I served for a fair piece back during the Cold War. Mostly worked with other folks in the Sea Service, occasionally got to meet Army, Air Force and a few foreign types, mostly socially.
In all that time, I never heard of a "challenge coin", let alone saw one.
I don't understand the concept, other than handing them out in lieu of pay or bonuses. As far as the "challenge" part, do you get to keep inferior coins, as though it was a game of marbles? The loser buys drinks?
Maybe it was a different time, back then. For I can't see where handing out such trinkets would have been met with anything other than snark and derision.
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I was an AF ossifer from 1962 to '68 and I never heard of them. The closest thing I remember is "Are you a turtle?"
mostly for moral, but the challenge comes in at the bar. each coin is issued at a certain level like company, battalion, division. a division coin overrules a battalion and so on. if a guy steps up to the bar and slams his coin on the bar, everybody has to equal or outrank his coin or buy the drinks. if he loses of course he buys and is forever known as a dumbass. never saw it used except one post deployment drunkfest though.
We had 'em at the 32nd Tac Fighter Squadron. Later in my career, when I was assigned to USSOCOM, I got another one, which I still have. In both cases, we challenged one another at the O Club bar. Once I left the 32nd I was never challenged with that coin again. Ditto USSOCOM.
I think one (a SecNav?) was a clue in a N(C)IS episode. I thought it was as fictional as the show's entire concept.
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