![]() There would be specific aspects such as type of coin, date of the coin, etc. The coins were simply a local coin used as a "Bona Fides" during a personal meeting to help verify a person's identity. This tradition continued on throughout the war and for many years after the war while surviving members of the squadron were still alive.Īccording to another story, challenge coins date back to the second world war and were first used by Office of Strategic Service personnel who were deployed in Nazi held France. If the challenged member produced a medallion, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink. If the challenged could not produce a medallion, they were required to buy a drink of choice for the member who challenged them. This was accomplished through challenge in the following manner - a challenger would ask to see the medallion. Instead of shooting him they gave him a bottle of wine.īack at his squadron, it became tradition to ensure that all members carried their medallion or coin at all times. They delayed his execution long enough for him to confirm his identity. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners and one of his French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion. He had no identification to prove his allegiance, but he did have his leather pouch containing the medallion. ![]() Not recognizing the young pilot's American accent, the French thought him to be a saboteur and made ready to execute him. They sometimes masqueraded as civilians and wore civilian clothes. Unfortunately, saboteurs had plagued the French in the sector. With great difficulty, he crossed no-man's land.Įventually, he stumbled onto a French outpost. He succeeded in avoiding German patrols by donning civilian attire and reached the front lines. However, he was without personal identification. Taking advantage of a bombardment that night, he escaped. In the meantime, he was taken to a small French town near the front. In order to discourage his escape, the Germans took all of his personal identification except for the small leather pouch around his neck. He was forced to land behind enemy lines and was immediately captured by a German patrol. Shortly after acquiring the medallion, the pilots' aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire. One young pilot placed the medallion in a small leather pouch that he wore about his neck. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze and presented them to his unit. Some were wealthy scions attending colleges such as Yale and Harvard who quit in mid-term to join the war. American volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying squadrons. According to the most common story, challenge coins originated during World War I. There are several stories detailing the origins of the challenge coin. Please improve this article by adding a reference.įor information about how to add references, see Template:Citation. This article does not contain any citations or references.
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