The 305 is a very nice little knife. Over the years, I've known a few folks that carried one, but none as memorable as Petty Officer First Class Charlie Phelen. He was a neighbor of mine back many years ago, and was connected to the medical field and was stationed at Bethesda Navel Hospital, down the road.
He liked it because in uniform it made no impression on the uniform trousers he wore, but Charlie liked to have a sharp cutting tool on hand. Like most of us who grew up in a certain era, he liked to have a pocket knife on him if he was wearing pants. On weekends, working around the house, he had it on him, and used it for what we all use a pocket knife for; those dammed plastic blister packages, bags of mulch while doing gardening work around his house that next door to ours, or whatever. Being a knife knut, I once asked him about it, and he told me that he loved the little knife because it was like having a sharpened thumb nail. Handy as hell without being noticable in the pocket while not needed.
We were neighbors for several years, until he got shipped out, and we socialized a great deal. Often in nice weather, we'd fire up the grills and have a family cookout, and I'd see him use the little Buck to slit open a package of hot dogs to go on the grill, or zip open a fresh bag of Kingsford charcoal, or cut out that little foil seal when you take off the top of a new mustard bottle. Like most non knife people, Charlie just wanted a sharp cutting tool in his pocket, but didn't want to be bothered by it until it was needed. In many ways, he was like my friend Wayne, who was a fanatic on his little 309 companion. The lancer is a great little knife.
Carl.
