Do you love a good military tale? Are you intrigued by military traditions that weave their way through history and infuse a little meaning into civilian life?
If so, you’ll love the origin story of military challenge coins. Challenge coins are little medallions with special engravings that signify a person’s achievements or participation in a military group of some kind.
The idea is that you have to show your challenge coin at any time, and you need to complete a challenge of some kind if you don’t have it. The result is a round of drinks for the bar, a pantless jump into a snowbank, or an embarrassing display of some kind.
Behind that culture of camaraderie, though, is an interesting tale.
The Origin of Challenge Coins
Let’s travel back in time over one hundred years to the start of World War One. American society still had one foot in the dark ages of segregation and classism, and the other foot was soaring through the sky in the newly-invented airplane.
An Airforce squadron was meeting for the first time. Back then, people didn’t engage much with members of higher or lower society. Life was structured so that people stayed in their respective lanes, and the rich had insulated their lives away from those that were less fortunate.
Needless to say, neither group was particularly fond of the other. World War One, though, was one of the most brutal and deadly military engagements that mankind had ever seen. In fact, the introduction of new technology mixed with old military practices made it the most horrific war at that time.
So, Americans had to come together. The squadron came together, filled with the mistrust and resentment referred to above. One wealthier member, though, brought a group of custom medallions to the group.
You couldn’t order coins from Metal Promo in those days, so he had to get all of them made by a metalworker who made each piece by hand.
The coins offered a way for the men to unite, feel pride in their group, and establish some kind of connection that cut through all of the cultural fog.
The Miracle of the Challenge Coin
Fast forward a year or two, and we find that squadron in the heat of battle. One of the men gets shot down.
He’s taken hostage in German territory. Expecting death, the man finds that his building is bombed and the explosion kills all of the German soldiers but leaves him unscathed.
He takes a German uniform and makes his way toward No-Man’s-Land. Somehow, he manages to get across that mythical deathtrap and lands in French territory.
He’s taken captive, again, expecting to die. The French soldiers don’t trust him until one of the soldiers recognizes his coin. He knows that only one set of coins was made and that only an American soldier would have one.
In light of this news, the man was freed and his life was spared. News spread about the coin saving the man’s life, and the tradition of the challenge coin spread throughout the military.
Want to Learn More About Military Challenge Coins?
Challenge coins have gone through a long evolution since the days of WW1. Traditions in navy challenge coins differ from the ones surrounding air force challenge coins, and the same goes for other branches of the military.
The culture has flourished, producing a lot of different ways to use these coins. We’re here to help you learn more about them if you’re interested. Explore our site to learn more about military history, challenge coins, and a whole lot more.