly, after battle." Jodi goes on to say, "We are not tied to a specific topic or issue, and we take pride in filling the gap for this Community as they are happening or when called upon."

This philosophy illustrates SFCT's understanding that the Soldier's Family carries the greatest burden and sacrifice. Their highest priority is to provide support and assistance to SF [Special Forces] Families during these challenging times. Their programs focus on excursions for the family unit, the individual soldier, and their children. The SFCT also provides merit-based scholarships for dependents and incentive awards for SF soldiers participating in military-sponsored warrior competitions.

A holistic approach to the care and well-being of these brave military members bolsters our military strength and ensures our heroes are cared for. Jodi says it best, "Touchpoints outside of work are super important in ensuring Soldiers and Families feel connected, supported, and know they are appreciated."

Jodi sums up the Special Forces Charitable Trust’s ethos when she says, “We feel so privileged to serve this amazing community and hope they’ll turn to us and let us know how best we can serve them to ensure we continue to meet our mission.”

The Special Forces Charitable Trust hosts numerous events throughout the year, such as The Great American Shoot and the Spartan Clay Shoot, which raise the needed funding to run these impactful programs. To support the SFCT and the great work they are doing for the SF community, Anthem will be running a silent auction fundraiser with all of the proceeds going to SFCT (link below.) The winning bid received the V-14 knife engraved with the Devil's Brigade insignia, Willie's Devil's Brigade Whiskey, and custom arrowhead woodwork along with a certificate. We decided to work with Spartan Blades on the V-14 because co-founder, Curtis Iovito, is a retired Green Beret, and the V-14 is a nod to the lineage of Army Special Forces. Willie's Distillery, an Ennis, Montana company, is also owned by a Green Beret veteran who proudly makes the best whiskey in big sky country that honors the First Special Service Force.

The Spartan-George V-14 Dagger is a throwback to the fighting knives used by elite commando units of WWII, such as the First Special Service Force (FSSF). The FSSF was activated on July 9th, 1942, at Fort William Henry Harrison, just outside of Helena, Montana, and is one of the preceding units that eventually became U.S. Army Special Forces. It was a combined US-Canadian outfit that initially focused on cold-weather warfare as they were initially conceived to fight in occupied Norway. However, the Force was reallocated to the allied effort in Europe, fighting their first battle at Monte la Difensa in Italy. The commandos of the FSSF preferred a dagger-styled fighting knife, as many times they found themselves fighting the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. The presentation of the V-14 Dagger, Devil's Brigade Whiskey, and the arrowhead Devil's Brigade woodwork, shows Anthem's connection to U.S. Army Special Forces and our roots in Montana.