Military Challenge Coins

My dad was in the Air Force 30 yrs; 19 as a CMSGT and had a massive amount. My sister ended up with them.
I think the one he loved most was commerating JFK's visit to Vandenburg.

My favorite challenge coin was from my last commanding officer during my last year in Okinawa. He was a LT Colonel and he gave me his coin when I got awarded a NAM for doing some fancy shmancy stuff.

Here is a pic of my 227th Marine Corps Ball coin. They went all out on these things. Notice the sheer bigness of this thing.

Josh

I got a bunch but these I like alot--when I met the Vice President I shook his hand and had a coin in it-- he took it and said "Im a coin collector too, here have one of these" and gave me that--it was awesome.



My friends Dad worked for Delta Force and got me their coin

Although I did not serve in the military I did receive one from a buddy of mine. While he was in Iraq I helped his family when things came up. Car repairs, flat tires, fixed a leaking roof and replaced a hot water heater when it went out. Typical home repairs and such. Worked through computer problems for them so they could keep in touch. Things like that. The man had enough to worry about I didn't want him to have to worry about his family. Even though I wasn't expecting anything in return it made me feel pretty good to receive it.

Here's one of my Challenge Coins I own. It's the 2nd oldest Challenge coin made. This coin was created by then Col. William "Buffalo Bill" Quinn, the commander of the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.

The 17th Infantry Regiment continued to issue this coin into the 60's. However, in 1953, the coin's face was changed due to the unit crest being changed by adding a Buffalo.



Here's one issued in 1955

I come from a military family.

Dad served with the 199th "Redcatchers" at Song Be in Vietnam for over a year, right before the Tet Offensive, and then spent 20 more years in the Reserves while working for the USDA full time.

Uncle #1 retired from Arkansas NG as a LTC after serving in DS 1, DS 2, Enduring Freedom.

Grandpa on Dad's side was a tank gunner in Germany during the Allied push to Berlin and was also a tank gunner in Korea. He received a Purple Heart after his tank took a direct hit from a T-34 North Korean antitank round which pierced the armor and detonated inside, resulting in his being both injured by shrapnel and rendered mostly deaf in both ears.

Grandpa on Mom's side was a pilot and later a combat flight instructor, USAAC, for the P-40 Warhawk in the SW Pacific, later he took part in the Allied campaign at Normandy, and at St-Lo. After the war he started a body shop, but kept his love for flying, co-owning a Cessna 170, of which I have a picture of my mom & grandma standing next to sometime in the mid-late 50s. He was a Silver Star recipient, and Purple Heart. I've got a picture of him somewhere I need to scan with him in his uniform standing in front of a P-40.

I don't have a lot of coins yet, but I do have a couple. Also have the two flag cases I had for my dad & for my grandpa.

Challenge coins, left to right:

1. 199th Infantry Bde coin for my Dad.
2. Vietnam Veteran coin
3. 2010-2011 "Team Ag" "Razorbacks" coin of excellence from my uncle, reverse is "Arkansas Agribusiness Development Team"
4. 142d Fires Brigade (Ark NG) the "Razorback Brigade", reverse is "Presented by the commander and command
sergeant major for excellence", also from my uncle
5. Navy "Always think ahead and we'll get there", reverse "Presented for excellence by Master Chief Marco A. Ramirez USN"

You can also see there below the coins a 199th Infantry pin, a Chickasaw Nation pin, a Zuni Pueblo pin, a New Mexico State Police Ass'n pin, a NM State Police lapel badge, and in between the 3rd & 4th coins a wallet NM state police badge, all my dad's who was sworn in as an honorary deputy NM state police trooper by the Governor of New Mexico in recognition of services to the Pueblos, and right behind it, his 30 years of service GSA pin.