I had a maker/friend of mine (actually invited me to the dogs), build me a nice little A2 tanto prior to leaving for my current deployment. The knife he made me, just showed up in my mailbox one day, and it completely took me off guard. I've used the hell out of that thing, to the point its going to need a reprofile when I get back home. Before my next deployment, I'll even design a custom kydex boot sheath to replace my current benchmade dagger that has made a home the past couple years.
Not everyone that deploys needs a free knife, but even moving someone up on a list, cutting them a few dollars discount, following up with an e-mail/hows it been holding up for ya, is a great way to support our men/women in uniform that live in this forgotten part (being kind today) of the world.
Good luck with your goal to make a difference.