*Note: fowarded, but well thought out:
Allow me to echo this and add my personal thanks as well.
I will also expand upon this. This morning, when my family awoke, each of them found a 2 page thank-you note from me. I thanked each of them for all the support they gave me during my military (and now my volunteer) service. I thanked them for being able to deal with whatever happened when I was away for duty or training. I also gave each a "Challenge Coin", which is a brass coin traditionally used in the military as a means to commemorate some event or some special accomplishment. These were Blue Star coins for each of my daughters, and a special Spouse coin for my wife. They have all seen the various coins I carry with me, and they know some of the tradition of the coins. Now they have coins of their own.
The following is what the letters for my daughters contained:
In Celebration of this Veteran’s Day and every day!
I thank you for your support during my military career. While most folks think of the soldiers on Veteran’s Day, too many forget that the soldier’s family serves too. They sacrifice time with the soldier in their lives and they have to handle things that would normally be handled by that soldier. I know this and I deeply appreciate how easy you made it for me to go off to handle my military duties and what a comfort it was knowing that all of you would cope with whatever happened while I was away.
Your mother, your sisters, and you did that. You coped. With whatever the military threw at you. Whether it was the birthdays I missed, the holidays I was away for, the school activities that happened when I was away for training, you didn’t whine or cry about it. You made it easy for me to focus on my job and my responsibilities as a Sergeant. You also made it a joy for me to come home, knowing that I could expect big hugs and happy daughters to welcome me back. Looking forward to that helped me get through many a long deployment or miserable annual training period.
Even after I retired from the military you’ve still supported me as I began to volunteer with various agencies in our home area. I think you understand just how important it is for me to give back to the community, to serve in some capacity, and I’m very happy that you can support me in this as well.
I thank you for all the support you’ve shown me, knowing that you’ve had to make sacrifices of your own to do so.
I thank you for being so incredibly tolerant, self sufficient, and able to cope. Your ability to do so is nothing less than spectacular to me.
As a token of my gratitude I present the enclosed coin to you. It’s called a “Challenge Coin”. Here is a description of where such coins originated, and what they are perceived to mean.
Military challenge coins are also known as military coins, unit coins, memorial coins, unit challenge coins, or commander's coin. The coin represents affiliation, support or patronage to the organization minted on the coin. The challenge coin is a treasured and respected representation of the organization minted on the coin.
Commanders use specially minted military coins to improve morale, foster unit esprit and honor service members for their hard work. For instance, each quarter during a weekend drill, commanders in the 507th Air Refueling Wing, Air Force Reserve, present a Commander’s Coin to unit reservists demonstrating dedication to the Air Force Core Values of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.
According to one story, challenge coins originated during World War I. American volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying squadrons. Some were wealthy scions attending colleges such as Yale and Harvard who quit in mid-term to join the war. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze and presented them to his unit. One young pilot placed the medallion in a small leather pouch that he wore about his neck. Shortly after acquiring the medallions, the pilots’ aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire. He was forced to land behind enemy lines and was immediately captured by a German patrol. In order to discourage his escape, the Germans took all of his personal identification except for the small leather pouch around his neck. In the meantime, he was taken to a small French town near the front. Taking advantage of a bombardment that night, he escaped. However, he was without personal
identification. He succeeded in avoiding German patrols by donning civilian attire and reached the front lines. With great difficulty, he crossed no-man's land. Eventually, he stumbled onto a French outpost. Unfortunately, saboteurs had plagued the French in the sector. They sometimes masqueraded as civilians and wore civilian clothes. Not recognizing the young pilot's American accent, the French thought him to be a saboteur and made ready to execute him. He had no identification to prove his allegiance, but he did have his leather pouch containing the medallion. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners and one of his French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion. They delayed his execution long enough for him to confirm his identity. Instead of shooting him they gave him a bottle of wine. Back at his squadron, it became tradition to ensure that all members carried their medallion or coin at all times. This was
accomplished through challenge in the following manner - a challenger would ask to see the medallion. If the challenged could not produce a medallion, they were required to buy a drink of choice for the member who challenged them. If the challenged member produced a medallion, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink. This tradition continued on throughout the war and for many years after the war while surviving members of the squadron were still alive.
For you this coin is my way of thanking you for many years of noble and selfless service in support of me, the US Army, and our nation. I’m deeply thankful for everything you’ve done and I want you to have this coin to always remind you of that.
I love you!
Your Loving Father,
_________________________
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and ablest -- form of life in this section of space, a critter that can be killed but can't be tamed. --Robert A. Heinlein
Previous Topic
Index
