jeudi 29 septembre 2011

Be Sure To Wear Your Challenge Coins

By John Pilmer


For the duration of World War I bronze coins had been developed for the people of a squadron of pilots. One of many people of the voluntary squadron had some bronze challenge coins made out of the insignia of the squadron engraved onto it. Everybody in the squadron carried this coin as identification of the squadron. These coins were known as challenge coins. One particular squadron member happened to get shot down by the Germans. Once the Germans found this man, they took all of his I.D., except for the leather pouch that he that held the challenge coin.

Sooner or later the Germans took this pilot to the front in Portugal, where there was a bombardment that night. He escaped while this was occurring. He happened upon some Frenchmen, who had previously been having troubles with saboteurs. They suspected him of being a spy and were about to kill him, since he'd no identification papers on him. Then they noticed the leather-based pouch on his neck with the Challenge Coin inside it. The Frenchmen identified this coin and its squadron insignia and did not execute him, but rather gave him a wine bottle.

After this experience, everybody in this squadron transported this coin on their person, no exceptions. It's thought to be excellent good fortune to have this Challenge Coin on their person and very bad luck to not own it. This particular pilot found out this coin had really life changing results. He'd have died if he had not have been wearing this coin in his pouch. It must have been quite a story he brought back to his fellow squadron members. The Challenge Coin gained a very big reputation in the years to come.

Challenge coins are still respectable to this day. You are expected to wear their coin constantly. Whenever someone challenges a person, say in a club on a military base, the challenged has to reveal his Challenge Coin. If he doesn't have his on him, he has to buy the challenger and his friends a glass or two. If the challenged does show the one who is doing the challenging a Challenge Coin, then that individual has to purchase the challenged a drink plus his friends. It is simply suitable protocol.

Challenge Coins grew to become a custom during the war in addition to following the war. It was a tradition for all squadron members to carry this coin. When the surviving people got together for reunions, all of them carried their coins.

Having no clothing on was not any excuse either for not having your coin within an arm's distance. So if you went to hit the sack, you better keep the coin at your fingertips just in case someone challenges you.

If you carry your coin on a string or inside of a bag, for example the leather pouch, it is regarded as a coin. Should you fasten a coin to a belt, it is a belt buckle. So people are very particular as to how you carry your coin.




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