| In today's generation, Challenge Coins continue to | | | | advantage of the situation, he managed to |
| be the illustration of the steady ties and accord | | | | escape, without his personal effects and |
| among military units. They are popular among | | | | identification. |
| scout troops, police departments, fire | | | | He succeeded to escape the Germans by |
| departments, colleges, schools, and even church | | | | disguising in civilian clothing at the front line. |
| groups. While fast rising in popularity, many people | | | | Although it was easy for him to run away from |
| do not know what Challenge Coins are, where | | | | the patrols, he had a hard time crossing the |
| they came from, or even what their history is, in | | | | no-man's island, but eventually succeeded. He then |
| general. | | | | stumbled upon the French outpost. |
| If you want to learn more about what these | | | | Unfortunately during that time, wreckers had |
| coins are, here's a brief discussion about the | | | | been sabotaging the French sector and they were |
| History of Challenge Coins. | | | | known to be dressed like civilians. The French |
| The history of Challenge Coins dates back to the | | | | people didn't recognize the pilot's American tongue |
| World War I, where the volunteers of America | | | | and had mistaken him for a wrecker, so they |
| filled up the freshly formed flying squadrons. | | | | were prepared to execute him. He didn't have |
| Some of these volunteers came from wealthy | | | | any personal identification to show and to prove |
| families, mostly students from prestigious schools | | | | that he wasn't a wrecker. The only thing that he |
| such as Harvard and Yale, who stopped during | | | | had was the pouch that contained the medallion. |
| the middle term to join the World War. | | | | He showed the medallion to them and one of the |
| In one of the squadrons, a rich lieutenant ordered | | | | French captors recognized the insignia. After long |
| emblems in solid bronze and conferred them to | | | | deliberation, they released him. Now, the pilot was |
| his own unit. One of the pilots placed the medallion | | | | back to his squadron and the medallion became a |
| emblem in a tiny leather pouch and wore it around | | | | tradition. It was then that the members of the |
| his neck. | | | | squadron carried the medallion with them |
| Just a couple of hours after the medallions were | | | | anywhere they went, thus giving birth to the |
| conferred; ground fire seriously damaged the | | | | Challenge Coins. |
| aircraft of the pilot. He was compelled to set | | | | As the History of Challenge Coins continues, |
| down just behind the enemy lines; thus, he was | | | | wearing of the medallion has become a challenge. |
| captured by one of the German patrols. The | | | | This was accomplished in such a way that a |
| German threatened him and discouraged him to | | | | challenger would ask a scion to show a medallion. |
| escape by taking all his personal belongings and | | | | If the scion being challenged could not show one, |
| identification, all except for one - the small pouch | | | | he would buy a drink for the challenger. This |
| that was hanging around his neck. | | | | tradition continued throughout the world war and |
| Meanwhile, he was taken down to a French town | | | | the succeeding years, up until today. |
| a few kilometers away from the front line. Taking | | | | |
