Custom coins date back in history for
many years.
The use of custom coins in the USA dating back at least as far as
1824. There are Campaign Coins from the 1824 election supporting Andrew
Jackson for President. It is fair to assume that this practice didn’t
originate in that year so custom coins probably date back even further.
The following story
about the history of military coins in the 1st World War, has been
passed on to us through a succession of Marines.
During World War I, American
volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying
squadrons. Some were wealthy young men who left colleges such as Yale
and Harvard in order to enlist in the military.
In one squadron, a wealthy
lieutenant ordered solid bronze medallions embossed with the squadron
emblem for every member of his squadron. He carried his medallion in a
small leather sack about his neck.
Shortly after
acquiring the medallions, the lieutenant’s aircraft was severely
damaged by ground fire during a mission. He was forced to land behind
enemy lines where he was 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.
He was eventually taken to a small
French town near the front lines where he managed to escape during a
night bombardment. During the attack, he donned civilian clothes and
fled without personal identification.
After escaping, the brave pilot
succeeded in avoiding German patrols until he reached the front lines.
With great difficulty, he crossed no-man's land and stumbled into a
French outpost.
Unfortunately, the French in this
sector had been plagued by German saboteurs, who 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.
Just in time, the American
remembered his leather pouch containing the bronze medallion. He showed
the medallion to his would-be executioners. When the French captors
recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion, they gave the pilot
enough time to confirm his identity. Instead of shooting him, they gave
him a bottle of wine.
Eventually the pilot made it back
to his squadron, where it became a tradition to ensure all members
carried their medallion or coin at all times.
This was accomplished through a
challenge. A service member would ask to see the coin. If the challenger
could not produce his coin, he was required to purchase a drink of
choice for the member who had challenged him.
If the challenged member produced
his coin, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink.
This tradition continued through
the war and for many years after while surviving members of the squadron
were still alive.
Today, military service members
often trade these coins while deployed. In some cases a coin can be
earned meritoriously for a job well done.
Regardless of how they are
required, the history of the challenge coin remains a part of military
tradition, and Marines will continue to display them proudly for years
to come
