Show me your coin?

[Time Bandit]

I have a friend on recruiters assistance who was helping recruit at a mall, he had 3 older Marines come up to him and asked him to show them his coin. Obviously he had no idea what they were talking about so apparently he owed each of them a drink. Just wanted to know what exactly they were talking about, might save me from buying many drinks down the road.

[Lisa 23]

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Challege Coin Rules





</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=center><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=3 align=left>Note: A "Coin Check" consists of a Challenge and a Response.




1. RULES:
A. The challenge is initiated by drawing your coin, holding it in the air by whatever means possible and state, scream, shout or otherwise verbally acknowledge that you are initiating a coin check. Another, but less vocal method is to firmly place it on the bar, table, or floor (this should produce an audible noise which can be easily heard by those being challenged, but try not to leave a permanent imprint). If you accidentally drop your coin and it makes an audible sound upon impact, then you have just "accidentally" initiated a coin check. (This is called paying the price for improper care of your coin.)


B. The response consists of all those persons being challenged drawing their coin in a like manner.


C. If you are challenged and are unable to properly respond, you must buy a round of drinks for the challenger and the group being challenged.


D. If everyone being challenged responds in the correct manner, the challenger must buy a round of drinks for all those people they challenged.


E. Failure to buy a round is a despicable crime and will require that you turn-in your Coin to the issuing agency.


2. WHEN - WHERE:
A. Coin checks are permitted, ANY TIME, ANY PLACE.


3. EXCEPTIONS:
A. There are no exceptions to the rules. They apply to those clothed or unclothed. At the time of the challenge you are permitted one step and an arms reach to locate your coin. If you still cannot reach it -- SORRY ABOUT THAT!


4. A COIN IS A COIN





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Challenge Coin Histroy

During World War 1, American volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying squadrons. Some were wealthy scions attending colleges such as Yale and Harvard who quit in mid-term to join the war. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze and presented them to his unit. One young pilot placed the medallion in a small leather pouch that he wore about his neck.

Shortly after acquiring the medallions, the pilots’ aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire. He was forced to land behind enemy lines and was immediately captured by a German patrol. In order to discourage his escape, the Germans took all of his personal identification except for the small leather pouch around his neck. In the meantime, he was taken to a small French town near the front. Taking advantage of a bombardment that night, he escaped. However, he was without personal identification.

He succeeded in avoiding German patrols by donning civilian attire and reached the front lines. With great difficulty, he crossed no-man's land. Eventually, he stumbled onto a French outpost. Unfortunately, saboteurs had plagued the French in the sector. They sometimes masqueraded as civilians and wore civilian clothes. Not recognizing the young pilot's American accent, the French thought him to be a saboteur and made ready to execute him. He had no identification to prove his allegiance, but he did have his leather pouch containing the medallion. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners and one of his French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion. They delayed his execution long enough for him to confirm his identity. Instead of shooting him they gave him a bottle of wine.

Back at his squadron, it became tradition to ensure that all members carried their medallion or coin at all times. This was accomplished through challenge in the following manner - a challenger would ask to see the medallion. If the challenged could not produce a medallion, they were required to buy a drink of choice for the member who challenged them. If the challenged member produced a medallion, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink. This tradition continued on throughout the war and for many years after the war while surviving members of the squadron were still alive.

http://www.coinforce.com/challenge-coin-rules.htm

[Sgt Leprechaun]

I've never been a big fan of this myself.

However, I do carry a '9/11' coin, and used to have one from the Commandant.

So, when challenged, often I would up the ante by saying "I'll go senior in rank or senior in engagement but nothing else".

Needless to say, unless you have a coin higher than Commandant (SecDef for example, etc) or Prior to 9/11 (and I have a Kosovo one as well)...I WIN.

[advanced]

I never heard of these coins till here.

[chulaivet1966]

Hmmm....
I've never heard of this 'coin' thing even though it's inception seems to go back some time ago.
I need to get out more.

