According to numismatist Martin J. Price, monetary coinage
was invented about 600 BCE as a form of bonus payments to Greek mercenaries. “[As] bonus payments, the coins are
more akin to gifts (or medals) than to coins as we know them.” (“Thoughts on
the beginning of coinage,” in Studies in
Numismatic Method Presented to Philip Grierson, Cambridge University Press,
1983).
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| Coin awarded by Texas State Guard Commanding General Maj. Gen. Gerald "Jake" Betty "Do your duty. Take care of your people. Go home with your honor." |
Several
series of denarius coins were struck specifically for Roman legions. The denarii
issued by Marc Antony before his defeat at Actium are probably the most famous.
Those coins show the legionary standards, and give their numeric designations.
Other Roman coins also carry the counterstamps of specific legions. Why they
were counter-marked is not clear to us today. But clear enough among the dozen
or so issues are the coins of Legio X Fretensis, which was stationed in Judaea
and Syria.
A
challenge coin (also called a “unit coin”) is a medal or medalet, as large as a
silver dollar or as small as a 25-cent quarter. The coin carries the insignia and motto of a military unit.
They are intended as awards for singular service, and are seldom granted to
large bodies. Each member of a
squad or platoon may be given one for a team service. Being awarded to each
member of a battalion is unheard of so far. In any case, the coin is awarded
individually. The preferred method is for the coin to be enclosed in a
handshake. It is not a public ceremony, but a private acknowledgment from a
leader to those who have demonstrated exceptional service. The coin is a symbol
of membership in a select group.
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| Coin awarded by the commander of Domestic Operations, Texas Military Department, Gen. Patrick M. Hamilton |
Today,
the enameled medalets are usually awarded by company commanders, or the “tops”
of grades or occupations, such as sergeant majors or chief warrant
officers. They are called
“challenge coins” because the soldier caught without theirs will have to buy
the next round of drinks or perform some other ritual. Researchers can point to several
origins for them.
Challenge
coins were independently invented by US soldiers in Germany who had “pfennig
checks” to see who was carrying the small coins of post-war West Germany. During
Viet Nam, the check was for 1-dong aluminum coin of 1964. Thirty years later,
soldiers were “coined” to see who had an Iraqi dinar.
Writing
for the NCOA Journal (Nov-Dec 2000)
Vince Patton, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, placed the origin
of the unit coin in the Second Boer War. According MCPOCG Patton, a regimental
sergeant major would call his unit to muster in order to recognize the distinct
bravery of one or more of the irregular volunteers who were not eligible for regular
military awards. The RSM would
give “a firm, steady, and handsome handshake” to the soldier while palming to
him a six pence. The silver 6p of
1899 was about like a US dime of the same era: it was not intended as payment,
but as a symbol. They became the
regimental coins for those who had served with valor.
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| Coin awarded by the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Commanding General TXSG Sgt. Maj. Brian Becknel |
The
history provided by Maj. Jeanne Fraser Brooks in the August 1994 issue of Soldiers (the official US DoD magazine)
is the one most often found in citations such as Wikipedia. If you put “challenge coin jeanne brooks” in your search engine you can find
out-takes from her article on many Internet sites dedicated to challenge coins.
Brooks found the roots of the unit medalet in the story of an American pilot
during World War I.
“In one squadron a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions
struck in solid bronze carrying the squadron emblem for every member of his
squadron. He himself carried his medallion in a small leather pouch around his
neck.” Shot down by the Germans and captured, his papers were taken. He soon
managed his escape. Without identification, caught anew by French farmers, he
might have been shot as a German spy, but he still carried the squadron emblem.
It saved his life. “Back at his squadron, it became a tradition to ensure that
all members carried their medallion or coin at all times.”
Maj.
Brooks also told the story of LTG William Wilson “Buffalo Bill” Quinn. When he
was a colonel during the Korean War, he created medallions for his regiment.
The facts are relayed, somewhat differently, on the “Together We Served”
website, a private service for US veterans.
Promoted to Colonel, he would later serve as the
G2 for the Army's X Corps, but in January 1951 he was given command of the 17th
Infantry Regiment. It was his first command of combat troops. The 17th Infantry
had just received a new call sign-"Buffalo," and COL Quinn decided to
call his troops the Buffaloes. The regiment mailed home press releases about
the Buffaloes and a short time later war correspondents began to call him
"Buffalo Bill." The name stuck. Clay Blair in The Forgotten War wrote: "Almost overnight the Buffaloes
became famous. Hundreds of GIs requested a transfer to the outfit; some even
went AWOL to join." (Read LTG Quinn’s full biography here.) https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=191748 )
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| Coin awarded by the Instructor Cadre Officer Candidate School of the Texas State Guard "Ductus Exemplar" |
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