ANOTHER G. W. BUSH PRESIDENTIAL CHALLENGE COIN

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V20 2017 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 20, Number 45, November 5, 2017, Article 37

Web site visitor John J. Thresher submitted this note about the George W. Bush challenge coin. Thank you. -Editor

Following the death of my brother in law in Iraq, which at the time was a huge deal because he was one of the highest ranking officers ever killed in Iraq at the time, President Bush came to my parents house in Tampa, Florida (which was where my sister was living immediately following receipt of the news) and spent over an hour with my family. He asked to hear stories about my brother in law, David Taylor, and all of us were struck by how intently and sincerely he was listening. He openly cried along with us several times during the visit. After posing for a bunch of photographs and signing a ton of autographs (we’re huge autograph collectors), he handed each of us a medal.

Fast forward to 2017 and I still had the medal that he gave me but I couldn’t find even another example of it on the internet. I reached out to ANACS, the coin grading service, and asked them whether they knew anything about it – they didn’t, but after hearing the story the company’s CEO called me back and offered to encapsulate the coin for free in a special holder that includes a quote that was my brother in law’s motto in life, “Don’t Quit on the Uphill” (obviously meaning never quit when things get tough).

I hadn’t seen another copy of the coin until happening upon the article from The E-Sylum: Volume 11, Number 43, Oct. 26, 2008. To this day it is almost impossible to find other photos of the medal online. I did a search for George W Bush Medal and searched four pages worth of “Google Photos” and didn’t see a single one. Anyway, I figured I would still share my story and send you pictures of the coin/medal in case you remained curious.

The eulogy prepared and presented by his brother is the stuff of eulogy writing legend. It was so good that the owner of a German Deli that David used to frequent added it to his website word for word. If you’re interested, you will really get a good sense for who David was and what made him special by reading the eulogy at http://www.germandeli.com/Eulogy-for-Major-David-G-Taylor_2.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to learn Major Taylor's story, and see the Bush challenge coin. Our sympathies are with the entire Taylor family. -Editor