Carry on....

[Mongoose]

I never heard of these coins till here.
Same here, Russ.

[advanced]

Though I never heard of the coins, if you want to challenge me I'll gladly show you my K-Bar.

[kenrobg30]

Never heard of it. Does that mean I'm barred from the VFW now? :beer: S/F!! Ken

[Sgt Jim]

Have two coins,one Marine and one Army.

[FoxtrotOscar]

I've heard about this coin thing and find it rather dumb.. jmho...

Especially when just about any coin can be purchased off the internet these day's, it really doesn't prove anything...

Just like the name tags, back when, if you wanted to know my name, ask...

[Artemis]

I have a Presidental Challange Coin from George W. Bush.........does that beat anything?

[iamspartacus]

How can you Marines (especially you older Marines) not know about challenge coins!?! When I think about challenge coins I picture one old salty SgtMaj strolling up to a smokey bar next to another salty gunny and slapping down his coin. Everyone passes them out like candy today... in the Marine Corps anyway. Most units even have their own customized coin. Now, do Marines actually go around bar to bar "challenging" other Marines? No. But we don't actually wear "leathernecks" either. It's just a part of our pop culture.

[FistFu68]

:beer: Billy,& Russ,I've got a couple of these Coin's I'll send You each one.The next Club Soda W/a twist of Lime is on Me Brother's S/F :beer: :thumbup:

[CrockettJW]

They've always been a big deal in the Army. If you were stuck on guard duty or working somewhere on a holiday and the sergeant major saw you, he'd give you a coin. Same thing for inspections and that sort of thing.

In Iraq, there were so many different people selling their unit coins at the embassy that it was kind of funny. One guy I worked with made one for our unit and sold out of 300 of them in a really short time. It was a smart move for him. He paid $3.00 each for them and the going price was $10.00, so he made $2,100 on them.

I think it can be kind of neat to buy a souvenir coin of units you worked with or served with, but it's a lot better if someone gives you the coin for doing some good work or something.

Either way, I don't see it as being any different than a coffee cup or a T-shirt.

[advanced]

I don't go along with it, personally, but if a bunch of folks want to do it, fine, among themselves, not telling a stranger he or she has to now buy drinks because they could not produce a coin.
Otherwise I could tell them that whenever I see a stranger and talk to him or her, he or she has to give me a hundred bucks, now where is my challenge-hundred???

If anyone demands I buy them a drink because I don't have a coin I'll just tell them I'm a poser. Or, I could say Fist hasn't sent me mine yet.

Ain't it a *****, us Vietnam Vets got screwed out of another old Marine Corps tradition. Another old time tradition we got screwed out of was eating on a regular basis - sometimes just eating or sleeping.

[advanced]

Russ, you owe me a drink, you aint got a challenge coin!

I don't have one because I'm a poser. I was only in the boy scouts and they didn't give me a coin either.

[CrockettJW]

I don't go along with it, personally, but if a bunch of folks want to do it, fine, among themselves, not telling a stranger he or she has to now buy drinks because they could not produce a coin.
Otherwise I could tell them that whenever I see a stranger and talk to him or her, he or she has to give me a hundred bucks, now where is my challenge-hundred???

I completely agree with that. Walking up to a complete stranger and telling him he owes you a beer for something you've never heard of is not fair at all and I wouldn't do it.

I've seen units that had their own rules and customs, like those clubs that have a sign that says "He who enters covered here buys the bar a round of cheer." At least you get ample warning.

I had one time where I was told to do push-ups for stepping on the unit crest. I refused on the basis that it was on the floor, and just inside the main entrance, where it was difficult to not step on it.

[radio relay]

My understanding is that challenged coins were dreamed up during the first Gulf War ... This is the first time I've seen it attributed to WW1.

Like some of the other old salts here, I never heard of them when I was in.

