Anyone who has been associated with a military organization is familiar with the existence of a nearly separate culture of existence among the members. Perhaps this is born of the many challenges and difficulties shared by team members enhanced by the sobering reality of military units and their purpose. In keeping with their shared exclusivity, there is an event unique to military members; military challenge coins.
Military Esprit De Corps is famous, and it is important not just for the wellness of the unit during their off duty times. Unit cohesion has been a documented factor of troop performance since the sixth century before the birth of Christ. In early military battles, flags were used as a means of identifying which troops belonged to whom, and represented the loyalties of the disparate soldiers in the force.
A simple metal orb, carefully inscribed with the images representing the proud tradition o f a unit, has emerged as a new and increasingly popular way of demonstrating membership. Depending on the unit, some of these coins can be exceedingly difficult to earn, and their rarity is yet another of the reasons they are coveted. Increasingly, however, unit coins are being modified to acknowledge specific internal organizational associations, special qualifications, even participation in named operations or campaigns.
As a member of the armed forces continues on their career path, they will move from base to base and organization to organization with a sometimes dizzying rapidity. In between what is known as permanent stations, soldiers are frequently assigned temporarily to units in the field, or field units are stood up to accommodate specific needs, then retired when the need is gone. Even in forward operating locations it is not unusual to find the appearance the emblem distinctively reminding the soldier of his time there.
When they began to catch on and become poplar, they were almost exclusively minted for the organization, a new common rallying standard for inter unit rivalries. As they became more common and popular, they began to appear in other formats. Some were presented for major, joint staff sanctioned military exercises, for special service at a command level, and others for excellence demonstrated during inspections.
Not surprisingly, as the popularity of this practice of distributing them has blossomed, so too has the lore of the orb, the often unwritten rules that the bearers are nonetheless responsible for understanding and abiding by. Like the somewhat ridiculous requirements dreamed up for entry into fraternities, challenges have specific tenets. First each individual should be carrying the coin that bears the images of his current unit, not base x, the previous station.
When a coin is passed from the issuing authority to the new recipient it is usually accompanied with something of a ceremony, though informal. Best Video Editing Software . A commander might present the coin to a unit member during an award ceremony. The protocol has the recipient at attention, receiving the accolades from the commander.
When the commander is finished delineating the heroics of the recipient, the recipient faces the commander, salutes, and the two shake hands. The coin is in the shaking hand and possession of the coin is transferred. It is not as simple as one might imagine, and there is a very real possibility of dropping it, embarrassing both. Possibly to ensure great care is taken to avoid this, there is a consequence to dropping military challenge coins, you have to buy a round of drinks.
Get exclusive inside information on the very special significance of Military Challenge Coins now in our guide to all you need to know about unit coins .