Looking at Memorial Day through the Lens of Challenge Coins

Memorial Day is for remembering and honoring service members who have died in service to the nation. I believe veterans look at this day differently from one another. Many have certain traditions such as having a drink by the grave of a fallen buddy. Others might gather with close friends and family from their unit and remember the lives and experiences they had with those who died. I usually think about a handful of soldiers I knew from past assignments that have been killed.

Some of my own “traditions” include glancing through my photos from my military service, re-watching the “morale video” from my Iraq deployment with the 3rd Infantry Division, and looking at some of my military “challenge coins” and thinking about the memories they stir up. The coin serves as an interesting lens to view this day.

For background here is a very brief explanation of the challenge coin. The coin itself is a non-monetary coin that has some sort of military significance attached to it. It might have the unit insignia on it. It could be a commemorative coin from a deployment. It might even be tied to a specific agency or department. Unit leaders typically present the coin to a unit member that achieved something of significance.

Sometimes unit members purchase their own personalized coins out of pocket so they can present them to others during a deployment as a token of appreciation. I’ve seen some commanders exchange them with counterparts at military functions. I’ll go out on a limb and assume that those particular coins were bought out of pocket.

The “official” guidance on coins from my own experiences as a senior leader is that the government will fund a limited number of them for that commander but he/she must present them for specific achievements. My Aide de Camps kept meticulous track of who, when, and why I presented coins. I would have purchased some with my own money if I wanted to give them out more liberally. You can learn much more about these coins if you Google it.

A few coins in my own collection have special meaning for me on Memorial Day. I received a coin from the Executive Officer of SEAL Team 10 a few years ago. I was in the Horn of Africa checking on my soldiers that were deployed there. The XO for the supported SEAL unit was so appreciative of what my soldiers were doing and that I came out to visit them he presented me with their coin. What made this coin particularly special is the date 06-28-05 on the front. On the back it said, “Never Forget” and had the names of 19 Americans. This was SEAL Team 10’s Operation Red Wings coin.

I recognized a couple of names on it. One was LT Mike Murphy, whom I did not know. He was a Long Island native and Medal of Honor recipient. The other name I did know. Major Stephen Reich was a pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the “Night Stalkers.” I knew Stephen when he was stationed in Okinawa and I was in Hawaii. We worked together briefly on a project. He was a consummate professional. I was in Iraq when he was killed in Afghanistan on Operation Red Wings on 28 June 2005. I recall the shock I felt when I heard the news.

One of the other coins in my collection is from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division. The “Sledgehammer.” I served as one of the subordinate commanders attached to 3/3 in Baqubah, Iraq in 2005. I remember a number of their soldiers getting wounded or killed in Ramadi. The brigade lost 30 soldiers during their yearlong deployment. Even though they were not my organic unit I felt like part of their family. I remember very well the mix of anger and sadness among the commanders who suffered these losses.

The other coin of special significance on Memorial Day is the one from my last unit of assignment in the Army, US Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. Between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan the command lost 48 men and women. I didn’t personally know many of them but some of the names were familiar. Some I knew at one time or another. I made four pieces of artwork to honor all of the commands’ fallen. I donated these pieces to the unit, where they now hang on the Wall of Honor as one enters the headquarters building.

Hopefully, this short article gave you some added insight into what Memorial Day means to veterans. I know the day is usually the one that marks the start of summer and it’s celebrated with parades and picnics. With that said, please fly your flags at half-staff from sunrise to noon, if you have a flag. Even if you don’t, please take a moment to join the nation in remembrance at 3 pm local time on this coming Memorial Day.

(click coin images to enlarge)