Posted on Feb 11, 2016
Why do we place such emphasis on military coins?
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Most of us have received them. Some of us have given them out and some of us carry them around to challenge others with the "rank" or "importance" of a coin in return for free drinks. We have earned them, had them given to us and maybe even commissioned them to be made. Why does a chunk of metal with zero real value matter so much to our military brotherhood?
Challenge Coin
Awards
Esprit de Corps
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 18
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Don't think of them as coins. Think of them as history, experiences or as stories. Sure, we could hand out AAM's all day, but no one goes "ooohhh, look at all those oak leaves..." when looking at someone's shadowbox. A coin display is a physical narrative, a story of someone's career... Coins are a physical, tangible piece of someone's history..
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The beauty of coins are that they feel more personal than a ribbon or medal. Further, they are unique. A coin given by the 82nd Airbonre CG looks different than one given by the JCS. There is novelty in collecting unique things.
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SrA Matthew Knight
LTC Paul Labrador Hit the nail on the head there. That's what I love about coins, it's cool to see all of the unique designs that people come up with for their personal coin and to receive one, especially from senior leadership such as senior enlisted or officers (especially flag officers) does feel like an honor, even if others receive similar coins.
It's the same for me with flight crew patches. All of the different squadrons have unique designs so it's fun to try and collect them. I have patches from a B52 crew from Minot AFB and some of the F35 test pilots who flew through. Managed to get one from an F22 pilot as well but passed it along to another airman since she had briefed them and she hadn't received any patches yet.
It's the same for me with flight crew patches. All of the different squadrons have unique designs so it's fun to try and collect them. I have patches from a B52 crew from Minot AFB and some of the F35 test pilots who flew through. Managed to get one from an F22 pilot as well but passed it along to another airman since she had briefed them and she hadn't received any patches yet.
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The coin carries a more personal, sentimental value. In my experience, coins are usually handed out for specific events. The giver of the award hands it directly to the recipient right after the event. This personal acknowledgement creates a sentimental attachment to the award.
This attachment can be killed by the CSM who walks down the line and hands every soldier a coin on the way, however.
This attachment can be killed by the CSM who walks down the line and hands every soldier a coin on the way, however.
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