Karen’s Opinion

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 1-800-Flowers. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was a young girl, our family moved a lot. My dad was in the military and that meant that when orders were given, we were packed up and shipped to a new base. Luckily, my oldest sister and I are only a year apart in age so we had each other to confide in and give each other the courage needed to walk into a new school.

When my dad was stationed in California, my sister was high school age whereas I was still a middle schooler. That meant I had to face the unfamiliar alone. That is why I was so happy to find a neighbor girl who was my age. Her name was even the same as mine and she was the middle child same as me! I could not believe how lucky I was! I found a new confidante.

I have often wondered about that friend. I have looked her up on Facebook and Classmates.com but have not been able to find her. If I ever do, find her, I would love to call 1800flowers.com and have their flower delivery service surprise her with a bouquet.

She was a great friend and I truly miss her.

The national news had a story this evening about coins being made to commemorate the inauguration. The US presidential inauguration will be held on Tuesday, January 20th. A special coin is being made to commemorate the special date. Coins have long held a position in our country’s traditions. Coins are often minted with special pictures and lettering to identify the occasion being honored. These coins are often referred to as challenge coins.

My daughter has received a few challenge coins during her military stint. These coins hold a special meaning to the receiver and are usually saved with other important mementos. Commanders and units give out coins as awards and as mementos for services rendered or special occasions. Challenge coins are often given for a job well done which often improves morale. It also is given to signify joining a unit or division.

The history of the challenge coin varies. During my investigation of how the coin became called the challenge coin, I found the following information;

From Wikipedia:
As the legend goes, a wealthy lieutenant, ordered small, solid-bronze medallions (or coins) struck, which he then presented to the other pilots in his squadron as mementos of their service together. The coin was gold-plated, bore the squadron’s insignia, and was quite valuable. One of the pilots in the squadron, who had never owned anything like the coin, placed it in a leather pouch he wore around his neck for safekeeping. A short while later, this pilot’s aircraft was heavily damaged by ground fire (other sources claim it was an aerial dogfight), forcing him to land behind enemy lines and allowing him to be captured by the Germans. The Germans confiscated the personal belongings from his pockets, but they didn’t catch the leather pouch around his neck. On his way to a permanent prisoner of war facility, he was held overnight in a small German-held French village near the front. During the night, the town was bombarded by the British, creating enough confusion to allow the pilot to escape.

The pilot avoided German patrols by donning civilian attire, but all of his identification had been confiscated so he had no way to prove his identity. With great difficulty, he sneaked across no-man’s land and made contact with a French patrol. Unfortunately for him, the French had been on the lookout for German saboteurs dressed as civilians. The French mistook the American pilot for a German saboteur and immediately prepared to execute him.

Desperate to prove his allegiance and without any identification, the pilot pulled out the coin from his leather pouch and showed it to his French captors. One of the Frenchmen recognized the unit insignia on the coin and delayed the execution long enough to confirm the pilot’s identity.

Once the pilot safely returned to his squadron, it became a tradition for all members to carry their coin at all times. To ensure compliance, the pilots would challenge each other to produce the coin. If the challenged couldn’t produce the coin, he was required to buy a drink of choice for the challenger; if the challenged could produce the coin, the challenger would purchase the drink.

The rules of how challenge coins are used vary.
It usually begins with the challenger drawing his/her coin, and slapping or placing the coin on the table or bar. Everyone being challenged must immediately produce the coin for their organization and anyone failing to do so must buy a round of drinks for the challenger and everyone else who has their challenge coin. However, should everyone challenged be able to produce their coin, the challenger must buy a round of drinks for the group.

While most holders of challenge coins usually carry them in their pockets or in some other readily accessible place on their persons, most versions of the rules permit a challenged person “a step and a reach” (particularly useful if one is challenged in the shower).

Did you enjoy gathering with your family during this holiday season? We were fortunate that my husband’s mother, my son and his fiancé were here. We ate Chinese food on Christmas Eve. That has become our tradition. I used to cook a big meal but it was difficult to get everything ready, go to church and not be completely worn out. Take out is much better. My husband’s brother passed way this week and so it has been a difficult time for us. My daughter is in the military and was not able to come home. That made it especially hard for us as a family. Through modern technology, we were able to use our web cam and have Stacy join us as we opened gifts. She took her turn and opened gifts with the rest of us.

Our military service members and their families need our support. Many are struggling to make ends meet let alone provide gifts and necessities for their families. Sears has done a wonderful thing by bringing a program called the Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry. Service men and women have registered at the Sear’s website and our donations will be used to purchase Sears gift cards. These cards will then be donated to those registered service members and their families. This is one way, (not tax deductible), that you can let your military families know how much you value their sacrifices. Visit the wish list section and read some of the emotional wishes from our military families. You will be inspired to donate. Our troops are worth our efforts.