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V4 2001 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

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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