THE CHALLENGE COIN

In today's Air Force Basic Training, Airmen who complete "Warrior Week", are presented with a modern version of the Challenge Coin, exactly as shown above. It is a source of great pride in their unit, their flight (team members) and for the accomplishments they have made. This particular coin can not be purchased anywhere in the world -- it can only be earned!

HISTORY OF THE CHALLENGE COIN

Leisure time in Vietnam was a commodity, but when it came, it was utilized to the max; catching up on sleep; writing letters home; letting off steam at the hootch bar. The latter proved to the the most popular, but eventually it too could become boring and mundane.

To heighten excitement and foster unit esprit de corps, Bullet Clubs were formed. These were comprised of small, elite, front-line fighters who each carried a personalized bullet from the weapons they carried in combat. The ultimate use of the bullet, usually carried in the hip pocket, was to deny the enemy personal capture.

When an individual entered the Hootch Bar, he would be challenged by fellow team members to produce his bullet. If he did, the challenger would pay for his bar tab for the rest of the evening. If he failed to produce his bullet, he bought drinks for everyone for the remainder of the night.

Eventually, personalized bullets took on disbelieving proportions. Some "teamies" took to carrying 20-, 40-, or 105mm cannon shells. Clearly, these were not personalized coup de grace munitions but rather manifestations of perceived individual prowess in combat or perhaps on R&R.

At the height of the Bullet Club's heyday, it was not an uncommon sight to see strewn across a bar room table a very respectable representation of the full range of bullets, rockets, cannon and artillery shells used in Southeast Asia.

In order to gain control of the situation -- and to avoid accidental discharge of the large, fully functional munitions -- bullets were traded for coins, which reflected the unit's symbol and pride. Each coin was personalized by a controlled number and/or the individual's name. The rules remained the same, although today they are greatly expanded. Loss of one's coin was and remains tantamount to eternal disgrace and banishment. To forget to carry one's coin in anticipation of challenge results in a minor death.

Emerging from those small, elite groups using bullets are today's coin challengers. Known to strike anywhere at anytime, they insidiously stalk the challenge, waiting for the just the right moment to attack. An innocent bystander may never hear the challenge -- only the challenge's despairing cry, "..Ah! I forgot mine!".