First time I ever saw one was when I was at the Iwo Jima Memorial, on the Marine Corps Birthday, in 1999. General Jones, the Commandant at the time, shook our hands and gave a Commandant's challenge coin to a friend I was with, who had been severely disfigured from wounds suffered in Vietnam. It was really cool.

I had some made for 5th Comm Bn. I have one in my pocket. Not so much for the "challenge" part, but as a personal tribute to my old unit in Vietnam. I like giving them to people, too.

[Sgt Jim]

Just keep mine in a box and put away,my dog tags and John Wayne are aways with me.

[Zulu 36]

My understanding is that challenged coins were dreamed up during the first Gulf War ... This is the first time I've seen it attributed to WW1.

Like some of the other old salts here, I never heard of them when I was in.

First time I ever saw one was when I was at the Iwo Jima Memorial, on the Marine Corps Birthday, in 1999. General Jones, the Commandant at the time, shook our hands and gave a Commandant's challenge coin to a friend I was with, who had been severely disfigured from wounds suffered in Vietnam. It was really cool.

I had some made for 5th Comm Bn. I have one in my pocket. Not so much for the "challenge" part, but as a personal tribute to my old unit in Vietnam. I like giving them to people, too.

Challenge coins pre-date the Gulf War, as I have one from the 1st SOCOM at Ft Bragg that I received a year or so before Desert Storm. Good thing, because we were taken to the Green Beret Club later on and somebody put a coin check out, hoping to sucker a few drinks out of us, but lost. Challenge coins in SOCOM also had to have your initials engraved on the coin to count.

To my knowledge, at the time, coin checks could only be done in a bar and the coin had to be on your person. Also, to my knowledge, challenge coins were mostly used by special forces units. Perhaps they became more popular after the Gulf War.

[Deduke]

I have a Presidental Challange Coin from George W. Bush.........does that beat anything?

My CAP coin goes everywhere with me. The coin given to me by the Medal Of Honor Society (Col Wesley Fox) stays in my brag room.

[8532usmc]

Yes I ran into a marine that had a coin from the bataan death march. He won

[GT6238]

I had some Air Force guy challenge me...I told him I didn't know what he was talking about and that I didn't give a sh/t either...

[EchoFifeSerria]

I have only been challenged twice, and I am 1-1.

[3043pog]

Can't say that I remembered any coin thing,but I'd buy any Marine a round!

[FistFu68]

:beer: F**King A (lmfao) :D I'll drink too 'Dat :beer:

[EGA1957]

Seems I recall that a dollar bill was used in much the same way during WWII.

It would be signed by various individuals (generally at "high-level" meetings such as Yalta, etc.) and over the several years people had some unique signed bills that held some remarkable signatures.

[CrockettJW]

Seems I recall that a dollar bill was used in much the same way during WWII.

It would be signed by various individuals (generally at "high-level" meetings such as Yalta, etc.) and over the several years people had some unique signed bills that held some remarkable signatures.

That sounds like a "snorter." I never saw one myself, but I heard these were in use around the time when international travel by plane was still something special.

[wildwoman73]

We have even been given challenge coins at the police department. I have been challenged once. And I owe. I have my USMC coins but I think it would be more appropriate to challenge someone who was issued the same coin during whatever point in enlistment. I was never issued an official USMC coin. Just detatchments like in Korea. The SNCOIC of the section we were attached to gave each of us one. And of course I don't carry it. It is in a trunk with all of my safely kept bits and pieces of my life. :)

[03Mike]

I was issued my first challenge coin when I joined 1st Battalion, 9th Marines in 1991. The battalion coin (for 1/9 at least) is rumored to have started shortly after Operation Buffalo in 1967 -- don't know that for sure, but that's what the Battalion Sergeant Major and Battalion C.O. said.

Compared to the fancy coins that people pass out now, my old Walking Dead coin is pretty shabby - but you damn sure made sure you had it with you in the field (or anywhere else, for that matter). The battalion rule was that the only exclusion to carrying the coin was when you were in battalion PT gear (black & whites) - if you were in standard PT gear (green on green) then you were not excused.