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The E-Sylum:  Volume 4, Number 48, November 25, 2001, Article 9

MILITARY "COINS"

  Alan Luedeking writes: "An article in the Wall Street Journal
  of August 6, 2001 described the growing practice in the U.S.
  military of handing out "coins" as souvenirs and tokens of
  appreciation (literally) for a job well done.  This tradition is
  said to have begun in the 1960's with the 10th Special Forces
  Group, a unit of the Green Berets.

  I found it interesting that each federal entity formulates its own
  rules concerning their design and distribution, and that at Fort
  Stewart, Georgia anybody under the rank of colonel cannot use
  federal funds to pay for the making of theirs.  Some small units
  resort to flipping hamburgers and sponsoring car washes to pay
  for theirs. It's said most soldiers value receiving these more than
  a "real" medal or ribbon, and that some individuals have paid
  for theirs out of their own pockets (Defense Secretary Rumsfeld,
  for instance, who is said to hand them out "much, much more
  sparingly" than his predecessor William Cohen [according to
  Rear Adm. Craig Quigley]).

  Although the article implied that only the Army and Air Force
  practice this tradition widely, the photographs showed one
  for the Navy (for the U.S.S. Coronado) and one for the Office
  of the Director of the U. S. Secret Service.  What disturbed me
  a bit was that the value of these pieces has become so widely
  recognized that now executives of Raytheon and General
  Dynamics hand their own out to military clients, and even
  Pentagon correspondents (Jamie McIntyre of CNN, for instance)
  hand them out. This would appear to dilute the "purity" of the
  tradition. Are there any unwritten rules at all?  It was mentioned
  that these "coins" regularly trade on eBay, so clearly they've
  become a global collectible.  If Clinton's collection numbers
  over 500 different pieces, and generals like Hugh Shelton and
  Shinseki report that theirs have even been counterfeited, this
  clearly begs for more information. Is there is any comprehensive
  catalog out there?"

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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